Communication/Media Platform

The Philippines has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in SE Asia, growing from 6.5% in 1996 to 10% in 2013, with higher values among rural and poor areas.[UN PopulationFund] Many of these were unplanned largely due to lack of information since the culture prevents discussion. 75% of maternal deaths happen to teens, while a fifth of fetal deaths are attributed to it.

Despite recent improvements in health indicators in Myanmar, maternal mortality ratio and gap in family planning (FP) service uptake is still high compared to the neighboring countries in the region. It is largely due to limited access to information and majority of women are not fully informed about all the methods they could use and half of them have not seen or heard any family planning message in the media.

Due to the violence of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, over 2 million people, namely women and children have fled their homes. There is a lack of maternal healthcare resources due to insecurity, leaving mothers without any healthcare. For survivors of sexual violence, pregnancy can be a traumatizing experience without support structures of family and community. Unaddressed trauma can lead to delivery complications and as a result an increased risk of maternal mortality.

Female genital cutting in Mogadishu, Somalia. The project will provide information and sensitize Somali men and women, their children and social networks on the topic of female genital cutting and womens’ health. Proper information, dialogue, training and networking will contribute to eradicating FGC. Issues of social justice will be addressed, including protection and developing safety nets. Reproductive health and family planning, including issues of earlyforced marriage will be covered.

In rural Bangladesh preventable causes of maternal health complications are still common. Adolescent pregnancies, ascribed mostly to child marriages, are among the highest in the world. The situation is more acute in culturally conservative Rohingya refugee communities in Cox’s Bazar. Men are key decision-makers in reproductive and maternal health, but these aspects are largely overlooked by public health strategies, which undermines the impact of maternal health interventions.

Supply side of the healthcare services for Syrian refugees in Turkey is better than most countries harbouring Syrian refugees; they can utilise public hospitals and migrant clinics free (1). However demand side is still lacking due to not knowing the regulations and lower health literacy in the refugee community. MEDAK's previous work, experiences of the team and our preliminary studies, show that vaccination and prenatal care (Check-up) levels are low.

In Argentina, about 15% of all births are to adolescents, with rates approaching 25% of births in some areas(1). The provinces with the highest rates of adolescent birth also have the largest proportions of families with unsatisfied basic needs and mothers who have not completed primary school(2), indicating that early childbearing primarily afflicts adolescents living in situations of extreme precarity. In these regions, quality information about sexual and reproductive health is hard to find.

Only 57.5% of Ethiopian children under 6 months are exclusively breastfeed. Mothers get 90 days paid maternity leave, of which 60 days are allocated for postpartum. For economic reason most mothers go back to work on the 3rd month after birth. They introduce breastfeeding substitute at this point. Infants face frequent illness and loss on the benefit of breastfeeding. Mothers spend their income on breastfeeding substitute. They face dissatisfaction, frequent absenteeism and lag in their career.

Pregnancy in college-going single women is increasing in Eldoret Kenya with a large number being from adolescents 15-19 years of age. Unwanted pregnancies often lead to unsafe abortions as well as other negative maternal health outcomes. Only 36.2% of women and 52.9% of men between 20 and 24 used a condom during their last sexual intercourse in the past 12 months despite nationwide efforts to increase HIV awareness, widespread male condom distribution and common fears of unplanned pregnancy.

Household air pollution (HAP) from cooking smoke causes 4.3 million deaths per year (WHO). In Ethiopia, over 3 million children suffer from pneumonia annually (UNICEF, 2013), resulting in ~13,000 child deaths (IHME, 2013). Non-communicable diseases from exposure to HAP account for ~5% of all deaths in Ethiopia and are associated with negative birth outcomes (Fullerton et al., 2008). The situation is especially dire in refugee camps.