Millions of women and children can be saved from death

Dear friends, Millions of women and children can be saved from death in pregnancy or childbirth, if world leaders, who are about to meet in New York, meet their promises and step up their aid commitments for maternal health. Let's call on them to act now! Millions of pregnant women and children die every year because of malnutrition or inadequate health services. It's shocking, but if our governments meet aid promises to women and children at the poverty summit later this month, it is avoidable. Ten years ago world leaders committed to drastically reduce the disgraceful number of maternal deaths by 2015, but in fact aid levels remain shamefully low. Now, some governments could be prepared to boost aid for mothers and babies, but they need massive public support to get all governments to step up. In days our leaders meet in New York. Let's build a global outcry against needless deaths. Sign the petition below to double aid for maternal and child health -- it will be delivered to key government leaders at the New York meeting. https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_children_and_mothers/?vl In the last 10 years, since the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were set, significant advances have been made to tackle poverty -- one-third fewer mothers have died during childbirth due to increased aid and investment in maternal health care. But millions of pregnant mothers are still dying needlessly and every year 9 million children die before their 5th birthday. There is already a specific mechanism to deliver aid for HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, but no similar system exists to support health for mothers and children. Experts feel one of the best ways to have an immediate impact is to ensure that aid is doubled and coordinated to effectively bring health care to the mothers and children who need it the most. But with only 5 years left to meet MDG targets, there’s a danger that our leaders use the recession to shirk responsibilities to help the world’s poorest. It has always been the world's citizens that have led the fight against poverty and pushed our leaders to take critical action, and now it is up to us again. Sign the petition to save mothers and children: