Jacinda Ardern steps in to rescue project saving mothers during childbirth in wake of Trump’s aid cuts
Jacinda Ardern rescues maternal health project cut by Donald Trump
- A project to save mothers from postpartum haemorrhage, 'Safer Births in Crisis', was cancelled following US President Donald Trump's drastic foreign aid cuts.
- Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has now intervened through the Matariki Fund for Women, rescuing a portion of the vital maternal health programme.
- Originally budgeted at $10 million (£7.5 million) for seven countries, the project will now launch in South Sudan and Burkina Faso with a reduced budget of $4m (£3m).
- The two nations were severely impacted by the aid withdrawal, with South Sudan experiencing a weakened health system and Burkina Faso seeing a significant loss of prenatal care.
- The revived initiative will test an approach using blood-collection drapes and a bundle of drugs, including misoprostol, to reduce severe bleeding and maternal deaths.