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The Global Women's Action Network for Children

GWANC Research Update

GWANC would like to keep its members updated on recent publications on maternal, infant and child health and girls' education. Please share with us information about other relevant publications produced by authoritative sources.

Maternal, Infant and Child Health (research)

Maternal, Infant and Child Health (mass media reports)

Girls' Education

Girls' Education (mass media reports)

Maternal, Infant and Child Health

Research

State of the World's Children 2008
UNICEF, 2008

UNICEF's report The State of the World’s Children 2008, says the health needs of women, mothers and newborn children must be a priority if the MDGs are to be met. The new information in The State of the World’s Children 2008 is drawn from household survey data as well as material from key partners, including the World Health Organisation and the World Bank.

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New Data on African Health Professionals Abroad
Human Resources for Health 2008, 6:1
Michael Clemens, 2007

The migration of doctors and nurses from Africa to developed countries has raised fears of an African medical brain drain. But empirical research on the causes and
effects of the phenomenon has been hampered by a lack of systematic data on the extent of African health workers’ international movements. This study found that approximately 65,000 African-born physicians and 70,000 African-born professional nurses were working overseas in a developed country in the year 2000. This represents about one fifth of African-born physicians in the world, and about one tenth of African-born professional nurses. The fraction of health professionals abroad varies enormously across African countries, from 1% to over 70% according to the occupation and country.

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Obstetric Care in Poor Settigns in Ghana, India, and Kenya
World Bank, 2007

Women are at much greater risk in childbirth in developing countries than in developed countries. This report explores why maternal mortality continues to be so high in developing countries, and why emergency obstetric services are little utilized, through research carried out in poor areas in Ghana (Kassena-Nankana district), India (Uttar Pradesh state), and Kenya (Nairobi slums). The study employed both quantitative (household surveys, verbal autopsies, and health facilities surveys) and qualitative (focus groups and in-depth interviews) methods. Among the three settings, maternal mortality ratio was highest in the Nairobi slums, followed by Uttar Pradesh, while the Kassena- Nankana district had the lowest. It is intriguing that among the three settings, Nairobi slums had the highest proportion of women (70 percent) who sought professional assistance during delivery and yet the highest maternal mortality. One possible explanation is the different extent of legality of induced abortion in these three countries. Of the major causes of maternal mortality, the largest contrast among the study areas involved complications of abortion, which were almost four times higher in the Kenya slums than in the north of Ghana or in Uttar Pradesh. A large proportion of health facilities assessed in the three study areas were not capable of providing all six elements of basic emergency obstetric care.

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DFID’s Maternal Health Strategy. Reducing Maternal Deaths: Evidence and Action. Second Progress Report
DFID, 2007

Maternal mortality remains unacceptably high in DFID-supported countries and access to skilled attendance is low. The main barrier to improving maternal health remains poor access to good quality, comprehensive health services. In Africa, the lack of trained staff is a particular barrier. In Asia, gaps in trained staff in rural areas, cost and exclusion related to caste, ethnicity and other social factors are important. Sustained long term (10-20 years) investment in health services and human resources is needed.

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Child Survival: How Can We Ensure that All Children Survive the First Years of Life? Focus on Rwanda
USAID, 2007

What would happen if you fell ill and there were no doctors or medicine? Adequate healthcare is often unaffordable or unavailable for the one billion children who live in poverty around the world. All children have a right to live a healthy life. Yet each year, 11 million children in developing countries die before reaching the age of five, mostly from preventable or treatable causes. The knowledge and technology to reduce child mortality already exist. However, action and resources are needed to ensure that all children have access to these services, such as immunizations, antibiotics, and vitamin supplements.

