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  • Preparing for life

Preparing for life

Each year more then 300.000 women and almost 2.7 million newborn babies die from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, most of them in developing countries. Young adolescents, women living in rural areas and poorer communities, and their babies face a higher risk of complications, often resulting in lifelong disease or handicap, and death as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. Mortality and morbidity can be significantly reduced by simple, affordable, evidence based interventions before pregnancy.  

Vision

All children born healthy, wanted and loved. 

Preparing for Life aims to enable women and couples in all countries to take well informed and free decisions on offspring, while ensuring that appropriate health services are avilable.  

Mission

The mission of Preparing for Life is to reduce the global maternal and child mortality and morbidity, following the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Also, to bridge the gap between high level expertise (with respect to determinants and threats of preconception health and of evidence- and practice-based interventions in this area) and adequate primary healthcare services on the one hand, and the people in need for these on the other. This is being achieved by influencing policymakers on national and international level, raising awareness, stimulating education and promoting best practices and model projects. 

Fields of intervention

  1. Health (including chronic, rare and genetic diseases, use of medicines, vaccines, infectious diseases, and subfertility);
  2. Nutrition (including safe water, adequate nutrition, folic acid use, avoidance of toxics and hygiene);
  3. Life style (age at pregnancy, interpregnancy interval, smoking, alcohol, drugs, violence and female genital mutilation); 
  4. Environment (environmental health and working conditions).

Stay informed!

Keeping up with the latest news is important for Preparing for Life and is probably important for you as well. Take your time and look through our RSS-feed for the latest information about preconception care and women's and children's healthcare.

You can always contact us if you know of more sources to follow.