Super rewards – crowdfunding finale

There are just days till the New Internationalist digital outreach crowdfunding campaign finishes, so to go out with a flourish we’ve released three super rewards for those who make a new pledge.  Our supporters have done very well – thank you so much – but at just over $8,000 raised so far, we’re still a very long way from the $28,000 we need for full implementation of the project.

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Birthing – a global crisis

Birthing globally is in crisis, and regurgitated myths don’t help.  For example, under common misconceptions, birth is considered an event that is solely personal and decided on by each family; one that is relatively untouched by politics except for hospital and institutionalised policy.  I assure you, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

In the developing world, maternal and infant health is collapsing, despite some improvements arising from the ambitious and laudable United Nations Millennium Development Goal five.  Half a million women in the poor regions of the planet continue to die each year in childbirth or pregnancy, an inexcusable figure which highlights the yawning gap in maternal conditions that exists between – and within – countries.  One only needs to witness the poor health status and misapplied, often ill-planned health support for Australian Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islanders to see that these inequalities lie right in front of us.
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How do you nurture a social activist?

For a year or so I’ve been loosely monitoring the activities of a coalition of social and environmental activists called Common Cause.  They’re steadily building a collection of theory and case studies aimed at developing a new methodology for motivating people to get involved in social and environmental movements. Continue reading