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Generating Political Priority for Public Health Causes in Developing Countries: Implications From a Study on Maternal Mortality
Center for Global Development, 2007

Why do some serious health issues--such as HIV/AIDS--get considerable attention and others--such as malaria and collapsing health systems--very little? Why and under what conditions do political leaders consider an issue worthy of sustained attention, and back up that attention with money and other resources? In this CGD Brief, visiting fellow Jeremy Shiffman discusses nine factors that influenced the degree to which national leaders in five countries made one public health issue--maternal mortality--a political priority.

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State of the World's Mothers
Save the Children, 2007

Egypt has made the most progress since 1990 — and Iraq the least — in saving the lives of children under 5, according to the eighth annual State of the World’s Mothers Report issued  by Save the Children, a U.S.-based global independent humanitarian organization. The report includes the first-ever Child Survival Progress Rankings of 60 developing countries, which together account for 94 percent of all child deaths worldwide. The rankings indicate which countries are succeeding and which are failing to save the lives of children under the age of 5.

“More than 10 million children under age 5 still die each year. That’s almost 28,000 a day — almost all in developing countries,” said Save the Children President and CEO Charles MacCormack, in issuing the report. “The interventions that can save these lives, such as vaccines, oral rehydration therapy and insecticide-treated mosquito nets are not expensive. Yet, sadly, many mothers and children lack access to these lifesaving measures,” he said.

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State of the World’s Children
UNICEF, 2007

UNICEF publishes this annual report as an overview of the quality of life around the world for children. Each year, the report examines a different topic. In 2007, it focuses on “Women and Children: The Double Dividend of Gender Equality.” The report reaffirms the importance of promoting gender equality as a key component of meeting the Millennium Development goals and asses our progress in this area. Additionally, it discusses the ‘double dividend’ of gender equality as it benefits not only women but also their children. This report has a comprehensive set of statistical tables covering key indicators for all countries.

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Opportunities for Africa's Newborns: Practical Data, Policy and Programmatic Support for Newborn Care in Africa
Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, 2006

Each year at least 1.16 million newborn babies die in sub-Saharan Africa. This region has the highest risk of newborn deaths and the slowest progress in reducing mortality. More than two thirds of these babies could be saved with low cost, low tech interventions, most of which are already in policy but do not reach the poor. Countries are finding that addressing newborn health is a catalyst to strengthening existing health packages and other programmes. This publication has grown out of a wide partnership to seize this opportunity and promote investment in Africa's future. Under the umbrella of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), 9 organizations, 60 authors and over 40 reviewers, drawn from policymakers and programme leaders for MNCH in Africa, have been involved and contributed to this publication. The book provides an overview of the continuum of care through the lifecycle and opportunities to address gaps at all levels - family and community care, outreach services and health care facilities. Case studies are analysed in order to learn the practical steps for phasing interventions, strengthening and integrating service provision, and providing every mother, newborn and child in Africa with essential care.

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Newborn, Child and Maternal Survival
The Lancet

This is a complete collection of articles published by The Lancet since January 2003 relating to newborn, child, and maternal survival.  The Lancet has a wealth of articles related to maternal, newborn and child health, both in general and on specific topics and conditions.

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Of particular interest are the special series published on:
Child Survival (2003)
Neonatal Survival (2005)
Maternal Survival (2006)

State of the World’s Mothers, 2006: Saving the Lives of Mothers and Newborns
Save the Children, May 2006

This annual publication looks at leading health problems facing the women and mothers of the world and the underlying conditions leading to them.  Each year Save the Children chooses a different sub-topic on which to focus. In 2005 the sub-topic was “Girls’ Education.”  In 2006 the publication focused on “Saving the Lives of Mothers and Newborns.” The report includes a series of key findings and recommendations as well as the “Mothers Index” that ranks 125 countries on their commitment and success in maternal health.

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Tracking Progress in Child Survival: Countdown to 2015
UNICEF, 2005

This report is dedicated to monitoring progress towards coverage of essential child survival interventions. it identifies barriers to rapid scaling-up of interventions, shares new knowledge on effective interventions and delivery strategies, and suggests indicators to monitor progress.

