International Women’s Day, observed March 8, celebrates women’s rights and accomplishments. Abt Associates works each day to improve the health and economic wellbeing of women worldwide. Here are just a few examples of our work:
Maternal Deaths Decline Significantly
In the Dominican Republic, Abt is implementing the USAID-funded Maternal & Child Centers of Excellence project in partnership with the Ministry of Health. The project was established to improve the quality of and access to maternal and child health services with improvements in pre-natal, obstetric, and neonatal care, as well as updating health information system and client care services. In response in part to these efforts, the nationwide number of maternal deaths in 2011 shows a marked decline compared to 2010 – from 201 to 168 deaths (a 16.4 percent decrease), while in the 10 hospitals supported by the project the number of maternal deaths decreased by almost half (-49.2 percent) during the same period.
Read more about the project.
Eliminating User Fees for Caesareans
One in 15 women in Mali dies during pregnancy or delivery. At the same time, access to caesareans and other lifesaving obstetric care is extremely low. In 2005, less than 1 percent of babies born in Mali were delivered via caesareans. Laurel Hatt, Senior Health Economist at Abt Associates, describes how Health Systems 20/20 — USAID’s flagship project for strengthening health systems worldwide — helped to eliminate user fees for caesareans in Mali.
Project Helps Women Access Better Care, Reproductive Health Service
The USAID-funded Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) project, led by Abt Associates, has many activities focused on improving women’s access to high quality, affordable family planning and reproductive health services.
Read more about SHOPS activities.
Cooking for Life: Energy-Efficient Stoves Help Protect Environment and Improve Health
Abt’s USAID-funded Integrated Food Security Project in Bolivia began building energy-efficient stoves and kitchens to help reduce the impact of climate change and reduce deforestation by promoting adaptation measures. The ecological stoves help women like Crucinda Ventura keep her family safe. “When I cooked with the old stove, my children were sick more often and would get the flu more easily because they were not as strong. Now their eyes don’t hurt and they don’t cough as much,” she says.
Read the full story.
Mango Market Provides New Business Opportunities
When Soraya Peguero tells people she works on a mango farm, they expect her to be a picker not the manager. But manage it she does, and quite successfully thanks to the training she has received in the Dominican Republic from Abt Associates’ USAID-funded Rural Economic Diversification project (RED).
Read the full story.