International Day of the Midwife 5km celebratory walk.

Hi Everyone

What are you doing to celebrate International Day of the Midwife? If you are in Brisbane and up for an early start, it would be great to see you at this special event! See info below.

Cheers

Bec.

Australian College of Midwives Queensland Branch is delighted to invite you all to attend our International Day of the Midwife 5km celebratory walk.

Midwives and their supporters around the world are walking to raise awareness of global inequalities in maternal and newborn health.

On 5th May 2011 the Australian College of Midwives Queensland Branch (ACMQ) will lead midwives and mothers in a 5 km walk from Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) to Mater Mothers Hospital to mark International Day of the Midwife 2011. Over 340,000 women die each year, with millions more suffering infection and disability, as a result of preventable maternal causes. The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) is committed to reducing inequality, through greater access to essential midwifery care worldwide, particularly in developing countries where 90% of maternal deaths occur.

Here in Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are almost three times more likely to die while pregnant, during labour and up to six weeks after giving birth than non-indigenous women. We want to see all Indigenous mothers and babies accessing safe maternity care through increased Government commitment to culturally appropriate maternity services. To this end the ACM has established the Rodanthe Lipsett Scholarship fund to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander women to study to become midwives. Entrance is free but any funds raised at the walk in Brisbane will be donated to this fund.

The walk on the 5th of May is the start of a journey that finishes at the ICM Congress in Durban in June 2011, a global gathering where 3000 midwives will share evidence of what works to reduce maternal mortality and improve the care and support available to mothers and newborns around the world.
Please see attached flyer and press release about this event.

How you can become involved:

• Join us for the walk: invite your family and friends and the women and families you have cared for!

• Print the flyer and display prominently in your workplace - Click here for FLYER

• Send the Press Release to any News, Radio, Newspaper or other media contacts you may have. Click here for Press Release

• Please RSVP Jane Menke j.menke@griffith.edu.au with 'IDM walk RSVP' in the subject line

• See updates for the event on facebook: 'International day of the Midwife 5km walk'