Top Place for Motherhood - NFP Report
9 May 2013 at 10:50 am
Just in time for Mother’s Day, it’s been revealed that Australia is the best country in the Southern Hemisphere and tenth in the world, to be a mother, in research by international aid organisation, Save the Children.
 Photo: Save the Children |
Save the Children's State of the World’s Mothers report compared 176 countries globally, showing which are succeeding – and which are failing – in saving the lives of mothers and their newborn babies.
“Australia’s recognition as one of the best places in the world to be a mum is wonderful news for mothers and children across our country,” Save the Children spokesperson Annie Bodmer-Roy said.
“It means that women’s health, their education and access to an income, as well as the health and nutrition of their children, are the best in the whole of the southern hemisphere, and among the very best in the world. This is something we should all be proud of,” she said.
According to the report, every year nearly 3 million babies die within the first month of life, most from preventable causes. More than a third of these babies die on their first day of life – making the birthday the riskiest day for newborns and mothers almost everywhere.
The report shows which countries are doing the best – and which are doing the worst – at preventing these deaths.
“The long-term economic prospects of poor countries depend on investments in the health, nutrition and education of the people, particularly the women and young children living there,” Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Melinda Gates said in the Forward of the report.
“Children surviving and staying healthy means more children in school and able to learn, which in turn means productive adults who can drive sustained economic growth.”
The report ranked the following countries in the top 10:
1. Finland
2. Sweden
3. Norway
4. Iceland
5. Netherlands
6. Denmark
7. Spain
8. Belgium
9. Germany
10. Australia
The 10 worst performing countries out of the 176 were:
167. Côte d'Ivoire
168. Chad
169. Nigeria
170. Gambia
171. Central African Republic
172. Niger
173. Mali
174. Sierra Leone
175. Somalia
176. DR Congo
Once again, Australia at the bottom of a social indices league table amongst countires with which we share a cultural and political heritage. How many other developed countries are there in the Southern hemisphere ? – oh yes , just one , NZ. Nothing to celebrate here.