Becoming a mother in sub-Saharan Africa is more dangerous than climbing Mount Everest. In Chad, the odds of dying during pregnancy or childbirth are one in 15; in Sierra Leone, one in 21 In 2000, the world set a goal to reduce easily preventable maternal deaths around the world by 75% compared to 1990. We fell short. Some countries, like Chad, made less progress than others. Still, the fifth Millennium Development Goal helped drive massive progress: Maternal deaths have dropped 45% around the world. Around the world, 800 women die every day from largely preventable causes while they’re pregnant, giving birth, or just after they’ve had a baby. But that’s partly good news: Around 25 years ago, the number was almost twice as high.

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