Every year, more than 300,000 women die from maternal-related causes around the world, and 98 percent of those deaths are preventable. Model and social entrepreneur Christy Turlington Burns founded Every Mother Counts to provide scalable, high-impact maternal health solutions for countries around the world. She discusses her modeling career, becoming a mother and the global fight to end maternal mortality.
On the inspiration behind founding Every Mother Counts: “When I delivered my daughter Grace in 2003, complications arose that I wasn’t at all prepared for. It was really the weeks after coming home that I learned about maternal mortality and the global tragedy. At that time, over half a million women were dying every year. I was shocked that this was happening in the 21st century…I had to do more.”
On the rising maternal mortality rate in the US: “The US has to be part of the conversation…we are ranked very poorly [in maternal mortality] around the world. We were ranked 41st when I first became aware of this issue, and we’re ranked 60th currently. We’ve gone backwards.”
On identifying what works: “There is no silver bullet for maternal health. Reminding people what is possible, what we do know, and what can be scaled, as opposed to overwhelming [people] with how many things still need to be addressed, will truly make a lasting difference.”
Our weekly newsletter with insights and intelligence from across the firm
By submitting this information, you agree to receive marketing emails from Goldman Sachs and accept our privacy policy. You can opt-out at any time.