For Immediate Release Contact: Rose Mlay
November 6, 2009 WRATZ National Coordinator
Tel: 0754316369
TEN YEARS OF SUCCESS; White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood Celebrates 10 Years of Igniting Action to Save Women’s Lives
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – Every single hour in Tanzania a woman dies needlessly in childbirth or from complications of pregnancy.
Yet Tanzania, along with other
nations around the world, has signed onto the UN Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) in 2000 to reduce poverty and improve health and education
around the world by 2015. The MDG which remains furthest away from
being reached is MDG #5, aimed at reducing maternal mortality by 75%.
In fact, one woman dies every minute around the world from pregnancy
related complications.
Yet it’s well known that saving the
lives of mothers is crucial to achieving the other Millennium
Development Goals, especially cutting infant and child mortality,
educating and vaccinating all children, and reducing poverty. When
mothers survive, they feed their children, get them into a school and
take them for their vaccinations. By contrast, children who have lost
their mothers are almost ten times less likely to make it to their 5th birthday.
It is not all bad news: the White
Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA) is building a powerful
democratic movement to reduce these deaths. WRA has mobilized hundreds
of thousands of health care providers, business leaders, celebrities,
and ordinary citizens to change the situation – by calling on
governments to implement policies, improve services, and commit the
resources needed to end these deaths. WRA in Tanzania (WRATZ) has
successfully mobilized for increased numbers of skilled health care
providers to support women and their babies through pregnancy and
delivery and has mobilized communities to demand the quality services
they deserve.
Next week in Dar es Salaam, WRA
leaders from around the world will gather – to celebrate 10 years of
progress and to plan for increased action . Betsy McCallon, WRA’s
Deputy Director, said, “World leaders can no longer ignore this global
outrage. Our campaign to stop preventable maternal and newborn deaths
has encouraged world leaders to address the political will needed at
the top. If we continue this pressure from the grassroots to the world
leaders, making the voices of women heard, we will see more progress.”
Said Rose Mlay, Coordinator of WRATZ,
“We are delighted to host this unique event in Dar es Salaam, as the
work of White Ribbon Alliance in Tanzania is widely recognised around
the world. We are proud that WRATZ has led the way in showing how
communities can hold their leaders to account for their promises.
Indeed we have made a major contribution to improving policies which
are increasing the numbers of midwives in Tanzania – and so saving the
lives of many women and their newborns.”
WRA will celebrate 10 years of
igniting commitment and action with representatives from WRA National
Alliances in Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi,
Nepal, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen
and Zambia and WRA Members from around the world. Stara Thomas, WRA
Global Ambassador and Tanzanian pop star, will join the efforts next
week, urging everyone to “Play your Part” to reduce maternal and
newborn mortality.
The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe
Motherhood, with members in 143 countries, is leading a global movement
to reduce needless maternal and newborn deaths. Visit www.whiteribbonalliance.org for more information.