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Special event at UN highlights commitments to mothers and children
On September 25, representatives of more than 100 governments and international organizations gathered in New York at the special event “Commitment to Progress for Mothers, Newborn and Children.” Organized by FCI and colleague organizations and hosted by the Presidents of Chile, Finland and Tanzania, the event highlighted the need for urgent global action and substantial increased investment in maternal and child health. Leaders from governments, UN agencies, donors, the private sector, and civil society pledged specific commitments; see Commitment to Progress for Mothers, Newborns and Children. Click here for more.
FCI Urges G8 to Invest in Maternal Health
 For the first time, the Group of 8 (G-8) summit of world leaders addressed maternal, newborn, and child health (Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5). The final communiqué said: “Progress toward achieving MDGs 4 and 5 is seriously off track… the continuum of prevention and care should include a greater focus on maternal, newborn and child health. Reproductive health should be made widely accessible.” FCI’s President-Emeritus, Jill Sheffield, who attended the conference held in Japan July 7-9, expressed disappointment that the financial commitment needed to achieve MDGs 4 and 5 ($10.2B additional annual spending for maternal, newborn, and child health) was not included in the communiqué. Still, she says: “The groundwork has been laid. The door is open. We’re in. Now to take things forward - faster!” Jill Sheffield blogs on RH Reality Check from the G-8 sessions:
7 July 2008: The G8 Takes on Maternal Health -- Or Does It?
8 July 2008: The scene and the startup of the G-8 Summit
9 July 2008: With the G-8 Over, Counting Wins & Losses
FCI to Chair PAC Consortium
Unsafe abortion kills an estimated 68,000 women each year. Postabortion care is a strategy to reduce the impact of unsafe abortion by treating abortion complications and providing women with counseling and family planning methods to avoid another unwanted pregnancy. The PAC Consortium brings together a number of groups working on PAC, providing guidance and leadership on technical and policy issues around PAC. As the first non-USAID-funded NGO to lead the consortium, FCI will serve in its new position for two years. Click here to read about FCI’s partnerships.
FCI receives United Nations Award
The UN honored FCI with the 2008 Population Award in the Institutional Category on May 22, lauding FCI for its leadership, emphasis on partnership, and educational materials. Written remarks from UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, noted “Family Care International is all about cooperation” and then singled out for praise last October’s Women Deliver conference, which “generated new global commitment to reduce maternal mortality rates.” In accepting the award, FCI’s President Ann Starrs said “2008 will be the year that the fifth Millennium Development Goal, improve maternal health, begins to receive the attention it so urgently needs.” She also paid tribute to Jill Sheffield, former FCI president, and the FCI staff and its many partners and colleagues for their tireless efforts to improve maternal health. Ann Starrs is shown with Jill Sheffield, and Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of UNFPA. Click here to see the videos of the award ceremony and Ann Starrs' acceptance speech.
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 read the article of the Lancet.
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FCI featured on the Women's E-News
FCI’s advocacy efforts to reduce maternal mortality are featured in the article “Global Summit to Hear Billions Needed for Moms” published by the Women’s E-News web site. Click here to read.
Rethinking Maternal Health
On June 2008, Ann Starrs moderated the Council on Foreign Relations and Global Health Council’s panel on maternal health. Leading experts and high-level policymakers debated strategies to prevent women from dying of pregnancy-related causes. The transcript of the panel is available here.
FCI Bolivia Hosts Women’s Global Roundtable
On June 2008, Alexia Escobar of FCI Bolivia hosted the Women’s Global Roundtable, a live weekly conference call and web cast. This series of calls features women from around the world whose lives have been touched by the work of UNIFEM’s Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. The call will focus on FCI’s work to address gender-based violence in remote rural indigenous communities in Bolivia and Ecuador. Click here to read more about FCI's work in Bolivia.
FCI at the IV Latin American Conference on SRHR in Uruguay
On April 2008, Cristina Puig of FCI was an opening speaker at the “IV Congreso Latinoamericano de Salud y Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos” (4th Latin American Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) held in Uruguay. The goal of the conference was to emphasize the importance of health professional's responsibility in achieving the MDGs by promoting and supporting women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights in the region. Click here to read more about our programs in Latin America.
Addressing the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Young People in Mali
FCI/Mali’s work with young people in the informal sector (domestic workers, street vendors, apprentices and others) was featured in “Exchange on HIV/AIDS, sexuality and gender,” a publication of the Netherlands’ Royal Tropical Institute and SafAIDS. Young workers in Mali are at high risk of HIV, and FCI has been working with local partners to train and support peer educators to provide knowledge, skills, and supplies (including condoms) to young people, and to help bridge them to health care facilities.
79% of our revenue goes to programmatic expenses, well above the recommended average.
On principle and by preference, we are independent and thus able to address all aspects of women’s reproductive health, and work where others cannot.
We welcome your support.
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