8th March, 2011
Celebrating International Women's Day: Women are the key to the health of their communities
Time to celebrate achievements - but also be aware of the work that still needs to be done
AMREF joins the world to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. This landmark anniversary should serve as a reminder of inequities that remain and the work that still needs to be done to improve women's lives - particularly in Africa.
Women continue to suffer disproportionately from poor health, which remains a major challenge in achieving higher education levels and economic development in Africa. But as the frontline caregivers to not only their families but many members of the wider community, if their health suffers, the whole community suffers.
Women ensure their family is provided with medicine when someone falls ill. But if the woman herself becomes ill, the choice between buying food for her children or medicine for themselves means they often lose out on accessing vital health care and support.
'Women are key to the health and wealth of their communities. Without them, the family cannot hope to thrive'', Grace Mukasa, AMREF UK CEO
Yet women remain some of the most vulnerable members of their communities: 61per cent of the global HIV burden is faced by women, and every year 280,000 mothers die unnecessarily in pregnancy and childbirth because they lack basic medical care.
AMREF is working to change this. Through community driven and locally relevant programmes, we are improving women’s health in some of Africa’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.
Find out more about AMREF's projects to improve the health and well-being of African women below:
Protecting mothers and children from malaria in coastal Tanzania
Addressing gender-based violence in South Africa