Having just celebrated Mother’s Day, we are even more thankful for the love and sacrifice of our mothers. Whether in Australia or in a developing country, mothers give of themselves from the very beginning.
However, many mothers around the world are being asked to give more than their bodies can bear – thousands give birth to children without the support of midwives or health professionals. This contributes to 340,000 women dying each year during pregnancy and childbirth and two million babies dying on the day they are born. We are in the midst of a “Midwife Crisis”!
This Midwife Crisis deserves not only our compassion and generosity, but also our determination to speak out on behalf of those mothers for whom the joy of childbirth is too often marred by sadness and ongoing pain.
Mother's Day 2011
On Mother’s Day 2011, churches around the country joined with World Vision’s Child Health Now campaign and the Micah Challenge Coalition to advocate on this issue. We asked the Australian Government to ensure Australia’s overseas aid is adequately funding health programs in poorer nations. We asked that one in every five aid dollars be allocated to health and important programs that improve child, newborn and maternal health.
Overseas aid has already made significant contributions towards reducing child and maternal deaths, particularly in countries like Nepal and Timor-Leste. A recent report by World Vision, Effective Aid: Helping Millions, shows that overseas aid from donor governments like Australia is making a significant impact in reducing poverty – since 1990, 45 million child deaths have been prevented globally!
Advocacy by churches has helped bring Australia closer to fulfilling its commitments to the world’s poor
Advocacy by churches has helped bring Australia closer to fulfilling its commitments to the world’s poor and ensuring overseas aid is focused on poverty reduction and interventions we know are effective.
By lending our voice to advocate on issues such as the Midwife Crisis, Christians are not only pointing governments and world leaders towards the positive changes that help reduce maternal and child deaths, but also bearing witness to the righteousness and justice that is at the foundations of God’s Kingdom (Psalm 89:14).
Lend your voice to help end the Midwife Crisis!