JHPIEGO TrainerNews™ |
The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe
Motherhood
(January 2001)
Worldwide, every minute a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. In addition, over 50 million cases of disability occur each year. Most of these deaths and disabilities could be prevented if women had access to basic medical care during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood is an international coalition of organizations and individuals formed to promote increased public awareness of the need to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for all women--in developing as well as in developed countries.
The Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI), launched at an international conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1987 brought international attention to the dimensions and consequences of poor maternal health and mobilized actions to address the high rates of death and disability caused by the complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The White Ribbon Alliance aims to build on and reinforce the work of the SMI by encouraging the formation of multisectoral partnerships that increase the public visibility of this problem. The goals of the White Ribbon Alliance are to:
- Raise awareness of safe motherhood
- Build alliances to save women's lives
- Act as a catalyst for action
The White Ribbon Alliance recently released, "Awareness, Mobilization, and Action for Safe Motherhood: A Field Guide." The purpose of the field guide is to provide organizations working in developing countries with practical guidance on how they can be active and involved in the Safe Motherhood Initiative and participate in the White Ribbon Alliance. International NGOs with worldwide affiliates as well as indigenous NGOs in developing countries will find information on how they can contribute to this global effort on national and local levels. The Field Guide does not offer technical information but rather makes suggestions for bringing a wide range of people and organizations together for awareness and action around the theme of safe motherhood. The Field Guide includes chapters on:
- Key Partners and What They Can Do
- Planning Activities and Events
- Events and Activities to Promote Safe Motherhood
- Country Examples
- Media Outreach Guide
- Fact Sheets
In addition to the Field Guide, the White Ribbon Alliance is sponsoring a contest designed to encourage colleagues and organizations to raise awareness about maternal mortality and to promote safe motherhood, using the white ribbon. Entrants design an awareness-raising campaign at the community, policy or health service delivery level. Winning campaigns will be used as models to promote safe motherhood. These models may be replicated in other regions of the world. Entries must be received by 2 April 2001.
The Field Guide is currently available only in English but will soon be available in French and Spanish.
To obtain a Field Guide or find out more about the contest, contact:
White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood
Secretariat
NGO Networks for Health
1620 I Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20006 USA
202-955-0070
whiteribbonalliance@hotmail.com