Women Making a Difference in Global Health

	Meet Ruth Siyage: Promoting Family Planning and Livelihoods for a Healthy Environment in Uganda. Source: CTPH

View the entire listing of profiles from USAID's new series highlighting women whose work through USAID-supported projects are making a difference in the lives of other women, families, and communities.

• Environmental Health
  
• Family Planning
• Health Systems
• HIV/AIDS
• Maternal and Child Health
• Nutrition

Environmental Health

• As a member of the Uganda Women's Efforts to Save Orphans, Hawa Nakanwagi works to promote sanitation in Uganda communities through construction and management of rainwater harvesting facilities.
  
  
• Meet thirty-two year old Ruth Siyage — a wife, mother, peasant farmer, shop owner, and Population, Health and Environment (PHE) champion.

Family Planning

Family Planning and Reproductive Health

• Beatrice Rwakimari joined parliament to help women in her community. She campaigned hard to ensure policies were implemented to save the lives of women and girls in her community and throughout Uganda.
  
  
• Dr. Sahar Izzat has been working hard to improve reproductive and family health for the people of Jordan for more than 20 years. Recently, she trained more than 150 outreach workers to go door to door discussing issues related to reproductive health, family planning and violence against women.
  
  
• Nurse Susan Kajuju [PDF, 64KB] began her work by meeting with local groups, visiting people in their homes, and attending social events. She learned quickly that “here, the men must be involved [in family planning]; they're the ones that make the decisions as far as the community's concerned.”
  
  
• The Yemeni Midwives Association is improving delivery of reproductive health and family planning services to reduce high maternal and child mortality and morbidity. Throughout her 13-year career in international health and development.
  
  
• Dr. Nafissatou Diop has made her name as a dynamo in support of reproductive health not only in her native Senegal, but also in francophone West Africa and beyond.
  
  
• Worknesh Kereta, who is referred to by many young Ethiopians as "mother of the youth," has focused her efforts on serving those who most need services and support – women, youth, and people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
  
  
• Beatrice Delva is one of many women working to improve the use of contraception and the high rate of maternal mortality in Haiti. A mother of two, she has been working for three years in commodity security and management under the USAID-funded Leadership, Management & Sustainability Project.
  
  
• After attending Arab Women Speak Out, a program which is a part of the USAID's Jordan Health Communication Partnership project, Amal began to take charge of her life. Discussing topics like the Arab women's roles and responsibilities in modern times, future planning, men and women's participation in family planning and family health issues, safe maternal and child health, and healthy lifestyles opened up a new world of possibilities.
  
  

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

• Maryam Sheikh Abdi built upon her personal experiences to help end the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting/mutilation in Kenya.

Gender Issues

• Bogalech Alemu has worked tirelessly and effectively to chip away at and gradually change beliefs and practices that are harmful to girls and women but are deeply entrenched in ancient traditions in Ethiopia.
  
  
• Dorothy Awino struggled for nine years to make ends meet as a single mother after her marriage ended in 1992. She kept a journal of her experiences to give her strength, not knowing that she would one day become a champion, fighting to help other women hold onto what they had lost. In 2003, she joined with other Kenyan women who had suffered disinheritance to found a community-based organization to address gender discrimination and women's inheritance rights.
  
  
• Dr. Maura Lynch, a nun from Ireland who has lived in Africa for the past 40 years, came to Uganda from Nigeria in 1987, and has worked at Kitovu Hospital for the past 15 years. She recalls when women with fistula would just appear at the hospital, hoping for repair. Dr. Lynch would perform as many repair surgeries as she could, but had to turn many away because women simply lacked the funds to pay for the repair.
  
  
• Dr. Nafsiah Mboi is grappling with more than just the vastness of Indonesia as she tackles the challenge of stemming the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country. She's also combating gender inequity and low status of women, which impairs their ability to prevent AIDS.
  
  
• "SASA! A Film About Women, Violence and HIV/AIDS" tells the story of two courageous women who triumphed over gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS and gained power that helped them organize, become activists in their communities, and build meaningful and rewarding lives.
  
  
• In parts of rural Benin, girls frequently become victims of trafficking and GBV, being sold by their families to the man who offers the highest bid. For 20 years, Sister Toussou has dedicated herself to saving young women and girls from the traditional practice of forced marriage through the Saint Maria Goretti Center. With support from USAID, Sister Maria is able to welcome all the girls who come in need of her help.
  
  

Health Systems

• In September 2005, a group of 15 private-practice Filipino midwives acted in the spirit of bayanihan (Filipino value of community cooperation) and formed the United Midwives Association, Inc. (UMAI) to help each member improve her own private practice. UMAI became a formal association after its founding members completed a training program under the USAID Private Sector Mobilization for Family Health project.
  
