Uganda's president has promised to do more for women. It is important that he does, says international development secretary, Douglas Alexander
International development secretary Douglas Alexander at a health clinic in Sierra Leone
International development secretary Douglas Alexander at a health clinic in Sierra Leone. Photograph: Reuters
Last year I visited the town of Gulu, in northern Uganda, to see how things had changed since the peace talks in 2006, which brought stability to the region for the first time in 20 years. A new maternity facility had recently been opened, and I spoke to women who were giving birth in a bed for the first time. Their stories were inspiring, and proof of the dividend that peace brings. But they are still the lucky few. Most women in Uganda have to give birth on the floor of their huts, without clean sheets or sterilised water. And up to 8,000 women die every year because of complications during childbirth, around 80 times the rate in the UK – deaths which could easily be prevented by a doctor or nurse.
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