HarperCollins Christian Publisher, Zondervan Publishing, and Hope Through Healing Hands held a private reception with contributors, media, and friends on Wednesday evening, March 25, 2015 at the 21 Club in New York City to celebrate the launch of The Mother & Child Project: Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope.

Zondervan filmed comments by the contributors as to why they chose to write for the book, and why the issues of maternal, newborn, and child health were important to them.

Annette Bourland offered a warm welcome to begin the program outlining Zondervan’s leadership in pulling together The Mother & Child Project. She welcomed Tom Walsh of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to further discuss the impetus of the book, and Melinda’s priority issues around health for women and girls, more generally.

Jenny Eaton Dyer, PhD served as moderator for the event, interviewing an array of evangelical celebrities including Kay Warren, Co-Founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA; Amy Grant, Grammy-Award winning singer songwriter; Natalie Grant – Dove-Award Winning singer-songwriter; and Scott and Tracie Hamilton, former Olympic gold medalist in figure skating and philanthropist(s). Kay wrote the Foreword for the book, and each of the other speakers wrote a poem or essay for the book.

The contributors spoke from the heart and from their personal experience of women in developing nations, not leaving a dry eye in the room. Amy Grant graced us with a song, “Third World Woman.”

It was a memorable occasion, and we look forward to sharing the video with you very soon. The event was truly a celebration of honor on behalf of the millions of women around the world who want to have access to the information and resources to better time and space their children.