  
• Energetic, creative and passionate about her work, Elena Hurtado has led the design of several key national strategies for maternal and child health, nutrition, family planning, and HIV/AIDS and managed community mobilization activities and behavior change interventions in support of the Guatemalan Ministry of Health. Recognized both nationally and internationally as an accomplished researcher, health program evaluator, and behavior change expert, Elena's greatest passion is direct contact with the communities she serves: It is rare to find Elena behind a desk for long.
  
  
• Dr. Rita Leavell works on behalf of Jordan's 2.5 million women to improve the early detection of breast cancer, the second leading cause of death of women in that country. Dr. Leavell's efforts have helped establish the Jordan Breast Cancer Program, whose five-year goal is to detect at least 70 percent of breast cancer cases in the early, curable stages.
  
  
• Fatu Yumkella has dedicated her energies and talents to strengthening health care and health systems in developing countries for more than 25 years.
  
  
• Lusik Yeritsyan, who was slowing losing her eyesight due to cataracts, was examined by a doctor when the Mobile Eye Hospital (MEH) of the joint USAID/Armenia Eyecare Project Global Development Alliance initiative visited her village for eye screenings and treatment. After a successful surgery, Lusik is now counting her “days of light.”
  
  
• USAID's Project NOVA fosters community mobilization to improve primary health care conditions in Armenia's remote areas. Thanks to the village mayor's leadership and enthusiasm, the community of Voskepar is now able to receive health care services in the village's renovated health post.

HIV/AIDS

• Esther Nyokabi [PDF, 79KB] has lived in Njoro Division of Nakuru, Kenya, all of her life. Following one of her births, she suffered pelvic damage that affected her ability to walk. For seven years, she could only crawl and could rarely leave her home. Fortunately, she eventually received treatment for her condition. When Esther started walking again, she became active in her community. She is a member of Piave Women's Group, which was founded in 2004 to help the growing number of children orphaned in Njoro due to HIV/AIDS.
  
  
• In June 2007, 11 women from nine states came together to launch Mexicanas Positivas Frente a la VIDA (“Positive Mexican Women Facing Life”). The organization is the country's first legally registered NGO of HIV-positive women. As a result of its legal status, Mexicanas Positivas Frente a la VIDA can receive funds and expand its nationwide advocacy efforts.
  
  
• Dr. Refiloe Matji's story is remarkable. Born in South Africa, she grew up in nearby Lesotho, where her father, a member of the African National Congress, was exiled during the apartheid era. She attended medical school in Russia, and despite opportunities to work anywhere in the world, she returned to work in Lesotho, a country with a severe shortage of doctors.
  
  
• Dr. Olga Chernobrovkina is a leading expert in quality improvement in Russia who runs innovative improvement efforts for HIV/AIDS care that involve providers from more than 100 hospitals and city AIDS centers, social services organizations, and nongovernmental organizations.
  
  
• A devoted global health activist and leader in international HIV/AIDS work, Kathleen Kay worked relentlessly to improve the quality of life of marginalized populations, especially women and children. In a 1992 address, she told a group of students, "Don't accept labels from others or yourself, and don't demean any other human being by giving them." She lived by these words.
  
  
• Bridget Chisenga received access to antiretroviral medications through the PEPFAR-funded AIDSRelief program and is now able to continue her efforts to support AIDS relief efforts in Zambia.
  
  
• After enrolling in a unique halfway house program for young HIV-positive drug addicts, provided through the HIV Youth Prevention Alliance, a USAID-supported public-partnership, Anna was given a second chance in life and a better shot at a stable future.
  
  
• Effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission allows women like Aberu Hailu to take control of their own health and deliver healthy HIV-negative babies.
  
  
• A commercial sex worker, Yeshi Sheferaw has learned to put her health first. USAID's Targeted HIV/AIDS Prevention Program with funding from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief works to promote consistent and correct use of condoms in areas of Ethiopia where HIV prevalence is highest.
  
  
• With help from the USAID Dialogue on HIV and TB Project, Anna, a single mom and former commercial sex worker from a small town near Kyrgyzstan, was able to turn her life around and has become a strong advocate and outreach worker.
  
  
• Gwynn Stevens committed herself to making lifesaving technologies accessible to those who need them most. Over her years-long tenure at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), a USAID-funded public-private partnership dedicated to developing an effective, accessible preventive AIDS vaccine, Gwynn has helped to establish a respected clinical laboratory network across the continent, enabling African scientists and partners to conduct first-rate clinical trials in Africa.
  
