Improve Maternal Health (MDGs’ progress & related research from PIK)

This blog-post shows positive effects and remained concerns of one of the MDG’s eight goals, ‘Improve Maternal Health’ (1). This also includes research from Pamoja Imani Kenya which relate to the concerns.

MDG #5

Improve Maternal Health

Progress

In Eastern Asia, Northern Africa and Southern Asia, maternal mortality has declined by around two thirds.

Concerns

Some 140 million women worldwide who are married or in union say they would like to delay or avoid pregnancy, but are not using contraception.
Only half of pregnant women in developing regions receive the recommended minimum of four antenatal care visits.

Related research from PIK

Some mother members do not demand to have their child, but have no prior knowledge of contraception, thus they get pregnant and give births without getting married.
Indeed, in most cases, their new borns’ fathers tend not to take responsibility of taking care of their infants.
Many of mothers tend to be left with financial problems to raise their children.

1 United Nations, Millennium Development Goals website: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/; United Nations Development Programme website: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/mdgoverview.html