More than 340,000 women die each year due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these deaths could be prevented.
More than half of all maternal deaths occur in only six countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
MacArthur is helping to reduce maternal death and illness in the developing world, with a special focus on Mexico, Nigeria, and India.
MacArthur's grantmaking to reduce maternal mortality focuses on innovative models that can eventually be scaled up, enhanced skills for health professionals, informed advocacy, and research.
With MacArthur support, Pathfinder International is introducing a package of low-tech interventions to dozens of health facilities in India and Nigeria to prevent postpartum hemorrhage, which accounts for 30 percent of maternal deaths worldwide.
A key component of this new effort is distribution of the anti-shock garment, a low-cost neoprene suit that helps stabilize women who are bleeding during childbirth.
The anti-shock garment can buy time for women who often must be transported long distances in order to reach a health facility for treatment.
Early results indicate that the suit has the potential to reduce mortality of women experiencing postpartum hemorrhage by up to 60 percent.
After years of stagnation, the number of maternal deaths around the world is declining, but not rapidly enough to meet United Nations goals. To save more lives, effective and innovative models must be taken to scale and governments must meet their political and financial pledges.
About our grantmaking
The Foundation’s population and reproductive health grantmaking seeks to reduce maternal death and illness and to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people, with a special focus on Mexico, Nigeria and India, where the Foundation has offices.
Continued U.S. investment in maternal health is part of a responsible drawdown in Afghanistan, according to a white paper from the MacArthur-supported Council on Foreign Relations. Authors believe that improving delivery of health-care services could be a stabilizing factor in a country that will continue to face severe security challenges from anti-government forces, and that maternal health has the added benefit of empowering women. More »
Mothers in northern Nigeria face greater risk of death than in most other places in the world, according to this article by All Africa. Pathfinder International, a MacArthur grantee, is helping nurses and midwives to prevent post-partum bleeding, a leading cause of maternal death. More »
A MacArthur-supported documentary focused on Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate – the second-highest in the world – has been selected as the debut film for the new Economist Film Project. Excerpts from the film also aired on the PBS NewsHour. Learn more »
The Government of India has approved funding for more than 800,000 female community health workers to provide home-based postnatal and newborn care services. The home-based care approach to maternal and newborn care was created by Society for Education, Action Research in Community Health (SEARCH), a MacArthur grantee and winner of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. SEARCH works to reduce maternal mortality in the state of Maharashtra. In India, where two-thirds of maternal deaths occur after delivery and where nearly one million babies die within the first 28 days after birth, the strategy of providing mothers and newborns with care in their villages has the potential to reduce maternal and infant mortality. A number of factors, including poverty, conservative traditions, and poor access to health care facilities, prevent women and their families from seeking care during the post partum period. Earlier this year, the government introduced a training program on home-based care, with SEARCH taking the lead in conducting the training of master trainers.
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