First Ladies Speak Out for Safe Motherhood in the Americas

Project Dates: 1998

The First Lady of Ecuador Lucia Peña de Alarcón, USAID/Ecuador, and the National Committee for Reduction of Maternal Mortality had the vision to launch the first-ever Teleconference on Maternal Mortality among the First Ladies of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and the USA. USAID, USIA, PAHO, and JHU/PCS teamed up to support this historic teleconference where advances on programs to reduce maternal mortality were presented by the countries. It was transmitted simultaneously on May 14, 1998, to audiences gathered at US embassies in Lima, Peru; La Paz, Bolivia; and Quito, Ecuador as well as at the Worldnet Studio in Washington, D.C. In addition, national TV and radio stations as well as cable TV stations broadcast the event live nationwide.

This media event affirmed the high-level political commitment to maternal health. JHU/PCS field officers in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru assured the presence of their own First Ladies, organized a follow-up panel discussion with distinguished authorities in each country, arranged with TV and radio stations for a simultaneous transmission of the teleconference, and designed print materials and press releases. The USAID's Latin America Bureau organized the teleconference Washington D.C. site at Worldnet in close coordination with JHU/PCS Baltimore. This dedicated team also created a web site for the teleconference . The web site promoted the teleconference themes, provided local contact and satellite link information, and was used to publish images of the teleconference in progress.