.
In 2000, the United Nations
set ambitious Millennium
Development Goals to be
achieved by 2015. These
include Goal number 5, that
of reducing maternal mortality
by 75%. In 2008, at the
half way point towards 2015,
this goal is the one on
which there has been the
least progress. In 1987,
the Safe Motherhood Initiative
was launched worldwide in
order to make pregnancy
and childbirth for women
and babies in the developing
world as safe as in the
developed. To date, there
has been no overall reduction
in maternal mortality. 99%
of deaths occur in the poorest
women on earth, some 526,000
a year. A significant number
of these deaths are caused
by Eclampsia and Post Partum
Haemorrhage, avoidable and
treatable conditions using
medications which are readily
available in the West and
cost less than the cost
of a bar of chocolate.
That’s where "Hope
for Grace Kodindo"
comes in. We are one of
a very small number of charities
whose single aim is to have
a positive impact on these
tragic statistics.
The death of a mother impacts
on every aspect of a family’s
life. Children of a woman
who has died are more likely
to die before they reach
the age of 5yrs, girls are
more likely to have to leave
school in order to look
after the family... the
list goes on. The cost to
the world of maternal mortality
is $15billion. To save these
women would cost $5billion.
If the motive for the world
to address this human tragedy
is anything other than humanitarian,
then the economic cost should
drive this most worthy of
causes.
To find out more
about the work of HFGK please
browse through our web site. |
