CARE builds a women’s movement around the world to bring about change at the grassroots
By Amelia Andrews, Manager Communications, CARE India is currently in New York to take the southern voices to the UN MDG Summit through CARE International.
Can a woman in New York, the cultural and financial centre, have anything in common with a woman from a village in Chattisgarh, a state where the maternal mortality rate is 335 per 100,000 live births and 75 out of every thousand babies die before their first birthday? Yes! The common denominator among two women who live in two extremes is the passion to bring change and their determination in not letting business as usual continue.
At the Stand up and Take Action event as part of the UN Millennium Campaign, in New York on September 19 2010, CARE put up a booth manned by volunteers. Sarah, a petite young woman who grew up in a small town in Carolina, is a veteran CARE volunteer. She has been volunteering with CARE for the last four years.
“My time of volunteering at CARE has been very fulfilling. My moment of inspiration was when I went to Capitol Hill to speak to legislators on behalf of CARE, “says Sarah. After a hectic work week Sarah has just volunteered time on Sunday to Stand Up and Take Action for maternal health in New York.
Sarah’s actions in New York have far reaching impact around the globe. She complements the efforts of Arunbala Bhatt in Chattisgarh to push forward the agenda of maternal health in the local governance system.
Arunbala Bhatt, a resolute woman, has been blazing trails in her village in Chattisgarh. She has been changing the way women perceive health and has worked to improve their access to quality health services.
Life has not been easy for Arunbala. Married at the tender age of fourteen years she bore four children in quick succession. To add to her woes, her husband was smitten by a stroke, which left him paralysed. Educated only till Class VIII she eked out a mundane existence till she participates in CARE’s Health program.
She worked with the women of the community to help them to better plan their families, have greater access to healthcare especially during pregnancy, and their children from common diseases. As a result Aurnbala, contested and won the elections at the village level. She has since then worked to ensure that family health becomes a greater public priority.
"I was leading an ordinary life but now I have the power to change because. I have the knowledge, “says Arunbala. From a docile housewife and dutiful mother, she has come a long way not only in terms of her own transition but also for bringing women’s priorities to the local governance agenda.
This is an example of a global partnership committed to nurturing change. In one voice this partnership calls out, “Mother Matter! Let us pursue better health for women. It is achievable.”