Tuesday, July 21st, 2009...3:41 pm
Liya Kebede: Advocate for Maternal Health
by admin
Today, supermodel, actress, and mother Liya Kebede posted to the Huffington Post about, “We Need a Global Fund for Moms.” In her piece, she wrote:
When it comes to progress on saving mother’s lives, you have to follow the money. Countries such as Honduras and Nepal prove that rapid, dramatic progress is possible if resources are invested in maternal health. However, without investment in mother’s lives, maternal mortality will remain stubbornly high. Despite the need for increased investment, G7 commitments for health systems actually fell by $1.7 million between 2004 and 2007. We have the tools to save mothers lives, but we have not proven that we care enough to act.
She continues to say that, similar to the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), maternal health needs “a coordinated global effort to hold nations accountable for their promises, to synthesize disparate efforts, to leverage existing resources, and to report back on results, providing confidence that resources are well used.” We couldn’t agree more. A Global Fund for Maternal Health. Liya goes on with this impassioned plea:
It might sound overwhelming but imagine how much more effectively we will fight AIDS, malaria, corruption or anything else if we keep our mothers alive for the battle? I promise to do everything in my power to ensure that maternal health statistics do change during the next twenty years. Who will join me?
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July 22nd, 2009 at 9:58 am
I join you, in my own way, I do.
I do so, by sharing my time, resources and Love.
I do so, by caring for the children African mothers ( and fathers ) have left behind ( even if the number of children I am able to reach is small. One day, not so long from now, many of the millions of orphaned children alive today will become mothers, and fathers).
I do so, with Love, and in Peace, Joy and Integrity ( not in a “fight” against anything or in preparation for any “battle”, for I understand as soon as we stop fighting, war is over, and we can then devote all our energies toward working together to create…
Blessings on your journey,
Catherine
July 27th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Here is video of Liya Kebede speaking at the UN Secretary-Generals Forum on Advancing Global Health in the Face of Crisis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwfWbZuCQXo
July 27th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Steve — thank you so much for this link. I just watched the video. It’s great to see high-profile women standing up for maternal health; and even better to hear them tell real stories about real women in developing countries.
September 1st, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Never really looked at the information like that before. Thanks!
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