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The World Health Report 2005: Make Every Mother and Child Count
The World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, 2005

The WHO puts out a report on global health, with a different focus each year. The 2005 report assesses the successes and setbacks of efforts to improve maternal, newborn and child health world wide.  It pays particular attention to progress in the context of the Millennium Development Goals. This report is one of the most comprehensive analyses of the issue. The extensive annex is an excellent source for key figures and statistical information. The report is divided into seven chapters, each examining a different facet of the problem.

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Maternal Mortality in 2000, WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA Estimates
Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, 2004.

This document gives information on maternal mortality both regionally and by country. The WHO outlines several methods used to produce estimates on maternal mortality and the benefits and limitations of each. The report discusses the problem of producing comparable data from country to country and outlines the WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA approach to estimating reliable, comparable data.

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Maternal, Infant and Child Health

Mass Media Reports

Maternal mortality ratio falling too slowly to meet goal
WHO Press Release
Published: October 12, 2007

The world’s maternal mortality ratio (the number of maternal deaths per 100 000 live births) is declining too slowly to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5, which aims to reduce the number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth by three-quarters by 2015.

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Today’s Face of Abortion in China Is a Young, Unmarried Woman
By Jim Yardley, The New York Times
Published: May 13, 2007

Abortion is no longer just associated with married women complying with the country’s one-child policy.

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Report on Child Deaths Finds Some Hope in Poorest Nations
By Celia W. Dugger, The New York Times
Published: May 8, 2007

The rate at which young children perish has worsened in many countries due to sanctions, war and disease, but some nations showed signs of progress.

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Optional Caesareans Carry Higher Risks, Study Finds
By Nichoals Bakalar, The New York Times
Published: March 27, 2007

Caesarean sections performed without a medical reason result in longer hospital stays and more rehospitalizations than vaginal deliveries, a new study reports.

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Girls' Education

The Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2008
UNESCO, 2008

"Education for All by 2015: Will we make it?” asks the title of the 2008 edition of the Education for All Global Monitoring Report, launched on 29 November at the United Nations in New York. This edition of the annual Report is a mid-term review of progress towards the six EFA goals established in 2000. On the positive side, there is a rise in the number of children starting primary school, the number of girls in school, and spending on education and aid. However, poor quality, the cost of schooling and high levels of adult illiteracy rates need to be tackled in order to meet the EFA goals by 2015.

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The wellbeing of adolescent girls in developing countries shapes global economic and social prosperity -- yet girls' needs often are consigned to the margins of development policies and programs. This new CGD report describes why and how to provide adolescent girls in developing countries a full and equal chance in life. Offering targeted recommendations for national and local governments, donor agencies, civil society, and the private sector, Girls Count provides a compelling starting point for country-specific agendas to recognize and foster girls' potential.

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Student and Teacher Baseline Report on School-Related Gender-Based Violence in Machinga District, Malawi
USAID, 2007

This report details the methodology, population characteristics, and results of a recently conducted survey on gender-based physical, psychological and sexual violence at schools including in the classroom and on the school grounds as well as going to and from school.  Students and teachers were asked questions about the type of violence, abuse and mistreatment that boys and girls experience at school; who perpetrates the violence; where violence occurs; if there are other school practices or conditions that are inappropriate, place pupils at risk or potentially interfere with their schooling; and the effectiveness of reporting.  The study was conducted in Malawi in April 2006 by DevTech Systems, Inc. and the Centre for Educational Research and Training (CERT) through the USAID-funded Safe Schools Program.

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The Safe Schools Program.  A Qualitative Study to Examine School-Related Gender-Based Violence in Malawi
USAID, 2007

This report summarizes the results of a participatory learning and action (PLA) research activity conducted in Malawi’s Machinga District to help raise awareness, involvement, and accountability at national, institutional, community and individual levels of school-related gender-based violence.  Key findings include: the concept of gender-based violence is not clearly understood , boys and girls are victims as well as perpetrators of gender-based violence, corporal punishment is the most commonly cited form of physical abuse in schools, absenteeism and dropping out are common outcomes of gender-based violence in schools, and with strong leadership reporting systems can be effective.