  
• In Swaziland, a country with the highest HIV prevalence rate anywhere in the world, the aggressive response of the country's Ministry of Health – working with USAID and private implementing organizations – provides services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Unfortunately, some women and their children still slip through the cracks, like Zanele and her first baby, Tema.
  
  

• Keziah Kapesa is a registered nurse-midwife who advocates the integration of HIV testing and family planning (FP) services in Tanzania. Working closely with local communities, she has brought awareness to decisionmakers about the public's need and desire for the integration of HIV and FP services.
  
  
• Nfila Chalebiwa Chikadze's background as the District AIDS Coordinator managing HIV/AIDS activities at the national and district levels and her experience practicing as a community health nurse and midwife give her a valuable perspective for managing integrated service delivery in Botswana.

Maternal and Child Health

• Rose Mlay has been a dedicated advocate for maternal and child health ever since she decided to become a midwife in 1974. She believes every woman deserves, "to receive care by a qualified healthcare provider who can save the life of the mother and the life of the baby."
  
  
• “God gave you the power to make sure babies are healthy – and the key is in your hands!” Dr. Utami Roesli tells participants during USAID/Health Service Program (HSP) workshops on immediate breastfeeding. Attended by members of parliament, local government, hospital directors, professional associations, midwives, and NGOs, HSP has supported workshops in 18 districts, reaching more than 6,000 health professionals, to raise awareness on the importance of breastfeeding and motivate officials to enforce international regulations related to the marketing of breastmilk substitutes.
  
  
• Midwife Istiqamah [PDF, 156KB] is a practitioner qualified as a Bidan Delima by the East Java Indonesia Midwives' Association. The Bidan Delima program is a USAID-supported initiative to certify the skills and clinical practices of private sector midwives, who provide a large portion of Indonesia's family planning and obstetric services. Istiqamah tells the story of how her motivation to help others was formed when her own life was spared 10 years ago.
  
  
• In Guatemala, Pabla Moreno Milian and many other young women are working to reduce maternal mortality in their communities. These exceptional leaders, known as Mayan auxiliary nurse-midwives, are involved in a program developed to place skilled birth attendants in remote Mayan communities, where a lack of acceptance of modern obstetric techniques remains a threat.
  
  
• Dr. Ivonne Gómez is a pediatrician who is leading a USAID-funded initiative to improve the quality of health care for severely ill and malnourished children in Nicaragua.
  
  
• For Dr. Sudha Basnet, newborn health has always been an important part of her work as a pediatrician. She is working to introduce and expand international best practices on newborn care in Nepal – a country challenged to help and save newborns, who are often born at home without assistance from a skilled birth attendant.
  
  
• At 15, following 6 days of prolonged and obstructed labor, Agaicha developed an obstetric fistula which she would suffer from for the next two-years. Through the USAID Fistula Care Project, Agaicha was able to finally receive treatment and now shares her story to raise awareness about this condition in the villages.
  
  
• Nazia Bibi is among more than 2,200 young women across Pakistan who have completed 18 months of USAID-supported training in midwifery, and have been equipped with close to $1,000 worth of equipment and supplies to ensure safe deliveries.
  
  
• USAID's Health Services Support Project is supporting the Ministry of Public Health to deliver community-based interventions that protect women from the risk of postpartum hemorrhage when delivering at home without assistance from a skilled provider, like Bibi Gul Jamal who works tirelessly as a community health worker to improve the health of women in her village.
  
  
• For years, Kima Hassen Adem suffered from fistula – an abnormal opening between a woman's vagina and bladder or rectum (or both) – and experienced stigma and discrimination in her daily life. Kima finally received treatment at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, with all expenses covered by USAID's Integrated Family Health Program.
  
  
• Esther, mother of 10 and a tireless champion of family planning and maternal health in Kenya, has worked to improve access to healthcare in her community.

Nutrition

• After a visit from a community facilitator, Gladys Soto participated in a year long training program provided by the Mejores Familias Program. Last year she was recruited as a field facilitator by Fundazúcar, the organization that implements Mejores Familias, where she delivers training on best practices in nutrition, women's empowerment, and does growth monitoring for children aged 5 and under.
  
  
• The USAID Urban Gardens Program (USAID UGP) focuses on the health of women and children affected by HIV/AIDS and trains gardeners in growing vegetables, post-production, and marketing. For Genet Bayesa, the group garden in her hometown helped after the death of her sister to HIV/AIDS, caused her to not only be faced with raising her own two children, but also to come up with the money for nutritionaly rich food to keep her HIV-positive toddler niece alive.