環(huán)球英語 — 611：Success in Vietnam for Mothers

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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

In many countries, having a baby can be a dangerous thing to do. Many women die before, during, or immediately after giving birth to a baby. There may be terrible risks. Many facts about maternal mortality can be frightening. For example, one in seven women in the African country of Niger die during pregnancy or child birth! The future of mothers in poor countries is at risk.

Voice 2

But there is hope! Many countries are working to make the future better for mothers! One of these countries is Vietnam. Vietnam has been working to improve the lives of the people living there. And it has shown a lot of improvement. In today's Spotlight we tell about this work in Vietnam. We tell how this country has succeeded in making life safer for mothers and babies. Vietnam's success in this area is part of their work toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Voice 1

In September 2000, leaders from around the world agreed to set eight goals - the Millennium Development Goals. Each country would try to achieve these goals. These goals would make life better for all people by doing things like decreasing poverty, reducing the numbers of deaths of children, and fighting diseases. Countries had fifteen years to complete these goals - until the year 2015.

Voice 2

A current report from the Vietnamese government shows that Vietnam will be able to achieve many of these goals! Today we look at their work on Millennium Development Goal five. The fifth Millennium Development Goal aims to improve the health of mothers, that is, maternal health. The goal has two parts. First, to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by seventy-five percent. That is, fewer mothers will die during pregnancy, during child birth, or immediately after pregnancy. The second part is to give every person - men and women - the ability to plan when and how many children they have.

Voice 1

In 1990, in Vietnam, 233 mothers died for every 100,000 live births. But by 2005, only 80 mothers died for every 100,000 babies born. That is a big improvement! And by 2015, Vietnam is almost sure to have reduced this number even more. The government expects that only 58 mothers will die for every 100,000 live births.

Voice 2

But numbers can only tell a part of the story. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai set out to discover the rest of the story. Mai is a young woman from Vietnam. She visited areas all around Vietnam. She investigated how Vietnam was working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. She talked to the people she met. And she wrote about her experiences on the United Nations in Vietnam website.

Voice 1

Mai describes many of the problems pregnant women and mothers face in Vietnam. She talked with Mrs. Quyt, a woman who lives in Ninh Thuan Province. Mrs. Quyt is forty-two. She had her first child when she was only seventeen. And in total, she has ten children. Mai writes:

Voice 3

"I asked Mrs. Quyt about the difficulties of giving birth at such a young age. I asked if she knew that giving birth so often could have a negative effect on her health. I also asked if she had usual maternal health check-ups with a skilled health worker. She just smiled painfully. She said that most women in Cau Gay gave birth to their babies at home without the help of skilled health workers. The roads to the health center are difficult to travel. A trip takes time, so people do not immediately go there."

Voice 2

Many women face the same problems as Mrs. Quyt. Women who get married and have children at a young age may have difficulties. Their bodies are not yet ready to have babies. This means a risk for mothers and babies. Women who have many babies are also at risk. A woman's body needs time to recover between pregnancies.

Voice 1

A lack of skilled health workers is also a common problem. People living in country areas, far away from cities often receive no skilled care during pregnancy. The road to the hospitals can be difficult for them to travel. Or there may be too few hospitals or workers. A lack of skilled care may lead to problems with the baby or the baby's birth. It can even lead to the death of the mother or baby - or both.

Voice 2

Experts say that there are particular ways of improving maternal health. These methods are simple. They include choosing when to have children. And they include receiving skilled health care during pregnancy and child birth, and after. However, these simple methods may take a lot of time, money, and effort.

Voice 1

So, how is Vietnam working to do these things? Tran Dinh Khien is the Vice Minister of Planning and Investment in Vietnam. He says,

Voice 4

"Vietnam has done so well toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals because many people and organizations have come together. It is because Vietnam's government has devoted its resources. It is because the international community has also given resources and experience. This includes individual people who give money, NGOs and UN agencies."

Voice 2

Vietnam has begun many safe motherhood projects and programs. They have tried to give family planning information and supplies to every person who needs or wants them. They have also concentrated on providing health care for people who live far away from cities.

Voice 1

Vietnam is not finished yet. Along with other countries, they need to continue to work toward improving health for mothers. They must continue to provide family planning advice and supplies to the people who need and want them. They must continue to provide education about reproductive health. They must invest in hospitals and education for skilled health workers.

Voice 2

Many people believe that Millennium Goal Five - aimed at improving maternal health - is the most important goal. That is because if the world does not succeed in achieving it, the other Goals will fail too. All people should fight for the rights and health of mothers and babies. People working together can prevent many of these deaths. Vietnam has shown that this goal is important. And most importantly, this country has shown that when people work together, completing this goal is possible.