MDG 5 -Maternal Health

Family Planning Skips Millions in Pakistan

By Zofeen Ebrahim
Thirty-year-old Shahida Saleem, who was not educated past the tenth grade, is a mother of two, living with her family in Karachi. Six months ago she suffered a miscarriage and her doctor, concerned about her anaemic condition, advised her to space out her next pregnancy by taking contraceptives.

New Drugs Underused in Averting Maternal Deaths

By Sarah McHaney
In most developing countries, where a woman gives birth still determines whether she lives or dies, despite the availability of inexpensive new medication that is proven to save lives.

Nearer the Church, Farther From MDGs

By Marwaan Macan-Markar
When Philippines President Benigno Aquino III delivered his annual state of the union address in July, he appealed to the country’s lawmakers to break a  deadlock on progressive birth control laws in this predominantly Catholic nation.

Pakistan Faces a ‘Youth Bomb’

By Zofeen Ebrahim
“This is just a trailer of the horror that awaits us,” says noted demographer Farid Midhet, referring to Pakistan’s bulging population and the possibly corresponding  link to rising crime, including murders, robberies, rioting and extremist activity.
An internally-displaced Kenyan woman cooks in her makeshift kitchen. Credit: Miriam Gathigah/IPS

‘Walk the Busan Talk’

By Miriam Gathigah
Women’s rights champions are not prepared to let the dust settle on the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness that ended in this South Korean port city on Dec. 1 with the customary nod towards gender equality and empowerment.

Clinton Champions Gender Agenda at Busan

By Miriam Gathigah
Women toil in the fields for most of their lives producing food and strengthening the largely agricultural economy of African countries, but when their fathers, husbands or older sons die, they are no longer welcome on land they may have tended for years.