EPI-WIN Youth Newsletter
Issue #3
Friday 12 November 2021
Youth Spotlight - Rushank Goyal
So much focus has been on the COVID-19 response, but other health needs have not disappeared. Rushank Goyal shared with us his incredible work to address maternal morbidity and mortality even in the midst of a pandemic. Here is what he had to say about his initiative Attack Avoidable Maternal Mortality/Morbidity (A2M2)
Q1: Tell us a little about yourself and what motivated you to start A2M2?
My name is Rushank Goyal, I am a 15-year-old high school junior from India interested in social impact through technology and scientific research. I was motivated to start A2M2 when I learned about the grave nature of maternal mortality and morbidity during a summer visit to a local government clinic for volunteering. The sad reality is that, with all of medicine's advances in recent decades, the WHO still estimates that the majority of maternal deaths are easily preventable.
WHO resources related to maternal health are at the end of this newsletter.
Q2: What about this topic touched you the most?
I think what touched me the most about this topic is how it almost always affects the world's most vulnerable people, yet even basic awareness can significantly help people. For instance, we conducted a workshop on the topic of safe and healthy pregnancies in a Somali refugee camp (picture below), and 95% of participants reported learning new information.
Q3: What role do you think youth play in raising awareness around maternal morbidity and mortality?
The youth play an important role as agents of change — a group of people who refuse to accept conditions the way they are and instead push for positive change. A group of international teens coming from around the world, like A2M2, can pool their skills and talents and reach more people than we could have done individually. With the fundraising that A2M2 does, we are also able to partner with grassroots organizations in the developing world to distribute resources on the ground.
Global Preparedness Monitoring Board October 26, 2021
On the 26th October 2021, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) published its 3rd annual report ‘From Worlds Apart to a World Prepared’.
Download the report and watch the launch event;
WORLD HEALTH SUMMIT - October 24-26, 2021 Berlin
Dr. Tedros is a patron of the World Health summit - a leading international forum for global health. Session recordings can be viewed by clicking on the image below.
G20 SUMMIT - October 30-31, 2021 Rome
On 30-31 October, Rome hosted the G20 Summit, the first held in Italy. At the end of two days of working sessions and side events, the G20 Leaders adopted the Rome Declaration, which considers global challenges and common efforts needed to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and enable sustainable and inclusive growth in the G20 countries and across the world
WHO resources and guidelines related to maternal health
