Countdown to 2015: World not on track to meet maternal health goals

On April 17th, FCI’s President, Ann Starrs addressed parliamentarians and experts gathered in Cape Town to discuss and debate progress – or lack of progress - towards Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, which address newborn, child, and maternal health. Ms. Starrs is part of a working group that released new data in special issue of the Lancet, reporting that in 56 of the 68 countries, maternal mortality rates remained high or very high. These data suggest that many countries are not on track to reach MDG 5, which calls for improving women’s health by cutting maternal deaths by three-quarters “We know what works to reduce maternal deaths,” said Ms. Starrs. “Basic improvements in reproductive health services, including family planning, as well as skilled care for all deliveries and emergency obstetric care for those women who have complications, are effective ways to prevent these unnecessary deaths.” Click here to view the complete Countdown special issue of The Lancet.



UN Population Award

On March 5th, the United Nations announced that FCI is the 2008 winner of the UN Population Award in the Institutional Category. This award honors an organization “for their outstanding work in population and in improving the health and welfare of individuals.” Ann Starrs, FCI's President, stated “FCI is thrilled to be recognized for our work to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for women around the world. It is significant that an organization that focuses on MDG 5 – preventing maternal mortality – was honored this year. This award recognizes, as well, the tremendous efforts of our partners, who have been side by side with us in our on-the-ground projects in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and our 20 years of advocacy to ensure that maternal health and sexual and reproductive health are placed squarely on the global agenda.” The award will be presented at the UN on May 22nd. FCI is only the 4th US-based organization to win this award since it was established in 1983. Click here to read the UNFPA press release.

Dame Billie Miller, a former Senior Minister in Barbados who has promoted population and gender issues for many years, was honored in the Individual Category.

The Skilled Care Initiative generated rich lessons about how to improve maternal health in rural Africa. Implemented in selected districts in Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Tanzania between 2001 and 2007, this project tested strategies for increasing women’s use of skilled maternity care before, during, and after childbirth; rates of skilled care as more than doubled in some settings. Click here for more details on the SCI and download an overview of the results from all three countries.

FCI is dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safer around the world.

• Ensure access to quality maternal and newborn health care;
• Help women and girls to prevent and manage unintended pregnancy;
• Promote the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people and other underserved groups;
• Reduce the spread of HIV, especially among women and young people.

Click here to download our brochure and learn more about FCI.

Tú, tú vida y tus sueños available in Paraguay, Nicaragua, and Colombia

Thanks to partnerships with local organizations, FCI has launched Tú, tú vida y tus sueños (You, Your Life, Your Dreams) in Colombia, Nicaragua and Panama. This comprehensive manual provides user-friendly, factual information on puberty, sexual and reproductive health, life skills, and other issues of importance to young people in Latin America. Click here to learn more about our adolescent projects in Latin America and download this publication.