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Getting Girls into School: Evidence from a Scholarship Program in Cambodia
The World Bank, 2006

Increasing the schooling attainment of girls is a challenge in much of the developing world. The authors evaluate the impact of a program that gives scholarships to girls making the transition between the last year of primary school and the first year of secondary school in Cambodia. They show that the scholarship program had a large, positive effect on the school enrollment and attendance of girls. Their preferred set of estimates suggests program effects on enrollment and attendance at program schools of 30 to 43 percentage points. Scholarship recipients were also more likely to be enrolled at any school (not just program schools) by a margin of 22 to 33 percentage points. The impact of the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) program appears to have been largest among girls with the lowest socioeconomic status at baseline. The results are robust to a variety of controls for observable differences between scholarship recipients and non-recipients, to unobserved heterogeneity across girls, and to selective attrition out of the sample.

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Indonesia - Country Gender Assessment
The World Bank, 2006 

This report, in seven chapters, examines the current situation of women in Indonesia. It identifies major gender gaps and issues in socioeconomic and human development. Chapter 1 is a gender situation analysis, drawing attention to both old and new challenges for gender equality. The chapter includes discussion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Human Development Index, the Gender Development Index, and the Gender Empowerment Measure. Chapter 2 explores the legal framework and institutional mechanisms that promote gender equality at national and sub-national levels. Chapters 3 and 6 analyze the four key themes that came out of the Country Gender Assessment (CGA) consultation process. Chapter 3 focuses on the decentralization process and its impacts on gender equality concerns as well as the status of women at the regional level. Chapter 4 explores women's participation in politics and political decision-making, and identifies major constraints to women's involvement. Chapter 5 examines violence against women in different settings, from the domestic arena to post-conflict situations and the growing concerns about trafficking of women. Chapter 6 analyzes gender issues in international migration. The final chapter, Chapter 7, summarizes the seven main findings of the report and outlines recommendations for addressing gender gaps in each area. The appendices provide more in-depth socioeconomic data for the five provinces where the consultations took place, and summarize recommendations for mainstreaming gender concerns in the Medium-Term Development Plan 2004-2009.

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Conditional Cash Transfers and Female Schooling: The Impact of The Female School Stipend Program on Public School Enrollments in Punjab, Pakistan
The World Bank, 2006

Instead of mean-tested conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs, some countries have implemented gender-targeted CCTs to explicitly address intra-household disparities in human capital investments. This study focuses on addressing the direct impact of a female school stipend program in Punjab, Pakistan: Did the intervention increase female enrollment in public schools? To address this question, the authors draw on data from the provincial school censuses of 2003 and 2005. They estimate the net growth in female enrollments in grades 6-8 in stipend eligible schools. Impact evaluation analysis, including difference-and-difference (DD), triple differencing (DDD), and regression-discontinuity design (RDD) indicate a modest but statistically significant impact of the intervention. The preferred estimator derived from a combination of DDD and RDD empirical strategies suggests that the average program impact between 2003 and 2005 was an increase of six female students per school in terms of absolute change and an increase of 9 percent in female enrollment in terms of relative change. A triangulation effort is also undertaken using two rounds of a nationally representative household survey before and after the intervention. Even though the surveys are not representative at the subprovincial level, the results corroborate evidence of the impact using school census data.

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The Status and Progress of Women in the Middle East and North Africa
The World Bank, 2005

This compendium provides statistics on the status of women in the Middle East and North Africa by sector and country, and includes summaries of gender profiles by country. The content of this compendium is drawn from existing data banks, records, statistics, and sources found in the public domain. The countries covered include Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Arab Republic of Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza, and Republic of Yemen. Statistics on women's status have been compiled in education and training, health, economic participation, public participation and representation, and women's rights.

