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Doordarshan News covers the launch of Pathfinder International's maternal mortality project in India, an initiative in collaboration with World Health Partners and funded by Merck for Mothers.

"The health of women, especially pregnant women, is a matter of grave concern. In today's scenario, the health sector has seen so much advancement. More than 200 pregnant women out of 100,000 died during labor pains in (India). Although there has been significant strides in reducing the mother mortality rate, a lot needs to be done in tackling the problem."

New research and analysis from Pathfinder International, the University of California San Francisco Safe Motherhood Program, and PATH shows that innovative, collaborative efforts to address postpartum hemorrhage are working.

Pathfinder International was recently named one of three NGOs chosen by Merck for Mothers to lead efforts to reduce maternal mortality in some of the most at-risk states in India.

MSD for Mothers recently announced the launch of its global initiative to reduce maternal mortality in India. It is partnering with three NGOs to improve the quality of healthcare received by pregnant women in India.

This week Merck for Mothers announced a new initiative to improve maternal health throughout India, naming Pathfinder as one of three nonprofit partners to carry out work to reduce maternal mortality in some of the most at-risk communities in the country.

By allying with the Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust, Pathfinder International with World Health Partners and the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood with Gram Vaani, Merck will be able to help nearly 500,000 pregnant women in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.

MSD for Mothers' new initiative to reduce maternal mortality launched in India this week. Pathfinder is one of three nonprofits chosen to lead project activities in three of the most at-risk states in the country.

Coordinated efforts by NGOs and the private sector are necessary to take various government schemes to grass roots level and to reduce the maternal mortality rate, National Commission for Women chairperson Mamta Sharma said on Tuesday.

Pathfinder is pleased to be one of the organizations recently selected by MSD for Mothers to address maternal morbidity and mortality in India. The initiative, which was officially launched this week, targets some of the most at-risk states in India.

“We have made great strides towards Millennium Development Goal 5, but we know there’s more work to do to reach that target,” Mamta Sharma, chairperson, National Commission for Women said speaking at the India launch. “These new partnerships demonstrate innovative ways of working together to address this issue and bring India closer to our goal.”

Pathfinder International was recently named one of three NGOs chosen by Merck for Mothers to lead efforts to reduce maternal mortality in some of the most at-risk states in India.

"We are launching the programme in India as part of our global initiative. We would be investing $10 million over the next three years in this initiative," MSD India Manging Director K G Ananthakrishnan told reporters here.

Pathfinder International is pleased to announce three new grants to support maternal health projects in India, Nigeria, and Peru.

In partnership with Mobile Kunji and Mobile Academy, Pathfinder is rolling out a training program for thousands of community health workers who will increase the demand and practice of priority maternal and neonatal health behaviors in Bihar, India.

As part of the Ananya programme, BBC Media Action is working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to reduce maternal and infant mortality by 40% in Bihar, India by 2015.

An Indian federation of community-based organizations supported by Pathfinder International holds its first statewide convention focused on the rights of social inclusion and protection for vulnerable and marginalized populations.

Pathfinder’s work in the state for past nine years has resulted in significant reduction of new HIV infections, said T K Jayarajan. This convention is the first-of-its-kind where specific issues of marginalised communities in accessing their rights for social inclusion and protection is being discussed.

To further youth engagement on ending child marriage, Pathfinder is incubating a youth-led and youth-centric campaign—JAGRITI (which means ‘awakening’ in Hindi) in Bihar, a state with high rates of child marriage.

This Ganesh festival, commercial sex workers at Budhwar Peth can heave a sigh of relief as the demand for vargani (monetary contribution) has gone down considerably. Sex workers have stood up for their rights and protested against forcible collections.

 “Ever since the CLC was set up as part of a project by Pathfinder International’s programme — Mukta — women have found a platform from where they can discuss their concerns and interests,” says T K Jayarajan, deputy director (documentation), Pathfinder International.

Female sex workers in Budhwar Pethare are asserting their civic rights and negotiating with police and civic officials to change their situation, backed by Pathfinder International.

“With our help, the women decided to get together and address their issues collectively. Hence, we held elections in June 2011 and a core committee of 12 FSWs got elected. The task before them was not just related to their business like ensuring no minors in brothels or propagating condom usage but taking up issues beyond their profession," said Dr Khursid Bhalla from Pathfinder International.

Yesterday, a delegation of The Elders met a group of approximately 20 young people from Jagriti, a new youth-led social change campaign against child marriage, which is supported by Pathfinder International.

Harvard Business Publishing and Harvard University's Global Health Delivery Project have published a new case study highlighting Pathfinder International's innovative HIV prevention program in India with most-at-risk populations.

In India, the stigma surrounding HIV makes it difficult to prevent, support, treat, and care.

Darshana Vyas, project director, Pathfinder International, said, "The convention was held at Panhala (Kolhapur district) and was an attempt to re-energise the MSM community, strengthen community feeling and leverage greater leadership and involvement in project governance and implementation."

Peer Educators in India use a tracking system to learn about HIV and STIs among local sex workers as part of the Mukta Program.

The peer educators cannot read and write, but this pictorial system enables them to be the primary data collectors for the micro-planning system that was key to scaling up Pathfinder International's HIV prevention program in Maharashtra, India called Mukta.

MSD for Mothers launched a new initiative to reduce maternal mortality rates in India this week, naming Pathfinder International as one of three nonprofit partners that will implement project activities.

Notwithstanding India's "rapid" economic growth, higher infant and maternal mortality rates are "robbing" Indian women and girls of their chances to make a contribution, National Commission for Women chief Mamata Sharma said today.