Bringing a new life into the world should be a time of immense joy for all families. But every year across the world hundreds of thousands of women die in pregnancy and childbirth.  Families that should be celebrating a new arrival to their families are instead mourning the loss of a loved one. These women are not dying from a rare disease that we can’t treat. They are dying because they don’t have access to the right care and facilities.

This is a problem that, together, we can solve.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed a
treatment bundle for sepsis – one of the leading causes of maternal
mortality.  The bundle is specifically tailored for low-income countries.
We are working alongside local health professionals in Malawi to implement it,as well as the World Health Organisation, to roll it out to lots of other countries across the globe.  This care package will help everyone – from nurses and midwives to community healthcare officers – to be able to identify sepsis in its early stages and treat it immediately. 

Why we're running: 

Bec: Being covered head to toe in coloured chalk is way out of my comfort zone and frankly not something I will enjoy but I am willing to partake to support this very worthy cause. Around the world, a woman dies unnecessarily every 90 seconds in childbirth, leaving more than a million children without a mother each year. Researchers at the University of Birmingham can save lives by working with communities to develop better care plans for new mothers, covering everything from health care and food security to transport. Please help us fund this important research and continue to save lives.

Charlotte: I’ve reached the age when lots of my friends are having babies.  I take for granted that they will all return safely from hospital with their babies.  In some countries, where even the most basic maternity healthcare measures aren’t always available, a woman puts her life at risk by having a child.  The research being done at the University of Birmingham will implement a simple set of healthcare measures to solve a problem that is incredibly manageable.  It will save lives. The researchers here are making a difference that will have worldwide impact, and they inspire me on a daily basis. Having a baby should be a joyful time – so I’ve decided to joyfully run around, covered in colour while eating Skittles, to try to raise some money to help their work.

Claire: It seemed like a really good idea a few months ago... now I'm a bit scared that I actually have to RUN! What's keeping me going? The fact that it's going to be brilliant fun and for a good cause- plus I'm expecting to be showered in Skittles when we reach the end! 

Emily: Normally I do my best to avoid running. However, the University is an amazing place to work and I want to help raise money for one of the pioneering research projects that is making a global impact. In the UK a woman's lifetime risk of dying due to pregnancy or childbirth is 1 in 3,400 and in Malawi it's 1 in 15. I want to help change this alarming statistic and make a difference to mums around the world.

Malley: I have decided to take part in the Color Run because I think that having a baby shouldn’t kill you, wherever you live in the world. Women in developing countries are dying in pregnancy and childbirth… and for preventable reasons. Your geographical location should not have a bearing on whether you survive your pregnancy or not.

1. Sepsis is an infection that causes your organs to fail. 5 million pregnant women contract this every year, and in a developing country a third of women will die from it. If you contract this in the UK, your chance of dying is 0.05%. 

The University of Birmingham is addressing the need to identify Sepsis early, and is developing kits for anyone to be able to detect it, including non-medical staff, which is important because....

2. Women in developing countries travel for hours and often days to their nearest clinic or hospital. 

The University of Birmingham is working on a sustainable emergency transport project for communities in Malawi so that women can receive medical assistance at a time they need it most. 

If we can raise some money to help the people trying to prevent maternal death, then we will.