Mothering the Earth – Case Studies from Ethiopia
To start 2008 off with a focus on two topics which are getting heavy play in the Presidential Election campaign — reproductive rights and the environment —Future Choices explores during January and February the dynamic relationship which can/should exist between the two advocate communities.
In January's show, “Mothering the Earth – Case Studies from Ethiopia” an American environmentalist (from National Audubon Society) and an Ethiopian Ob/Gyn (from EngenderHealth) make a convincing argument for the extraordinary synergy between reproductive rights advocates and environmentalists. Their conversation is interlaced with powerful observations from Ethiopia as well as Madagascar and Tanzania.
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Learn about the links between Population, Health and the Environment.
"Population & Habitat: Making the Connection"
"Missing Links: Poverty, Population, and the Environment in Ethiopia"
Sierra Club: "Promote Voluntary Family Planning"
"Pro-Choice, Pro-Environment"
More Pertinent Links
Background on this episode of Future Choices :
A growing number of NGOs are making the connection between population and environmental concerns. That's not news.
What is new and important is the realization that promotion of voluntary family planning is one of the most effective ways of addressing environmental degradation.
For the January show of Future Choices Kathleen Mogelgaard, Assistant Director for Government Relations at the National Audubon Society came from Washington, DC, to join Dr. Gelila Kidane Goba, Country Director of EngenderHealth-Ethiopia in “Mothering the Earth – Case Studies from Ethiopia." They spend a fast-moving half-hour reliving the excitement of discovery they experienced at a recent international conference, "Population, Health and Environment (PHE): Integrated Development for East Africa."
 Gelila Kidane, M.D. |
• Dr. Kidane was one of the informants at this ground-breaking meeting which was held November 14-16, 2007, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and was attended by more than 200 development practitioners from around the world, including many from Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Her experiences at the PHE conference reaffirmed Dr. Kidane's conviction that she as a reproductive health specialist must think holistically when working to improve the lives of women and men in Ethiopia through provision of family planning.
 Kathleen Mogelgaard |
• Ms. Mogelgaard led a contingent of National Audubon Society members to Ethiopia for the conference. This Audubon group spent an additional week in Ethiopia for sites visits at programs which have successfully integrated population, health and environmental concerns. For 25 years, Ms. Mogelgaard says, the Audubon Society has been very interested in the relationship of population and habitat, recognizing that population growth is one of the main drivers of habitat loss. She found very inspiring the numerous examples cited at the PHE conference of the enormous benefits accruing to all when environmentalists and public health advocates find common cause.
• For more about the way this conference brought "to life the connections between population growth, natural resource management and environmental health, and development priorities" see Integrating Population, Environment Crucial to Development. The conference program is also available online.
As Country Director, EngenderHealth-Ethiopia, Gelila Kidane Goba, M.D., provides leadership and management of programs including the expansion of long-acting family planning methods, quality improvement, HIV-prevention in pregnant and postpartum mothers, and post-abortion care across sixty hospitals and health centers in three regions of Ethiopia. | MORE about Gelila
At time of her appearance on Future Choices Kathleen Mogelgaard was Assistant Director of Government Relations at the National Audubon Society in Washington, DC, where she focused on US government policies related to international conservation and sustainable development. Kathleen joined PAI in September 2008 as Senior Program Manager for the Population and Climate Change Program..
| MORE about Kathleen