Leith Greenslade Jun 01, 2009
500,000 women die in child birth every year and 3.4 million babies do not survive the first month of life. For women in poor countries dying in childbirth or having a baby die is something real. It can happen to you, or if it doesn't, you will know mothers who have lost their babies and babies who have lost their mothers. If a baby survives the first month of life, making it to 5 years will largely depend on avoiding 2 diseases - pneumonia and diarrhea. These 2, combined with deaths in the first month of life, account for 74% of all deaths of children under 5. Don't believe anyone who tells you that a US Global Maternal and Child Health Strategy can be effective without these 3 priorities - making childbirth safer for mothers and babies and reducing child deaths from pneumonia and diarrhea.

White Ribbon Alliance For Safe Motherhood Jun 03, 2009
Dear Leith, Thank you for your comment. You are certainly correct. The life of a mother and her child are intracately linked. Children who have lost their mothers are almost ten times more likely to die before reaching age 5. When mothers die, their families, communities, and nations suffer an immeasurable loss, made ever more difficult to bear because almost all of these deaths are preventable. But, when mothers survive, they give birth to healthier communities, families and nations. Thank you for joining us in advocating for safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth for all women!