Women ONE2ONE

Delivering in The Hague

Mar 26th, 2010 10:37 AM UTC
By Erin Hohlfelder

In the past few weeks, ONE’s Women ONE2ONE Initiative has run an online campaign collecting signatures of members in order to draw attention to the critical work the Global Fund is doing on women’s health and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. While the Global Fund is best known for its disease-specific work around HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, we’ve been learning in The Hague how much of an impact the Global Fund has made on maternal and child health in the last decade. They’ve also outlined the path for the world to eliminate PMTCT by 2015—an incredible, feasible opportunity to ensure that every child born across the world is born HIV-free.

This afternoon, we were able to catch up with the Global Fund’s Executive Director, Professor Michel Kazatchkine, and deliver nearly 20,000 ONE member signatures. In our time with him, we shared how grateful ONE is for the Global Fund’s emphasis on the health of women and children, and demonstrated to both him and the Global Fund’s donors that there is real grassroots support behind full funding for the Global Fund that will allow for an expansion of PMTCT and women-focused efforts. He shared his thanks to ONE’s signatories, and we feel confident that the Global Fund is serious about its commitment to the health of women around the world.

Thanks to all of our members who have shown your support to-date! If you haven’t had the chance to sign yet, or if you’d like to share this important message with your friends and family, please visit http://www.one.org/women/gobeyond.html.

A busy women’s week

Mar 16th, 2010 3:21 PM UTC
By Jessica Gomez-Duran

3000 white roses highlighted the fact that every minute of every day a mother-to-be from somewhere around the world dies simply because they don’t have access to the vital healthcare they need before and during childbirth. © Save the Children

Last week was an unofficial women’s week in the UK with a string of events starting with International Women’s Day on the Monday, the launch of ONE’s Women ONE2ONE campaign, and ending with Mothering Sunday (Mothers Day here in the UK).

On Friday I joined a gathering outside the Houses of Parliament in London to take part in the ‘Minute for Mothers’ event organised by our friends at Save the Children. The idea was to bring people together to remember the women and babies who unnecessarily lose their lives every day.

Everyone was given a tag to write a personalised message of support, which was then attached to a white rose and added to the display.

The singer and campaigner Annie Lennox spoke at the event, which also included a moving minute’s silence in memory of the women who die in childbirth every minute of every day, and for the 2 million babies who die on their first day of life every year.

Afterwards, just as the rain started (it’s Britain after all) we headed into the House of Commons for a mum’s cafe run by the online forum Mumsnet. Following some lovely tea and biscuits served by the Mumsnet folk dressed in brightly coloured dresses and aprons, we listened to moving speeches, which literally brought a tear to my eye.

Annie Lennox spoke passionately about the fact that HIV has become the leading cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age worldwide. Whilst Gareth Thomas MP, Minister of State in the Department for International Development talked about his trip to Sierra Leone and what he saw there, urging people to continue to advocate strongly on this important issue. Jasmine Whitbread, CEO of Save the Children in the UK closed the event, highlighting her recent visit to Niger and northern Nigeria where she saw firsthand the benefits of informal groups and networks of women supporting each other and passing on advice, particularly in the more remote rural areas.

It was a powerful end to a week of events focussing on the situation that many women today find themselves in around the world. But it also showed that when women have access to education, health services, economic opportunities and political process, they, their children, their communities and their countries reap the benefits.

P.S. It’s not too late to take part. Send a virtual flower, which will be delivered to the party leaders in the UK.

Joining women on the bridge

Mar 12th, 2010 3:11 PM UTC
By Jessica Gomez-Duran

On a sunny Monday hundreds of women met on London’s Millennium Bridge to show their solidarity with women around the world on International Women’s Day.

They were joined with thousands of other women in more than 100 Join Me on the Bridge events in 18 different countries around the globe.

From Sudan, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the United States women came together to show that they build the bridges to peace and development.

They also remembered those women in other countries who were not able to meet on bridges due to the insecurity and for fear for their lives.

Watch a video of what happened in London:

In the last 100 years, since International Women’s Day was first celebrated, a great deal has changed for many women. But for those in developing countries change has not been so swift with an estimated 70% of people living in poverty being female.

In 1910, when International Women’s Day was established, 355 women per 100,000 live births died as a direct result of childbirth or pregnancy-related causes in England and Wales. Today the number of maternal deaths stands at around 14 per 100,000 across the UK.

Meanwhile recent figures show that in developing countries an average of 450 women per 100,000 live births die in childbirth.

By joining other women on the bridge on Monday we showed our commitment to change this.

P.S. If you weren’t able to take part in an event you can still join the Join me on the Bridge campaign and show your government that you want them to invest in women.

Take a minute for mothers

Mar 9th, 2010 11:26 AM UTC
By Jessica Gomez-Duran

Around the world a woman dies needlessly every minute in childbirth and 2 million babies are lost each year on their very first day of life. It’s a scandal that hasn’t much changed for a hundred years.

But even more tragic is the fact that almost all of these deaths are preventable and often caused by the same treatable complications that face mother’s in richer countries.

In advance of Mothers Day in the UK, which is on 14 March, a coalition of leading charities including Save the Children, Oxfam and Amnesty International are appealing for members of the public across the UK to take part in their Minute for Mothers campaign.

If you live in the UK there are lots of things you can do:

1) Add your voice to the campaign at www.millionmums.org

2) Lay a flower for mums

On Friday 12 March at 10:30am, join hundreds of people at Old Palace Yard in Central London (opposite Parliament), to lay a flower in honour of the babies and mothers who have died. Wear white, the traditional Eastern colour of mourning. But wear it as the colour of light and hope, for the mothers and babies of the future. RSVP on the facebook event page

3) Send a flower

Send a virtual white flower to the leaders of political parties in the UK.

4) Spread the word on Twitter

Tweet the following message: Every minute a mother dies. Politicians need 2 b aware that #mothersmatter RT 2 make it a trend b4 Mothers day

Take action on International Women’s Day

Mar 8th, 2010 4:09 PM UTC
By Roxane Philson

Today is the 100th year of International Women’s Day – please join me in marking this occasion by taking action on behalf of women around the world. In the last century, a great deal has changed for many women, however, for those in developing countries change has not been so swift—an estimated 70% of people living in poverty are female and unbelievably every minute a woman dies in childbirth. This is shocking and it is why today we are launching Women ONE2ONE, a campaign unlike anything we’ve done before.

While women often suffer the greatest hardships, when given the opportunity it is women who can make the greatest difference. In growing the economy, educating children, and keeping families healthy. The Women ONE2ONE campaign will use our collective strength today to empower millions of other women to flourish and make their own change tomorrow.

Our first step is something that sounds remarkable to me, but according to health experts is possible: ending mother to child transmission of HIV. The group that can make this happen is The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – who will be meeting with their key donors next week. Please join me in encouraging Global Fund Director Michel Kazatchkine and Global Fund donors to support efforts to end mother to child transmission of HIV as a priority intervention to stop the spread of the disease.

90% of the 430,000 children newly infected with HIV each year acquire the disease through birth, and half of them will die before their second birthday. Ending mother to child transmission will prevent these deaths and allow children to be born free of this devastating disease. This requires a range of actions including providing better mother and child health care and treatment, and the right kinds of anti-retroviral drugs.

As you sign the petition, I hope that you’ll also ask an important woman in your life to join us on this journey. I believe this year is going to offer us the best possible chance to make a difference and we need as many people as possible to help. I’ll be asking my friend Ruth Kennedy, I’ll let you know what she says (no pressure, Ruth). And don’t worry men, you can help too! I hope there is a special woman in each of your lives that you can ask to get involved as well.