A global problem: Maternal and child mortality

Maternal mortality is globally declining and has fallen by more than a third since 2000 to 2020 - while an estimated 446,000 deaths were registered in 2000, the figure was only 287,000 in 2020. But still, a pregnant woman dies every two minutes worldwide.

The reasons for mortality are manifold. Most cases are due to inadequate medical care or obstetric care. Complications often occur as early as during pregnancy and the risk of death for mothers and their babies increases during the delivery due to a lack of professional help on site. A lack of education and poor nutrition also increase the risk of mortality.

This is why we are specifically involved in prenatal and postnatal care as well as obstetrics and offer various aid measures in our project countries with a focus on mother-child health, such as careful educational work for mothers. In this way, we contribute to further reducing mortality rates.

The risks associated with childbirth in countries of the Global South mean that, in the worst case scenario, mother and child die during or after delivery. But often only the mother or only the newborn survives. However, these cases have far-reaching consequences for the survivors:

If only the newborn survives without its mother:

• The mother dies after giving birth and is therefore unable to care for the child. This rapidly increases the risk of the newborn dying.
• The lack of breast milk makes natural immunization much more difficult, making the child more susceptible to illness.
• Growing up without a mother is a heavy emotional burden for the child and has an enormous impact on the child's personal development.
• The burden on the rest of the family is just as great, as they lose an important family member, grieve and have to care for a newborn at the same time. Depending on the family's financial situation, they may also have to deal with debts incurred due to the hospital costs for mother and child, the funeral costs and feeding the new child - while at the same time the mother is no longer able to work.

If only the mother survives without her child:

• If the child dies during or shortly after birth, this is an immense emotional burden for mothers.
• This stroke of fate can sometimes lead to severe depression, and feelings of guilt and failure are not uncommon.
• Some mothers suffer lifelong psychological and emotional consequences as a result of complications during childbirth.