A World of Solutions: Decreasing Reproductive Risk

CARE is engaged in a broad-based attack on poverty in the developing world. CARE’s fundamental mission is to help families acquire the skills and resources they need to improve their lives. As part of a comprehensive approach to development, CARE integrates its programs — including health, education, water and sanitation, micro-enterprise development, and agriculture - to maximize benefits to families and communities.

PAI welcomes CARE as a partner in the release of 'A World of Difference.'

Reproductive health is a key component in CARE’s worldwide strategy to alleviate poverty and promote human dignity. Reproductive health programs encompass family planning, maternal health, newborn care, preventing and treating HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, and preventing and managing sexual and gender based violence.

The Calculus of Poverty

All families face difficult choices, but the dilemmas are amplified for poor families in developing countries. Too often one basic need must be weighed against another before a family invests scarce resources into health care. — Families must decide: Do we pay for antibiotics to treat an infection or pay for our daughterr’s school fees? Should we sell one of the animals to pay for obstetrical care? These are choices that can have devastating consequences.

How Women Factor into the Equation

Of the more than 1 billion people in the developing world who live on less than $1 a day, 70 percent are women. Investing in women’s health, education and economic opportunities is critical to lowering reproductive risk. Research demonstrates that when given the opportunity, women overwhelmingly invest in their families by improving the nutrition, health and education of their children. And it just builds from there. When girls receive a primary school education, they are more likely to marry later in life and to have healthier children. Their lives typically are more productive — economically and socially, and, they pass on these benefits to the next generation.

Community Action: Power Through Numbers

Families do not exist in isolation; they are part of communities that must engage in collective action to advance public health. The community norms, social structure and leadership all influence a family’s health behaviors. Moreover, many health issues, such as the availability and quality of health services, must be addressed by the entire community. Community-level interventions include: community health educators, community based distribution of contraceptives, rapid transport of obstetrical emergencies, blood donation, ensuring access to essential drugs, support for people living with AIDS, community health education, emergency health loan funds, and equipping local health facilities.

A Basic Equation for Child Survival

Providing a mother with access to contraception also helps her children. Studies show that children spaced in two-year intervals are healthier than siblings born in rapid succession. Research by the National Academy of Sciences affirms the role of child spacing in reducing high child mortality. In fact, experts consider contraceptives as much a part of the public health arsenal as vaccines or antibiotics.

For more information on CARE programs, please go to www.care.org.