Ninety – nine per cent of maternal deaths occur in the developing world, and even modest contributions “make a tremendous difference to the very building blocks of human life around the world in a way that will be truly transformative towards a much better planet,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said at a conference he hosted in May.
The international gathering, which drew leading advocates and politicians from around the world, was captioned, “Saving Every Woman, Every Child” and focused on maternal and child health.
“One of the most important things is becoming aware of the issue,” Rev. Dr. Daniel Scott, minister at St. John’s, Bradford, Ont., told the Record. Scott attended the summit as the managing director of Save the Mothers, a maternal health organization operating at the Ugandan Christian University in East Africa. The organization trains people in all disciplines related to the care of mothers and children.
“This is a cause that anyone can support,” said Scott. “It makes sense for all people to want to save mothers and children.”
According to UNICEF’s website, “The highest national rates of neonatal mortality occur in sub – Saharan Africa,” and “more than 50 per cent of women [in the developing world] still deliver without the assistance of skilled health personnel.”
And the UN reports that, “A woman in sub – Saharan Africa has a 1 in 16 chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth, compared to a 1 in 4,000 risk in a developing country—the largest difference between poor and rich countries of any health indicator.”
A lack of adequate care, poor nutrition and obstetrical challenges all lead to high mother and child mortality rates in developing nations.
In Malawi, a southern African country tied closely to the Presbyterian Church in Canada, having children is a risky proposition. Most women live more than 25 kilometres from the nearest hospital and more than half of the women there give birth without a trained nurse or midwife. Having a trained attendant present at a birth is one of the best ways to reduce chances of death. At 460 deaths per 100,000 live births, Malawi has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.
The PCC has a long history when it comes to caring for women and children. The church’s relief agency, Presbyterian World Service & Development is a member of the Canadian Network for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a network of over 70 organizations that focuses global actions towards maternal and child health around the world.
“The PCC has been involved in saving the lives of mothers and children long before the current focus on MNCH by the global community,” Ken Kim, PWS&D’s director, said of the church’s involvement. “Our medical missionaries have started hospitals, nursing schools and community health programs that have served countless people.”
PWS&D’s maternal health projects focus mainly on Malawi and Afghanistan, where they have built and improved clinics to enable access to birthing services; educated and trained families, community leaders and health care workers on the needs of mothers and children; and empowered girls and women to advocate for their rights and well – being.
“There were some excellent and inspiring messages of progress and commitment towards improving the health of mothers and children,” said Kim of the maternal health summit.
“As we are approaching the conclusion of the United Nations millennium development goals in 2015, the goal to decrease maternal mortality by 75 per cent will not likely be met,” he said. “However, in some areas remarkable global progress has been achieved.”
The number of mothers who died during pregnancy or childbirth in developing countries has decreased from 523,000 in 1990 to 289,000 in 2013. The number of deaths in children younger than five years has also decreased from over 12 million in 1990 to 6.6 million in 2012.
“Scaling up nutrition programs and immunization campaigns are the most significant factors that have contributed to the progress,” explained Kim.
“Community health programs, food security for households and prioritizing emergency assistance for the most vulnerable are just some [examples] of what PWS&D has done to ensure Presbyterians have done our part toward the improvement of maternal and child health,” he said.
Acceleration of progress was one of the key issues highlighted at the Saving Every Woman, Every Child summit. Other issues discussed included efforts to reduce newborn mortality, saving lives through nutrition and immunization, and building more partnerships within the private sector to finance these initiatives.
“All were unanimously grateful to Canada and to [Prime Minister Stephen Harper] for spearheading this initiative and they are absolutely correct, that as a nation, Canada has come in front of the world stage on this issue,” said Kim.
Scott agreed, saying, “Canadians should take pride that their government is doing this.”
About Elizabeth Keith
Elizabeth Keith is the Record’s summer intern. She is a journalism student at Carleton University, Ottawa.