Women’s Global Health--Across the Street or Across the Ocean; We Can Make a Difference!
Cooper, AP; Hegarty, EJ
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Duke University, in collaboration with the Duke Global Health Institute and the Hubert Yeargan Center for Global Health, is engaged in an initiative with focus on maternal health in East Africa.  Each year, over 500,000 women die in childbirth, mostly in developing countries such as Tanzania.  Additionally, more than two million women live with obstetric fistula, a devastating childbirth related injury that leads to unrelenting bowel leakage.   Women with fistula are typically ostracized by family and community.  This tragedy is a direct result of poor access to adequate medical care.  A Duke team relocated to Moshi, Tanzania in July 2008 to partner with local physicians in their efforts to reduce maternal death and childbirth injury.
Goals of this endeavor include the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality and the development of a regional Obstetric Fistula referral and training center.  Undoubtedly, we face many challenges in pursuit of this goal.
A grass roots committee was formed in late 2007 to raise funding in support of this effort. Participants, all with a passion for women’s health, include the medical community, nursing and allied health, patients, as well as members of the local community in Durham, NC. This group of volunteers is dedicated to helping women locally as well as globally.   Additional support came from church and civic leaders, local business owners and community media sources.  The response to our efforts was overwhelming.
The First Annual Blue Jean Ball, with dinner, dancing, silent auction and the chance to make a difference was held in Feb 2008, raising close to $50,000. 
All proceeds directly support the work in Tanzania.
We learn daily of the emerging needs in Tanzania from our on-site team, and are more committed to share knowledge, time and resources to further this partnership as we bring women’s health issues in Africa to the community’s attention.  Planning for the Second Annual Blue Jean Ball is underway.  Our committee has expanded as interest and awareness is raised locally. We are a sisterhood of women, with increased awareness at every level of the plight of others and a renewed ability to be sensitive to the more subtle needs here.