 |
 |
During an emergency it is easy for pregnant women to become exhausted, malnourished and anaemic because of stress, lack of food and water, a hurried evacuation, or the need to travel long distances to reach safety or humanitarian assistance.
Transportation routes may be cut off, distribution networks dissolved and health facilities destroyed. Maternal support services that are normally available to the affected community may have been destroyed or operating at reduced capacity; and existing supplies may fall far short of demand when large numbers of people move into a new location.
These circumstances put women at a higher risk of death or disability from complications during pregnancy and/or delivery. In close partnership with health providers, you can support the protection of infants and pregnant women in emergency situations through safe motherhood promotion, social mobilisation, and advocacy with local governments, health providers and humanitarian agencies.
To read more about promoting safe motherhood during emergencies, download the full chapter from the Behaviour Change in Emergencies Toolkit below.
