HELP - Health, Education, Livelihood and Protection

One woman dies every minute in childbirth. Pregnancy and childbirth are among the leading causes of death and disability for women and girls in developing countries. In some countries a girl is statistically more likely to die in childbirth than she is to attend secondary school.  Some estimates inform us that as high as ninety nine percent of maternal deaths occur in developing countries.  We know that skilled healthcare workers, improved hygiene and access to pre and post natal care are crucial to reducing our high death rates among women in poor countries. Its crucial to understand that when a mother dies in childbirth, her infant and existing children are threatened, and are extremely unlikely to thrive as vibrant members of their communities, perpetuating the cycle of misery. (Paragraph borrowed from our partner White Ribbon Alliance).

In a google-less world without television, internet or  outside connections it is easy to understand how women get lost and over-taken in male dominated societies. Without an education about her body or about general health issues related to her children, women lack the basic information necessary to make healthy choices for thier familes. And without an opportunity to a formal education, women are denied access to reading and writing which leaves them unlikely to understand or appreciate the value of gaining core human rights for themselves. 

We know that if a woman can be educated and learn valuable job skills and if she has access to nutrition and healthcare, she will invest in her family, her community and her future. By investing in women we are uplifting entire communities. Women are, statistically, highly more like to spend money they earn on their families and home. Posh Abilities partners with organizations that promote not only education of our women, but also support women in gaining valuable job skills and securing micro-finance loans to start their own business.

Recent human trafficking statistics report there may be as many as 27 million people in the word who woke up this morning in slavery, having been illegally trafficked, and that another estimated 800 million will join them by the end of this year. And according to the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons report, 80% of the victims are women or girls. Of all the female traffic victims, 70% were trafficked into the commercial sex industry. Of the 195 countries in the world 161 have been indentified as having been affected by trafficking. The trafficking of human flesh is a $32 billion dollar a year industry, and in some years can generate more than Nike, Starbucks and Google COMBINED.