UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK - The founders of the grassroots campaign "34 Million Friends of UNFPA" today announced it has raised $1 million to support the United Nations Population Fund, mostly in small donations. More than 100,000 Americans have contributed to the campaign to help replace funds withheld by the United States Administration last July.

"This campaign highlights the power of individuals to make a difference," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director. "It also shows that the American people support the right of all women to have quality health care and to be able to plan their families."

UNFPA will use the campaign’s first million dollars to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for women; reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS; equip hospitals with essential supplies; support adolescents and youth; and prevent and treat obstetric fistula, a debilitating condition that results from obstructed labour.

Campaign founders, Lois Abraham, a lawyer from New Mexico, and Jane Roberts, a retired French teacher and tennis coach from California, had never met, but they shared the same indignant reaction when the United States Administration withheld $34 million that Congress had appropriated for UNFPA. Ms. Roberts sent a letter to a newspaper, asking that, "as an exercise in outraged democracy, would 34 million Americans please send $1 each? This would right a terrible wrong". Ms. Abraham emailed 40 friends, asking them each to donate $1 to UNFPA and pass the email along to 10 more friends. Thus, the "34 Million Friends" campaign was born.

Ms. Abraham and Ms. Roberts recognize that $34 million is an ambitious goal, but agree that the campaign is "just getting started". The women intend to reach out to people in Europe to spread the word about what they consider to be "a humanitarian issue, not a political one".

To spark continued support for this campaign, the United Nations Foundation announced it would match donations with 25 cents to the dollar, for a total grant of $250,000. "It is clear that Americans support the work and mission of this vital UN agency and we are delighted to add our gift to spur even more contributions," said Timothy Wirth, president of the UN Foundation. "We are honoured to be a part of this unprecedented movement and we fully endorse the work of UNFPA to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for women in developing countries."

About the Campaign 

• Some 200 letters arrive daily at UNFPA, most with gifts from more than one person.
• Gifts have ranged from $1 to $25,000 (an anonymous donor in Maine).
• More than a quarter of the donations have come from the states of California, followed by Minnesota, New York, Washington and Massachusetts.
• One woman sent $2 from a shelter for battered women in Atlanta—one for herself and one for a woman who might not have a dollar of her own.
• The email campaign has spread through groups like the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause and the American Association of University Women.

Examples of How the Money Will be Used

• In Timor-Leste, UNFPA will equip the only two hospitals in the country that provide emergency obstetric care with two-way radios to reach on-call doctors. UNFPA will also provide 80 motorcycles for midwives so they can reach women in remote areas.
• In Rwanda, UNFPA will provide ambulances to carry women to hospitals, and HIV/AIDS testing kits to be used in clinics.
• In Eritrea, UNFPA will train 1,000 health assistants in basic emergency obstetric care to reduce the high incidence of maternal mortality.
• In Mongolia, UNFPA will provide information on modern contraceptive methods to adolescents, men and women nationwide. Most people rely on traditional methods and are unaware that modern contraceptive methods are available, affordable and reliable.
• Half of the first million dollars will be used to address obstetric fistula, a pregnancy-related disability that renders women incontinent. Fortunately the condition is preventable and treatable. UNFPA will provide grants to train doctors, equip hospitals and treat women living with fistula in six countries. The Fund will also conduct needs assessments in seven countries to gauge the extent of the problem and the ability of hospitals to perform reconstructive surgery and provide post-operative care. The surgery to cure women living with fistula costs only about $350 and is over 90 per cent effective.

About UNFPA

UNFPA is the world's largest multilateral source of population assistance. Since it became operational in 1969, it has provided more than $6 billion in assistance to developing countries. It is estimated that the $34 million in funding from the United States could prevent 2 million unwanted pregnancies, nearly 800,000 abortions, 4,700 maternal deaths and 77,000 infant and child deaths.