Mother's Day is coming up this weekend in the United States and several other countries around the world. Shout out to all of the mamas out there celebrating!! We love you!
To shed some light on important issues that many mothers of the world face, we went out to Washington Square Park in NYC to hear from some moms about maternal health. This is what we learned:
135 million women give birth every year.
20 million suffer maternal illnesses.
16 million girls aged 15-19 give birth each year.
Girls are at a higher risk of maternal complications.
Every minute a woman dies in childbirth.
Most maternal deaths are preventable.
99% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries.
Lack of skilled care is the main obstacle to better maternal health.
Doctors trained per year: Europe - 193,800, Africa - 5,100.
I'm not trying to put a damper on Mother's Day celebrations - the big takeaway here is that WE CAN CHANGE THIS. And what better day than Mother's Day to start raylling support for mothers all over the world to have access to improved maternal healthcare??
Take action at www.globacitizen.org/healthymoms to improve maternal health systems and save lives.