Ashoka and the Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth together have launched an innovative program to foster a new cadre of maternal health professionals. The Young Champions of Maternal Health program is the first-ever international fellowship to focus on creating the next generation of global leaders dedicated to improving maternal health. The Young Champions, selected through Ashoka’s Changemakers.com online competition and a rigorous interview process, will spend nine months abroad working with and being mentored by an Ashoka Fellow with expertise in maternal health. The Young Champions hail from 13 countries, the majority in the developing world.
In parallel with the Global Maternal Health Conference 2010, the Young Champions are gathering for their Change Summit, which inaugurates their fellowships. In addition to special orientation sessions at the Change Summit, they will participate in the conference to learn from and network with maternal health experts.
Some of the Young Champions will present their work at a panel session: The next generation of maternal health solutions, on Tuesday, August 31st, 15:30 – 17:15 in Stein Auditorium. Tune in here on August 31st for the live stream.
From Delhi, the Young Champions will travel directly to their Ashoka Fellows’ host sites to begin their work, which they will share through blog and video posts on the MHTF and Ashoka websites.
Details about each Young Champion’s project and their photos are available at www.ashoka.org/youngchampions.
To find out about other sessions that will be live streamed, click here.
Do you follow the MHTF (@MHTF) on Twitter? The conference hashtag is #GMHC2010.
Young Champions to Present at the GMHC2010: The Next Generation of Maternal Health Solutions
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