Every Mother Counts: Working for Maternal Health
Women getting safe maternity care is a basic human right
Every Mother Counts is a non-profit working to make maternal health safe, respectful, and fair for everyone before, during, and after childbirth. I believe women have the strength and courage to make real change for others. Every effort to help women get safe maternity care shows love in action.
Working to make maternal health safe, respectful, and fair
The Every Mother Counts organization works to ensure maternal health is safe for everyone, no matter where you live. When I first heard about them, I realized I still had a lot to learn about women getting safe maternity care, which is a basic human right. As a mother who had great care during my own pregnancies, I can imagine how scary it would be to go through childbirth without information or a safe environment.
Far too many mothers are losing their lives.
Every day, more than 700 women die from pregnancy, childbirth, or complications after giving birth. That means about one woman dies every two minutes. We know why this happens, but these problems continue around the world. Almost all of these deaths could be prevented if everyone had timely access to good, respectful, and fair maternity care. This is a complex issue (I’ve simplified a little) that can be grouped into three main categories:
Big picture factors such as political landscapes, environmental factors, and economic systems
Social factors like affordable healthcare, education, distance to care, and gender inequities
Health system factors such as supplies, provider training, coordinated care, and discrimination
Maternal mortality rates have improved over the years. Between 2000 and 2023, global efforts reduced the maternal mortality ratio by about 40%. Still, progress has slowed, and too many preventable deaths are happening. We need to keep working for lasting health improvements for every mother. By showing the people behind the statistics, Every Mother Counts has brought the maternal health crisis into the spotlight. They partner with community organizations to identify what is most needed and how best to help.
To learn more, visit their website at EveryMotherCounts.org.
Maasai woman talking about childbirth
