Young Champions of Maternal Health: The Next Generation of Ideas for Maternal Health

Strong mothers enable children, families, communities and economies to grow and thrive. Yet there are over 500,000 maternal deaths every year, and millions more suffer from preventable disabilities. The causes of these tragedies are many, but most causes are rooted in the unequal social and economic status of women.

Ashoka and the Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth have partnered to create an innovative new program that transforms the field of maternal health globally. The Young Champions of Maternal Health Program is the first-ever international fellowship to focus on supporting a new generation of global leaders dedicated to improving maternal health. The 15 Young Champions, selected through an Ashoka’s Changemakers.com online competition and a rigorous interview process, will spend nine months abroad working with and being mentored by an Ashoka Fellow with expertise in maternal health. The Young Champions hail from 13 countries, including India, Ethiopia, and Nigeria – countries with high maternal mortality – and you can read more about them below.

Maternal health is gaining prominence on the global development agenda, but we need a new cadre of young professionals to sustain the momentum, finish the work, and end the cycle of maternal death and disability. The Young Champions of Maternal Health represent a powerful new force to transform the field of maternal health globally.

Learn more about the Maternal Health Task Force.

Learn More about the Young Champions of Maternal Health and Their Ashoka Fellow Pairings