Monday 12 March 2012

#cyblessings 12th March 2012

We have quietly moved into the fourth week of Lent, how did that happen?  This is the week that Christian Aid asks us to look at equality. Guatemala has the highest levels of maternal mortality in Latin America with just 41% of births attended by a professional. With a bit of research I've discovered just how high the maternal mortality rate was in Guatemala in 2008.  The ratio was 110; that means that out of every 100 women giving birth 11 will die.  It makes you realise how lucky we are in this country.  It never occurs to me that someone would die giving birth; I know it happens but it's so extremely rare as to be off the radar.  We take it for granted.  Christian Aid are asking us to give 50p if your local hospital has a maternity ward.  Yes it does, a massive one which of course makes mistakes but is basically a fantastic provision for mothers and babies.  50p donated.

1 comment:

Greenpatches said...

Good point. The risks in childbirth may have been more for us here in the UK say, fifty years ago or more (reminded of this in the Call The Midwife series recently), but they don't even begin to touch the terrible statistics of maternal mortality in many parts of the world here in 2012. We do take things for granted here.