'My Sister, My Self': stories of women: a film about Safe Motherhood among the women of the British Commonwealth.

My Sister, My Self is a short advocacy film commissioned by the British Council and made by Brigid McConville and Gwyneth Lewis. Those assisting included health ministries in Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka and India, WHO, UNICEF and the White Ribbon Alliance.

The film was launched at the Commonwealth Health Ministers meeting in Geneva in May 2004 and in London in July, when Winston Cox, Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat drew attention to the tragedy of avoidable maternal deaths and called for maternal health to be set higher on the global agenda to drive forward efforts towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals on maternal and neonatal mortality.

My Sister, My Self tells the stories of women who have died in childbirth, through the voices of their sisters, mothers, cousins and grandmothers. The painful tales highlight over and again the familiar messages of lack of skilled attendance in labour; delay in seeking help when problems occur; inadequate transport and no money to pay for it; closed or understaffed health centres.

One story comes from Amina, herself a midwife in rural Africa. Amina's sister was married at 15 and went into labour at the age of 16. After days in labour, she was carried on a camel for another two days to seek help at a health centre. The baby died and, in spite of some treatment, Amina's sister never recovered.

The film concludes with eight recommendations of strategies 'that work', including skilled care, transport and referral systems. community participation and 'listening to women'.

One of the mothers with a surviving child who took part in the film

Anyone wishing to request a showing of the film should contact Brigid McConville at broomfield.hall@virgin.net

July 24-28 2005...