Nowhere in the world this is truer than for women in Sub-Saharan Africa. There, the rates of maternal and child mortality are extremely high. During pregnancy or childbirth, women challenge a signifcant risk of death.
According to WHO statistics, 287,000 women died worldwide as the result of a pregnancy in 2020, 70% of those alone in Sub-Saharan Africa. The most common causes of death are infections and haemorrhaging, but in addition, unsound abortion procedures may mean that a pregnancy carries a potentially fatal risk for thousands of women. In particular, for young women between the ages of 15 and 19, complications during pregnancy are the second most frequent cause of death. Girls under 15 have a mortality risk five times higher than that of women over 20.
Most of these deaths are avoidable. Poverty, remote locations, poor information, inadequate healthcare services, and specific cultural practices are the key barriers to sufficient care for women during pregnancy and childbirth. Frequently, women are left to their own devices during labour, often without even the support of a midwife. Improving healthcare infrastructure and support during pregnancy and childbirth allows women to give birth safely and with a measure of self-control, and also reduces the risk of complications of all kinds.
IAMANEH Switzerland is committed to ensuring women a safe pregnancy and childbirth. We support initiatives that promote high quality healthcare services related to pregnancy and childbirth, and that promote and increase awareness of reproductive rights.
