Afghanistan

This blog post is a web-formatted version of the Global Health Impact newsletter: Stronger Health Systems Stop TB and Save Lives (December 2015). (View or share the email version here.) We welcome your feedback and questions in the comments or email us. On social media, use hashtag #GlobalHealthImpact and tag @MSHHealthImpact.  Subscribe

Members of the global health community commemorated International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8 by celebrating recent advances in women and girls’ health and indeed there was much to celebrate: maternal deaths have declined 45% worldwide, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has distributed over 450 million bed nets, and over 1 million babies have been born HIV-free thanks to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); but there is still work to do.  What happens once the day is over? How do we turn that attention into action? How are these issues going to be addressed? After awareness is raised, we still need concerted global action every day of the year if we are to make truly sustainable, impactful improvements in the lives of women and girls’ around the world. Here are a few things I think we can do at the global, US and local level to keep the spirit of IWD alive:

Globally: Elevate women and girls in the Post-2015 Development Agenda

Photo credit: Rui Pires

Today, February 3, 2015, is 10 years since the tragic loss of three Management Sciences for Health (MSH) colleagues, Carmen Urdaneta, Amy Lynn Niebling, and Cristi Gadue, in a plane crash outside Kabul, Afghanistan.

MSH held a remembrance of Amy, Cristi, and Carmen today for all staff, friends, and family. The slideshow below includes photos of and by our beloved colleagues.

Remembering Amy, Cristi & Carmen

The Gadue‐Niebling‐Urdaneta (GNU) Memorial Fund -- established to further the work to which these remarkable women dedicated their lives -- awarded 11 fellowships in their honor, and ended in 2012.

Did you know Amy, Cristi, or Carmen?

You are welcome to add a brief remembrance in the comments below.