On July 17, moms and moms-to-be celebrated #BumpDay to raise awareness about maternal health needs around the world. Shockingly, some 830 women die every day as a result of preventable pregnancy-related causes. With the support of author Heidi Murkoff (What to Expect When You’re Expecting) and the What To Expect Project, International Medical Corps is …
In a rural district of central Zimbabwe, International Medical Corps recently broke ground on a small but innovative project that is part of a far larger United Nations-backed effort to reduce the number of women who die each year in childbirth—mainly due to easily preventable causes. In 1990, that number topped half a million. But …
All of society—not just women and girls—benefits from gender equality. Study after study shows that communities, companies and economies grow stronger, more resilient and sustainable when women and girls are given the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Conversely, in places where women and girls face high levels of violence, paired with a lack of …
The Central African Republic (CAR) often tops lists of the world’s most neglected or forgotten humanitarian crises. One-quarter of its population has been displaced by conflict and more than half desperately need humanitarian support—yet the tragedy remains underreported and aid efforts underfunded. Armed groups control much of the country, outbreaks of violence continue unabated and …
Last year, I visited Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan as part of a project that aimed to highlight maternal health, as well as the plight—and resilience—of refugee women. International Medical Corps runs the only fully equipped hospital inside Azraq Camp, where staff members deliver an average of 120 healthy babies each month. During my week-long …
The UN’s refugee agency recently warned that, for the first time since records began, the number of people who have been forced from their homes has exceeded 70 million. Half of the world’s refugees originate from just three countries: Syria, South Sudan and Afghanistan. Syria alone accounts for 6.3 million of them, making it one …
Motherhood can be one of the happiest times of a woman’s life. It can also be terrifying—and even deadly. Every eight minutes, a woman dies trying to bring life into the world. Maternal mortality remains too high across the globe—even in the U.S.—and highest in low-income countries. Most of these deaths are entirely preventable. But …
When money and resources are withheld from women, they lose so much more than vital means of survival—they lose their sense of adequacy and autonomy. But in Blangoua, a town in Cameroon’s Far North Region, a program funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) is helping a community of women regain …
The United Nations calls it a ‘passport to protection’: the issuing of a birth certificate, a seemingly trivial process whereby a child is legally registered, usually at or shortly after birth. Birth certificates don’t just exist so that states can record basic information such as name, parents and date of birth, or keep track of …
Alaa is a 14-year-old Syrian refugee who lives in a small village in the Bekaa Valley. When Alaa’s family came to Lebanon eight years ago, she was only six years old. Before fleeing the war, Alaa stopped going to school for a full year. Like so many other children, it wasn’t safe for her to …