A project in Tanzania is using cell phones to help women with fistula. "Mobile technology will be a game-changer in terms of health," says UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin.  

In the Caribbean country of Jamaica, a girl is barred from going to school if she becomes pregnant.  Antoinette had no choice. Desperate to finish her education, she turned to the women's centre for help. UNTV, Mary Ferreira

Shows the powerful transformation in Ghana's maternal health care system where investment in midwives promises to dramatically reduce maternal mortality. Profiles a midwife who overcomes cultural and distance barriers to encourage facility deliveries. Producer: Allison Shigo/Co-Producer: Adrian Heinzelman Engel Entertainment

UNFPA MASTER web 2

According to the authorities, 80 per cent of all women in Southern Sudan give birth at home, without the help of a midwife, and  the region suffers from one of the highest maternal death rates in the world.

Midwives play a critical role in delivering antenatal care for pregnant women and assisting physicians in the process of delivery. UNFPA supports the Government of Uzbekistan in improving maternal health services.

An excerpt from Article 1, read on 9 July 2011 with photos courtesy of Barbara Davidson/LA Times.  Many challenges lie ahead in South Sudan. One of the poorest countries in the world, its maternal mortality rate is the highest on the planet. UNFPA is helping to train midwives across the country to ensure safe births.

This video was prepared for the 2013 Summit of the Campaign to Reduce Maternal Mortality (CARMMA). It discusses the urgency of giving women the right to choose the number and timing of their children, giving them the confidence that they will not die giving life.