improvements and budget allocation for WASH and SRHR and not at a number of people reached. As such the result figures under Enabling Environment might be smaller figures but progress on advocacy on SRHR or WASH affects the lives of many people.
2.2 Simavi SRHR Results
2.2.1 Simavi ’s work on SRHR Within our work on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), women’s and girls’ health is of particular concern. That is because being pregnant, giving birth, and interrupting unwanted pregnancies has a big impact on women’s health.
S I T U AT I O N
40,000,000
childbirths per year without assistance of skilled personnel PROBLEM
lack of access to quality care by pregnant women before, during and after childbirth
S I T U AT I O N
99%
of maternal deaths occur in developing countries EFFECT
800
WOMEN DIE E A C H D AY
from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth
Major improvements have been made. Between 1990 and 2013, maternal mortality worldwide dropped by almost 50% (World Health Organisation, 2014). But there are still urgent problems to be addressed. Some facts: • Every day, approximately 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. This equals about one woman every two minutes. 99% of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries and most of those are preventable. The key obstacle is lack of access to quality care for pregnant women before, during and after childbirth (World Health Organisation, 2014). • An estimated 222 million women in developing countries would like to delay or stop having children, but are not using any methods of contraception. This is due to a lack of access to information, services, or due to insufficient support from their partners or communities. • In developing countries, one in three girls is married before reaching the age of 18. Every day, 20,000 girls below the age of 18 give birth in developing countries. They are more susceptible to health problems. • In many regions where Simavi works, women and girls are disadvantaged due to discrimination rooted in socio-cultural factors. A vast number of maternal deaths are avoidable and we must do what we can to prevent them.
Structural improvement of basic health
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