Facts

1 woman every 2 seconds is seriously injured or disabled giving birth


An estimated 2 million women in Africa live with obstetric fistula


It is estimated that another 100,000 develop the condition every year


More than 500,000 women die each year during pregnancy or childbirth, mostly in developing nations


80% of these deaths are completely avoidable


Sierra Leone has just 71 doctors and 112 midwives for a population of six million


Liberia has one doctor for every 28,000 people


In 2005, 8 million women around the world experienced life-threatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth


The 5th Millennium Development Goal is to cut maternal deaths by three-quarters by 2015


We are desperately short of achieving this goal