Afghanistan (MNN) — In a recent study released by Save the Children, Afghanistan was discovered to be the worst country to be a mother.
The Associated Press reported that in the 164-country study of best places for mothers, Afghanistan ranked last. Norway was deemed the best place to be a mom. The U.S. came in 31st place.
The study was based on various statistics, including child mortality rate and life expectancy. In Norway, women are expected to live until about 83 years of age, and the death rate for children under five is one in 175.
Afghanistan weighs in on the uncomfortable other end of the spectrum. Women in the volatile Middle Eastern country have the world's lowest life expectancy of 45 years. One of every 11 women dies in childbirth, and one out of five children won't live to his fifth birthday.
Women are notoriously neglected in Afghanistan, and the statistics adamantly affirm it.
CURE International has seen this firsthand. In 2005, CURE accepted an invitation from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health to assume control of both a partially restored hospital and a nearby outpatient clinic in Kabul. By the end of that first year, both facilities were fully operational and serving more than 8,000 patients each month. The Kabul hospital is regarded as the preeminent facility for women and maternal care in the whole of Afghanistan.
CURE's programs include obstetrics and gynecology, pathology, orthopedic surgery, general surgery, plastic surgery and general practice. To expectant mothers, it is a haven where they can safely deliver their children They also have a place to bring their children when they're born with disabilities.
In honor of Afghan mothers at Mother's Day this year, CURE wants to be sure that the neglected women of Afghanistan know they are worthy image-bearers of God. They have devised a unique gift opportunity to do so.
For a gift of $30 dollars, CURE will provide food, a clean place to stay and laundry services for a mother while she stays with her child as they recover. To thank you, CURE will send your own mother a personalized Mother's Day card.
For a gift of $75 dollars, CURE can provide pre- and postnatal care for a mother and her newborn baby in Afghanistan. To thank you, CURE will send your mother a personalized Mother's Day card and an Afghan Chador, the traditional scarf worn by most Afghan women.
A gift of $125 dollars will help provide a surgery to save the life of a child in Uganda or Zambia who is afflicted with Hydrocephalus. This condition causes excessive fluid to build up around the child's brain, forcing the head to expand. Left untreated, this will lead to severe brain damage and ultimately, death. To thank you, CURE will send your mother a personalized Mother's Day card and a piece of Ugandan jewelry, hand-made by women at the CURE Uganda hospital.
