NEWS RELEASE April 6, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Book Reveals the Difference The Game Changers Are Making As Women In East Africa Continue To Die During Childbirth In Shocking Numbers From Preventable Causes HAMILTON, Ontario Just in time for Mother s Day, Save the Mothers is releasing an eye-opening yet hopeful new book, The Game Changers: True Stories About Saving Mothers & Babies in East Africa. Coauthored by respected Canadian physician Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese and Patricia Paddey, the book provides a glimpse of the transformation taking place in the lives of individuals and communities across East Africa, as a result of Save the Mothers innovative initiatives. Save the Mothers is an international organization based in Canada that equips professionals in developing countries to improve the survival rate of women and newborns an appalling number of whom continue to die in 2016 due to preventable complications during labour and delivery. Through their diverse vocations, ranging from journalists to politicians to religious leaders, graduates of Save the Mothers Master of Public Health Leadership program become influencers for positive societal change, working from the grassroots to change entrenched attitudes and systems. While advances in medical science in affluent countries mean that few women die during childbirth, having a baby is one of the riskiest things many women in sub-saharan Africa will ever do. In Uganda, for example, women and babies die in staggering numbers. Some 6,000 Ugandan women lose their lives to complications of pregnancy and childbirth every year. (That is more than 200 times the number of women who die from the same sorts of medical issues in Canada a country with roughly the same size population.) The Game Changers tells Save the Mothers story, says Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese, founder and executive director of this groundbreaking humanitarian organization. It tells my personal story. And it tells the stories of East African leaders, and the critical differences they are making in saving the lives of women and babies in a part of the world where the entire game desperately needs changing. The Game Changers features moving personal experience stories, startling facts from on-the-ground reporting, dozens of full-colour photographs, and practical tips for how readers can help to bring an end to this little-known human rights catastrophe. It is the long-awaited follow-up to Dr. Jean s earlier book, Where Have All the Mothers Gone? (2003). -30- Save the Mothers is an international, non-profit organization that educates leaders in developing countries to improve mothers health and reduce the incidence of preventable maternal death. Sustainable change demands long-term strategies. STM is not about short-lived aid or quick fix solutions. Save the Mothers helps to create lasting change through local leadership.
Save the Mothers Backgrounder Save the Mothers is an international organization that seeks to overcome maternal mortality (pregnancy and childbirth related deaths) in the developing world. We train professionals from developing countries to work through their specific vocations and spheres of influence towards improving maternal health. To date, more than 400 East African leaders journalists, politicians, lawyers, teachers and clergy have come through our two-year, Master of Public Health Leadership program, based at Uganda Christian University in Mukono, Uganda. We believe access to safe maternal care is a basic human right. Our vision is to see these leaders reduce maternal mortality in their countries breaking down complex social, cultural and economic barriers for women. Most recently, Save the Mothers launched its Mother Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, a program that links our graduates to existing health facilities, to ensure accountability and higher standards of care for women and children. Maternal Mortality Facts (Source: World Health Organization) Every year, 303,000 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. 99% of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries. Maternal mortality is higher in rural areas and among poorer and less educated communities. Adolescents face a higher risk of complications and death as a result of pregnancy than older women. Skilled care before, during and after childbirth can save the lives of women and newborn babies. Maternal health and newborn health are closely linked. More than 3 million newborn babies die every year.
Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese Bio Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese is an internationally recognized expert in women's reproductive health. She has volunteered in some of the world's poorest countries to make childbirth a safer experience. She is founder and executive director of Save the Mothers, an organization dedicated to saving some of the 303,000 women who die in childbirth every year. She spends eight months of the year in Uganda and four months in Canada advocating for safe motherhood, while teaching and working clinically. She is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Waterloo (School of Public Health) and an associate professor in obstetrics and gynecology at McMaster University, where she co-directs the McMaster International Women's Health Program. In 2006, the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FIGO) awarded her an International Community Service Award for her outstanding contribution to the health of mothers around the world. In 2009, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada presented her with the Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award, which celebrates Canadian physicians who go beyond the accepted norms of routine practice, (including exposure to personal risk) and for actions that exemplify altruism, integrity, courage and perseverance in the alleviation of human suffering. In 2012 she was awarded the College's Prix D'Excellence, for going above and beyond the call of duty. Later that year Dr. Jean (as she is known abroad) was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2013 she received a Doctor of Laws honoris causa from the University of Waterloo and the Mission Legacy Award from The Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, Ontario and was inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction. In 2014 she received Canada s highest civilian honour when she was appointed to the Order of Canada. She authored the book, Where Have All the Mothers Gone and is co-editor of the 2006 book, Women's Health in the Majority World: Issues and Initiatives. Her second book, (co-authored with Patricia Paddey) titled, The Game Changers: True Stories About Saving Mothers & Babies In East Africa will be released in May, 2016.
Suggested Questions for Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese regarding The Game Changers 1. The World Health Organization tells us that today, more than 300 000 women continue to die of causes related to pregnancy and childbirth every year 99% of these deaths are in the developing world. Help us understand the scope of the problem: why, in 2016, are women still dying in childbirth? 2. The problem of women dying in childbirth is particularly bad in sub-saharan Africa. What s it like for a woman to give birth there? 3. You ve been working in East Africa on this issue for more than a decade now but you re attacking the problem in a rather innovative way. Tell us about that. 4. How did the idea for the Save the Mothers program come about? 5. You ve now had more than 400 people from across East Africa go through the Save the Mothers program. What kind of people are they? 6. You refer to your students and graduates as Champions for Change, and you ve called your new book, The Game Changers. Tell us why. 7. Tell us about one of the people profiled in this book. 8. It s an interesting approach to have non-medical people working on what many would see as being a medical problem. How are journalists, for example, making a difference? 9. What about politicians? Or teachers? 10. You ve had some high level endorsements for your book The Game Changers. Brian Stewart, former correspondent for CBC television, says your book presents one of the most inspiring accounts of compassion, resilience and determination on the frontlines of humanitarian struggle that he s read about in years. Who s going to be interested in reading The Game Changers? 11. Most people feel like they want their lives to count to make a difference. How can people get involved with the Canadian success story that is Save the Mothers? 12. How can people purchase a copy of The Game Changers?
Praise for The Game Changers Through a series of vivid personal stories, the authors take us inside one of the most inspiring accounts of compassion, resilience and determination on the frontlines of humanitarian struggle that I ve read about in years. Inspired by a strong sense of personal faith, this is the hope-filled search for grassroots change needed to overcome an ongoing health crisis among the most vulnerable that is too often ignored by media. Brian Stewart Broadcast journalist; former CBC-TV senior foreign correspondent For all our progress in human development, a searing indictment remains, and that is our collective failure to address the unremarked, undiagnosed and unforgiving death of a thousand women a day giving birth. In this important and compelling book, Canadian doctor Jean Chamberlain Froese examines the causes of that quiet scourge, from her experience on the front lines in East Africa. She and co-author Patricia Paddey find some of the heroes who have helped combat the ancient and easily preventable causes of maternal mortality. They help us see that the very human delays in the home, in the hospital, in the hallways of power are causes we can all help address. And in the most hopeful way, this book helps us see how. John Stackhouse Former editor-in-chief, The Globe and Mail; recipient, Amnesty International Award for human rights reporting We who are among the privileged minority on this planet have a responsibility to use well the gifts that come with our privilege. Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese and Save the Mothers know that ours is not a just or equitable world, but that education is one of the great equalizers. They recognize the truth that education is key to equipping and inspiring people to work for justice and bring about change. The Game Changers highlights some of the remarkable people who are working within their culture to bring about life-saving transformation. Their stories serve as powerful evidence that every one of us can make a difference. We need only care. Baroness Caroline Cox British House of Lords; President, Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust