Betty, Flaviour, Halima and Natalia do not know each other, yet these four African women are engaged in the same battle against one of the most resistant and anachronistic wounds that affect their continent: maternal mortality.

Every year in the world 303,000 women lose their lives due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, and for another 10 million becoming a mother means to carry diseases and infections throughout their lives.

If 99% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries, sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for 66%. Here, for a woman, a natural event such as motherhood can turn into an unpredictable adventure, like crossing an unknown river.

Today in Africa, in 100,000 childbirths there are still 546 mothers who do not survive, compared to 12 in the more developed areas of the planet.

The most frequent cause of death is hemorrhage, followed by infections, hypertension, and abortions. According to the World Health Organization, the majority of these losses could be avoided with adequate diagnosis and quality obstetric-gynecological assistance.

Betty, Flaviour, Halima and Natalia are health professionals in Uganda, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Mozambique, nations with very poor women’s health indicators.

Their personal stories, marked by an uncommon obstinacy, tell how in some places of the world motherhood can turn out to be an authentic struggle for life. And how solidarity between women can be one of the keys to promote the women’s right to health.

This event is organised by KCL Italian Society and is open until Monday 23rd December 2019.