The Star's foreign desk covers the best stories from the around the globe, updated throughout the day.
Best and worst of the world's motherhood
If you’re pregnant, you might want to start learning Finnish.
It may sound hard, but it’s less difficult than having a baby in Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo or Somalia.
Finland, according to Save the Children’s newly-published 2014 report,
State of the World’s Mothers
, is the number one place for mother and child health, closely followed by (no surprise) Norway, Sweden and tiny Iceland.
Canada comes 18
, below much poorer Slovenia, but way ahead of the U.S., which ranked 31st, a dramatic drop from 4th place over the past 15 years, due to natural disasters and high risk pregnancies from obesity and other causes. The Canadian figures were supplied by Ottawa and the World Health Organization.
The worst country for the world's mothers, embattled Somalia, has a one in 16 risk of maternal death and 147 out of 1,000 babies die before the age of five. Children who survive are likely to get less than three years of education in their lifetimes.
Canadian mothers, by comparison, have a one in 5,200 chance of dying during pregnancy, and fewer than six children out of 1,000 die before they reach five.
International surveys say that Canada could do better in supporting the health of women and children in rural, First Nation and Inuit communities – including improved pre-natal nutrition and health care access.
But Save the Children points out that there’s little comparison with the plight of mothers giving birth in the world’s poorest and most conflict-ridden countries where danger and disease are sometimes a mother-to-be’s only companions.
“Over 2 million women give birth completely alone each year,” it says. “Now imagine doing that in extreme emergency contexts.” In Congo, for instance, horrific conflicts have left more than 5.4 million people dead – less than 10 per cent of them killed in combat, and others dying from hunger, disease and complications of pregnancy.
are the key to ending child mortality within a generation, says Save the Children. "The first day of life is the most dangerous -- now imagine the first day of life while in a
." Few of us can. And the appalling stories of those who are forced to give birth in dire circumstances have pushed governments to embrace the cause of maternal health.
But help is more complex than aid programs. Ending preventable deaths of mothers and children, the report says, won’t be possible until strife-torn countries become more stable, and health care more accessible. That calls for political strategy, diplomacy and long term funding commitment. Is anyone listening?
If so, there may be a truly happy Mother’s Day to celebrate in countries far from Finland.
Olivia Ward is a foreign affairs writer for the Star. She is the recipient of an award for international reporting from the Washington-based Population Institute.
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