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Human right health
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Improving maternal health
In developing countries one woman dies every minute in childbirth – more than half a million mothers each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls this maternal mortality an "invisible epidemic".
The lack of awareness raising and of medical care for expectant mothers are two of the main reasons why pregnancy is a life-threatening condition in many countries. More than half of all women give birth without the help of a doctor or a midwife. Many women have only little say in matters of sexuality and family planning.
Alongside skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth, preventing unwanted pregnancies and reducing the number of unsafe abortions are important factors in reducing maternal mortality. Unsafe abortions are estimated to cause about 13 per cent of deaths. Pregnancies resulting from sexual violence, perhaps inflicted in times of war or armed conflict, are particularly distressing for women.
Germany's commitment
Within the scope of international development cooperation, Germany supports the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) through voluntary contributions to the UNFPA budget and through financial resources for special programmes on reproductive health. The German government also supports the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), an international umbrella association of NGOs active in the field of family planning.
German development cooperation promotes more than 50 projects globally in the field of sexual and reproductive health in the form of appropriate activities and interventions.
The following examples demonstrate the scope of Germany's engagement:
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is making a tremendous effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals on health and gender equality. The German approach has the distinction of being broad and human-rights-based. Better education opportunities for girls and the establishment of youth-friendly services on sexual and reproductive health are helping to prevent unwanted pregnancies. In addition, the intergenerational and inter-gender dialogue on sexuality issues is being promoted. Protecting women against sexual violence, forced marriages and child marriages are further important areas of action. Experience has shown that as the social status of women and young people has grown, village communities and the public sector have benefited in terms of better social competence and a willingness to embrace change.
Indonesia
Women in remote regions tend to get little professional support during pregnancy and childbirth. In two of the country's provinces the training of midwives is being promoted to ensure that women receive quality care from skilled professionals before, during and after childbirth. Women from poorer sections of the population are the main beneficiaries. This is combined with interventions designed to improve medical services and their financing, raise awareness in the public at large and facilitate access to health care services. At community level, men in particular are called upon to take responsibility. They should ensure that women are taken to a clinic in good time before delivery and that in an emergency they are able to have a safe blood transfusion, for example. The work of German development cooperation complements the interventions of other international partners.
Cameroon
Germany is assisting the Cameroon Ministry of Health, under a sector-wide approach, to implement its health strategy. The inclusion of civil society and the strengthening of self-help groups are important aspects of delivering sex education to young people. Young mothers (tantines or 'little aunts') play an important role here. The aim is to reduce the number of early pregnancies by raising awareness among young girls and schoolgirls, since early pregnancy constitutes a higher mortality risk for mothers and babies. The tantines have meanwhile organised themselves into an association and have grown in esteem and self-confidence.
Kenya
The majority of poor people in Kenya have no access to adequate health services. Consequently, most births take place in the home and only 42 per cent of births are attended by skilled professionals. Targeted interventions – such as the introduction of subsidised health vouchers – are making it easier for women from poor sections of the population to gain access to high quality health care from private and public service providers. Thus, medical care can be available to socially weak women and girls during pregnancy, at childbirth or after an episode of sexual violence.
Tanzania
In Tanzania, support is being provided to the government, under development cooperation, for the reform of the health system. At the same time, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and KfW Entwicklungsbank are improving basic health care services, reproductive health services and maternal health services in a number of districts.
Information
See also
- Issues: Women's rights
and gender - Promoting health
and family planning - Issues: Reproductive health and population dynamics
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
- International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
- Country profile Burkina Faso
- Country profile Cameroon
- Country profile Indonesia
- Country profile Kenya
- Country profile Tanzania
External links
- WHO information:
Making pregnancy safer - UNFPA information:
Making motherhood safer - The State of the World's Children 2009: Maternal
and Newborn Health
A UNICEF publication
(PDF 2.3 MB) - The State of the World's Children 2007: Women
and Children – The Double Dividend of Gender Equality
A UNICEF publication
(PDF 1.9 MB)
