Working for the survival of mothers is a human rights imperative and an international development priority: they are the world's breadwinners and bread-makers, they are caretakers of homes and caregivers of children, they grow economies and promote peace and justice. But mothers cannot thrive unless they survive, and one of their greatest hazards is childbirth. Together, the global community is working to find solutions to end preventable maternal mortality

The Situation

• A woman dies every two minutes from childbirth. 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries
• 80% of maternal deaths could be averted with access to maternity and basic health-care services
• 2 out of 10 women who survive childbirth will suffer from complications that result in injury, illness or lifelong disability
• A girl growing up in Chad today is more likely to die in childbirth than she is to attend secondary school

Needs and Possibilities

• Family planning: By meeting family planning needs we could reduce maternal deaths by 30%. 1 in 4 women who want to avoid pregnancy don't have modern contraceptives.
• Skilled Care: Meeting skilled care needs could reduce maternal deaths by 60%. 3 out of 4 women needing care for obstetric complications in developing countries do not receive it.
• Education: Educating women and girls could increase contraceptive use by four times to prevent adolescent maternal death. Uneducated girls are 4 times as likely to have a child before their 19th birthday than those with a secondary education.

Ripple Effect

• 15 billion - global yearly cost of mortality due to reduced productivity
• Every additional year of primary school boosts girls' future wages by 10-20%
• Healthy birth spacing and smaller families improve women's health, and results in better nutrition and education for children.