Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Gamilah Ghaleb Al-Sharai is a health care worker in the country of Yemen. When she first began her work there, many people did not want to listen to her. But today, she has been able to show people what they can do. She has helped improve families. She brings new changes and new life to the women of Yemen. She does all this working through the Yemen Family Care Association - the YFCA. Today's Spotlight is on Gamilah Ghaleb Al-Sharai and her work with the YFCA. She is an example to people all around the world. She shows people how they can help to save mothers, babies, and families.
Voice 2
Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab world. Twenty-one million [21,000,000] people live here. Forty-two [42] percent of these people live below the national poverty line - they are very poor. However, the average birth rate is high. Each woman has, on average, six children. In the past, this number has been as high as seven, or even eight.
Voice 1
Having this many children, along with other issues, can lead to high maternal mortality. Researchers have studied maternal mortality around the world. The maternal mortality rate counts women who have died because of causes related to pregnancy. In Yemen, in 1990, one thousand four hundred [1,400] women died for every one hundred thousand [100,000] live births. But that rate is going down! In 2003 there were three hundred sixty-six [366] deaths for every one hundred thousand [100,000] live births. That is about one third the deaths!
Voice 2
One person working hard to lower these numbers is Gamilah Ghaleb Al-Sharai. For fifteen [15] years, Gamilah has been the director of the Yemen Family Care Association - the YFCA. Through the YFCA Gamilah brings health care to women who may be uneducated. She brings family planning methods to people who may not know what they are or how to use them.
Voice 1
Gamilah knows that it is important for women to be able to decide how many children they want and when to have these children. She knows that women may not know about family planning methods. These methods include contraceptive devices like condoms and small pills women take by mouth. In fact, some people may completely oppose contraception. Gamilah does not tell women what choices to make. But she gives them information.
Voice 2
One reason many women oppose family planning methods is because of religion. Religion is very important in the Yemeni culture. Many of the people practice Islam. But Gamilah uses her knowledge of Islam to reach the people. When Gamilah began work here, many Yemeni people had a particular belief about the Koran, the holy book of Islam. They believed that the Koran did not permit women to make decisions about the children they would have. They believed it did not permit family planning. Gamilah tells about her experiences working for the YFCA years ago.
Voice 3
"When we first began talking about family planning methods and contraception, women would tell us ‘No, it is forbidden. We cannot use these things; it is not permitted.' It was difficult to let people know what is correct in the Koran and the Sunnah."
Voice 1
Like many Yemeni people, Gamilah believes strongly in her faith. But she disagrees that the Koran does not permit people to use contraception. Instead, she says the Koran shows how important family planning is!
Voice 3
"There are ideas of birth spacing in the Koran. For example, it says to breastfeed for at least two years because it is good for the health of the woman and the child. So for this reason a woman needs at least three years between children."
Voice 2
Health experts say that it is true that a mother's milk is the best food for a baby. And breastfeeding is also good for mothers. It helps their bodies recover more quickly after birth. Breastfeeding also prevents against some breast cancer.
Voice 1
Gamilah also says the Koran shows how important family planning is because parents must be able to care for the children they have. She continues:
Voice 3
"The Koran says parents are responsible for their children and they must provide a good life for them. So, it is better to have fewer children and take good care of them than to have too many. Because if you do not give them a good life, you will be held accountable before God."
Voice 2
Spreading this message to the people who need it can be very difficult. Many people in country areas are not able to hear about these things through main methods like television and radio. Many of the people in these areas are uneducated. They may also have false ideas about family planning and contraception. So, the YFCA trains midwives. These women travel to far out areas. They help women give birth safely. But they also tell people about family planning and contraception. They share the good results that can come from having fewer children.
Voice 1
But Gamilah knows that to be successful, men must also be involved in family planning. Gamilah says:
Voice 3
"Men are the decision makers in the family. So we need to target them so they know to send their wives to clinics for care."
Voice 1
So, men need education about the good results of family planning too! She says:
Voice 3
"If men are not involved on this issue and do not believe in this family planning idea he will not assist. At the beginning, we were afraid of how we were going to talk about breastfeeding for example, or contraceptives, or pregnant women's health. But we found that after we involved men on this issue they began to need more information."
Voice 2
Gamilah has travelled through Yemen educating men and women about family planning. She has even met with local political and religious leaders. She has convinced them that family planning is important. It can save lives and improve families. Many religious leaders now tell this message in worship places like mosques.
Voice 1
Today, Gamilah and the YFCA can see the results of her work. Maternal mortality rates are lower. More mothers are living. Men are encouraging their wives to seek medical help during pregnancies. Men and women are deciding when to have children and how many they will have.
Voice 2
Women's health is an important issue everywhere in the world. It affects more than just women. It affects whole families. The work of people like Gamilah Ghaleb Al-Sharai is changing opinions about women's health in Yemen, and around the world.
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