Christy Turlington Burns
An ambassador for maternal health
F.
Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “There are no second acts in American lives.”
Christy Turlington Burns proves he was wrong. Christy’s second act is
her tenacious fight against maternal mortality. After the birth of her
first child, she suffered postpartum hemorrhage. In the U.S., it’s a
common complication of labor, but it’s almost always manageable. In
developing countries, it can be deadly. Christy’s realization that her
life and her baby’s turned on the luck of geography inspired her to take
action.
She made the documentary No Woman, No Cry to raise awareness
of maternal mortality. Then she founded Every Mother Counts, which
provides health education, medicine and emergency care in poor
countries. Christy focuses like a laser on efficiency. Every Mother
Counts promises that a $1 donation means $1 in the hands of the people
saving lives. And the wind is at her back. Maternal mortality is down by
almost half since 1990, a leading indicator of a better world, because
mothers are the beating heart of communities. When they are healthy,
everyone thrives. Christy is helping make that happen.
Gates is a co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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