WHY REACH OUT TO YOUNG VULNERABLE WOMEN?


Every 90 seconds one  young woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth, with rural women living in resource-poor countries particularly vulnerable.   Poor, rural women are the least likely to have access to family planning and the most likely to deliver without a skilled birth attendant.

In countries with high maternal mortality, access to quality and affordable  medical care is in short supply, thus leaving most of the women to rely on the help of existing community members such as traditional birth attendants (TBAs), health extension workers (HEWs), Community-based Reproductive Health Agents (CBRHAs), rural chemical sellers, and others. 

In poor countries, the direct causes of maternal mortality are concentrated in 3 major areas: postpartum hemorrhage, unsafe abortion, and eclampsia.  There are powerful examples of community-based interventions reaching rural woman and reducing their risk of maternal mortality by addressing these causes.