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The Economic and Human Development Costs of Missing the Millennium Development Goal on Gender Equity
The World Bank, 2004

At the Millennium Summit, the world community pledged to promote gender equality and chose as a specific target the achievement of gender equity in primary and secondary education by the year 2005 in every country of the world. Based on the findings from a growing empirical literature that suggests that gender equity in education promotes economic growth and reduces fertility, child mortality, and undernutrition, we estimate what the costs in terms of growth, and foregone fertility, mortality and undernutrition reduction, will be for the 45 countries that are, on current projections, unlikely to meet the target. Our estimates suggest that, by 2005, the countries that are off track are likely to suffer 0.1-0.3 percentage points lower per capita growth rates as a result, will have 0.1-0.4 more children per woman, and, by 2015, an average of 15 per 1000 higher rates of under five mortality and 2.5 percentage points higher prevalence of underweight children under five. Sensitivity analyses suggest that the results are quite robust to using different specifications and approaches to estimating these losses.

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Girls’ Education in Africa: What Do We Know about Strategies That Work? 
Eileen Kane, The World Bank, 2004
 
The purpose of this study is to assist countries to develop effective girls' education strategies by providing a comprehensive review of what we know and do not know about successful strategies. One of the study's main conclusions is that getting girls into school and keeping them there, providing them with good learning conditions and relating the school experience to local economic and cultural conditions, requires a two-prong approach that supports both measures targeting girls and system- wide interventions. This does not at all suggest neglecting programs targeted specifically at girls; school access and survival clearly has an important gender dimension. But it does mean recognizing that such programs alone seldom can compensate for factors such as weak political priority for education, overall weaknesses in the education system, and neglect of the many factors outside the education system that impinge on whether or not a child can attend school.

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Additional World Bank Resources on Girls’ Education

Gender, Information Technology, and Developing Countries: An Analytic Study
Executive Summary
Nancy Nafkin, Nancy Taggart, AED

To help women and men in developing countries overcome the digital divide, we first need to understand the complex relationship between gender, information technology, and development. How can information technology be used to accelerate development and increase gender equity? Are there barriers to women’s entry into the world of information technology? Where are the most persistent barriers to participation? Are there regional differences? The authors of this study try to answer these and other questions related to gender and technology.

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Promise: Five Benefits of Girls’ Secondary Education
May Rihani, AED, 2006

Countries around the world have achieved huge gains in primary education, reaching a world average of 83.8 percent in net primary enrollment. However, large numbers of students still do not complete primary education, and even fewer continue on to secondary school. Since so few children complete primary school, those who do must be able to continue their schooling. It is the only way for students and society to reap the full benefits of their initial investment in a literate, educated population. Currently, 83.8 percent of children worldwide attend primary school, but the rate drops to 59.3 percent for secondary school. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 17 percent of the girls are enrolled in secondary school. A renewed push to ensure that girls worldwide have access to  secondary, as well as primary education is necessary now if the investments made are to pay off.

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Making Schools Safe for Girls: Combating Gender-Based Violence in Benin
Brent Wible, AED, 2004

This study seeks to emphasize that schools are not always safe havens from  gender-based violence and that gender-based violence at school undermines girls’ academic enrollment, achievement, and retention. Until projects and policies targeting girls’ education acknowledge the role gender-based violence plays in schools, the promise of girls’ education may remain elusive.

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Girls' Education

Mass Media Reports

EPAL: Hunger in west causes children to drop out of school
By: IRIN
Published: January 9, 2008

Hunger and poor diet among children continue to be a key reason for truancy in many remote villages in west Nepal, according to local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the education sector.

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AED Resources on Girls’ Education

Mercy Corps Resources on Girls' Education

UNESCO Resources on Girls’ Education