By Jennifer Neczypor
I am sitting on the terrace of my hotel in Kathmandu, sipping spicy masala tea and looking out at the cityscape for the last time. Below me, the pudgy, fresh-faced toddlers of affluent Nepalis learn to swim in the crystal-clear swimming pool, a far cry from the muddy, leech-infested floodwaters of the nation’s rivers and lakes. The all-seeing eyes of the Boudhanath stupa, the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside of those in Tibet, gaze placidly down at me from their towering perch above Kathmandu, watching over the nation. In the distance, somewhat obscured by the dust and smog of the capital city, I can see the Himalayan foothills, their dark, untamed beauty seductive in its wildness. I think of my ten SBA students, scattered now throughout isolated villages in those very mountains, providing contraception services and prenatal care and delivering babies in remote clinics. I offer up a silent prayer for them, and for the women, children, and families they are serving.Aryn Baker: The Battle to Give Nigeria's Moms and Babies a 'Golden Window' to a Healthy Life
Aug 21 2017
By Aryn Baker
There is no period more critical in a child’s development than its first few months of life, which is why so much attention is paid to what the mother, and the child, eats during that time. Nutritionists like to call it the “golden window” — the slim period of time where a child, if he gets the right nutrients, can set out on a healthy path, or, if he doesn’t, risks irreversible stunting and developmental delays. “Eighty percent of the brain development happens in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, starting from conception,” says nutritionist Sanjay Kumar Das.By Carol Morello
The blown-up photograph in Mark Green’s office, still waiting to be hung, symbolizes everything the new administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development believes foreign development aid should strive for.By Komal Ganotra
Over 13 million adolescent girls between 10 and 19 years–equivalent to the population of South Sudan–were married in India in 2011, according to census data, but fewer literate women were married as children or had children early compared to those who were illiterate, according to an analysis by Child Rights and You (CRY), a Mumbai-based child rights nonprofit.By Tizta Tlahun
Family planning improves child survival and reduces maternal deaths. But the uptake of family planning in Africa is only 33%, nearly half the world average of 64%. The contraceptive prevalence rate in African countries is considerably low despite an increase in demand.By Mark Dybul and Rob Mosbacher
The Senate confirmation last week of our colleague Ambassador Mark Green to be USAID Administrator comes amid the struggle between the president and Congress over the administration’s proposed 30 percent cuts to foreign assistance. In this convergence of events, we see a real opportunity for Congress and the administration to do much more than debate where the burden of potential cuts might fall, and instead make lasting reforms to make our foreign assistance better able to enjoy long-term success and provide savings far beyond next year’s budget. Success will not be easy and will require significant changes to our approach to development.Matt Petronzio: How an 'Uber for pregnant women' is saving lives in Tanzania
By Matt Petronzio
Aug 03 2017
When 28-year-old Consolata went into labor in rural Sengerema, Tanzania, it was by no means picture-perfect. She was extremely fatigued, and soon started experiencing intense pain."I was in bad shape," she said. "I couldn't do anything because I was tired."
Despite the enormous progress that has been made in reducing rates of maternal and infant mortality, over 300,000 women still die every year of complications from pregnancy and childbirth. Six million children under the age of five die each year as well. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 fell shortest of their targets. Traditional midwives play a central role in preventing mortality, attending births and caring for mothers and their newborns. But their possibilities vary greatly.