(DFID) A matter of life and death for Kenya's mums but a mothers' day lie-in for UK

A new YouGov poll reveals that 52% of women in Britain were 'most worried' about receiving pain relief during childbirth, and 50% said they were concerned about getting to the hospital on time.

For pregnant women in Nyanza Province, just getting to the hospital can pose huge problems, with many needing to walk for more than an hour whilst in labour to get medical care at the local hospital.

In Kenya though, with DFID's assistance and the help of the British taxpayer, innovative solutions are being found to local problems, such as paying for a motorbike ambulance which is helping to save lives in a rural area.

A motorbike-ambulance operates in Nyanza Province and is fitted with a sidecar, which is used to transport women to their nearest maternity hospital. This 200cc motorbike-ambulance, which is specially built for negotiating rough rural terrain, has a specially constructed padded sidecar, in which a patient can lie down safely strapped in. The motorbike-ambulance collects women from the lakeside villages, meaning mum and baby have a much better chance of survival.

Here in Britain, 42% of Mums are worried about the financial pressures of raising a child. In Kenya, money worries after the birth are much less of an issue (20%); instead 30 per cent of new mums in Nyanza province worry about not being able to easily access good maternity care.

One penny in every UK tax pound goes towards helping the poorest countries and funds projects such as DFID's Essential Health Services programme, providing pre-natal and postnatal care for mothers and babies in Nyanza Province. A health centre building is currently being refurbished as a maternity wing and is due to open in May.

Douglas Alexander, International Development Secretary said:
"Women's health is critical to a country's future. When a mother dies in childbirth everyone suffers - her child, her family and her community.
"That's why DFID makes improving maternal health in developing countries such a priority - from training for nurse-midwives, as I saw for myself in Kisumu in Kenya, to funding clinics, ambulances, immunisation programmes and health education."

Mary Atieno, 24, from Gwassa in Nyanza Province, is due to have her child on Mother's Day. She is considering naming her baby Doreen - after the senior midwife at Magunga. Mrs Atieno says:

"I'm not worried now about any problems - I'll come to the hospital and anything can be sorted out. The sister knows how to make everything all right."

Judith Awuma, 22, is attending the post-natal clinic with her six week old son, Joseph:

"We came to hospital because we know it's safer - my grandmother wanted me to stay in the village, but I said no. You can be helped in the hospital if there are complications. It was my first pregnancy, and I wanted everything to go right."

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(DFID) Young people to advise Ministers and world leaders on fight against global poverty

Fifty young people from across the UK have been invited by the Department for International Development (DFID) to help shape government policy to eliminate world poverty and share their views with world leaders ahead of the London Summit next month.

The DFID Youth Summit on Friday, 20 March will see 16-24 year olds from youth boards of charities and government departments gather in London to discuss how conflict, climate change and the economic crisis can be tackled to reduce global poverty. Their views will be presented to the Government and help inform the contents of DFID's new policy on the future of international development. The views of the young people will also form part of a global Youth Communique for the London Summit on 2 April which will be shared with every G20 country delegation present.

Douglas Alexander, International Development Secretary, said:

"We live in an interconnected world. What happens here in the UK has an effect on the developing world and vice versa. Tackling climate change, reducing conflict, rebuilding the global economy - all are global problems that need global solutions.

"Young people are part of these solutions. I want to hear young people's views about what world leaders should do at the G20 London Summit, and what our priorities should be for our new White Paper that lays out our strategy for fighting world poverty."

The global economic downturn is hitting the poorest hardest. By the end of this year, the effects of the global downturn could force as many as 46 million people into extreme poverty.

The Summit, organised by the DFID Civil Society Children and Youth Network, will provide young representatives from international leading charities, such as Plan International and UNICEF, and government Youth Boards the chance to ask questions and debate each of these topics.

Ed Balls, Education Secretary, said:
"I know from visiting schools and colleges up and down the country that young people are passionate about preventing global warming, tackling poverty and preventing diseases like HIV and malaria, both in this country and all over the world.

"There are very real issues facing world leaders right now and I want young people - the future generation - to able to contribute their ideas and really make a difference. I'm delighted that this event will help them do that and I look forward to hearing what they have to say."

(DFID) London women compare themselves to Kenya's motorbike mums

With Mother's Day fast approaching and mums in London are looking forward to being given chocolates, breakfast-in-bed or homemade cards, the Department for International Development (DFID) wants to show how people in London have helped save lives in places where simply becoming a mother is fraught with danger.

Whereas mums in London are concerned about getting pain relief while giving birth or getting to the hospital on time, women in Nyanza province, in Kenya, worry about their babies surviving in an area where one in five children do not live to see their fifth birthday. Figures also show that 560 women per 100,000 in Kenya (rising to 1,000 in some parts of Kenya's Nyanza province) die during pregnancy, in childbirth or postnatal period. This compares to eight per 100,000 for the UK.

A new YouGov poll, reveals that 27 per cent of women in London were 'very worried' about not being able to lose their 'baby-weight', and 40 per cent said they were concerned about the impact the patter of tiny feet would have on their finances.

For pregnant women in Nyanza Province, just getting to the hospital can pose huge problems, with many needing to walk for more than an hour whilst in labour to get medical care at the local hospital.

In Kenya though, with DFID's assistance and the help of the British taxpayer, innovative solutions are being found to local problems, such as paying for a motorbike ambulance which is helping to save lives in a rural area.

A motorbike-ambulance operates in Nyanza Province and is fitted with a sidecar, which is used to transport women to their nearest maternity hospital. This 200cc motorbike-ambulance, which is specially built for negotiating rough rural terrain, has a specially constructed padded sidecar, in which a patient can lie down safely strapped in. The motorbike-ambulance collects women from the lakeside villages, meaning mum and baby have a much better chance of survival.

Financial worries after the birth are much less of an issue than the fact that 30 per cent of new mums in Nyanza province worry about not being able to easily access good maternity care.

One penny in every UK tax pound goes towards helping the poorest countries and funds projects such as DFID's Essential Health Services programme, providing pre-natal and postnatal care for mothers and babies in Nyanza Province. A health centre building is currently being refurbished as a maternity wing and is due to open in May.

Douglas Alexander, International Development Secretary said:

"Women's health is critical to a country's future. When a mother dies in childbirth everyone suffers - her child, her family and her community.

"That's why DFID makes improving maternal health in developing countries such a priority - from training for nurse-midwives, as I saw for myself in Kisumu in Kenya, to funding clinics, ambulances, immunisation programmes and health education."

Mary Atieno, 24, from Gwassa in Nyanza Province, is due to have her child on Mother's Day. She is considering naming her baby Doreen - after the senior midwife at Magunga. Mrs Atieno says:

"I'm not worried now about any problems - I'll come to the hospital and anything can be sorted out. The sister knows how to make everything all right."

Judith Awuma, 22, is attending the post-natal clinic with her six week old son, Joseph:

"We came to hospital because we know it's safer - my grandmother wanted me to stay in the village, but I said no. You can be helped in the hospital if there are complications. It was my first pregnancy, and I wanted everything to go right."