The Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth and Ashoka's Changemakers have launched "Healthy Mothers, Strong World: The Next Generation of Ideas for Maternal Health", a global competition to identify inspiring changemakers with solutions that will transform the maternal health field.

Maternal health is gaining prominence on the global development agenda but needs a new generation of professionals to sustain the momentum and end the cycle of maternal death and disability. The Changemakers online platform will identify 3 organizations along with 16 young leaders from around the world, Young Champions of Maternal Health, to discuss their ideas and projects, receive training, and get feedback and advice from maternal health experts at the Maternal Health Change Summit in India on August 30 - September 1, 2010.

The young leaders identified through the competition will develop their innovative ideas during 9-month mentorships with seasoned Ashoka Fellows working in the field of maternal health immediately after the Change Summit. During this time, the Young Champions will have access to maternal health experts through the Maternal Health Task Force and resources to further develop their ideas and projects. "The MHTF is eager to foster new ideas coming from the next generation of maternal health leaders," said Dr. Ann K. Blanc, Director of the MHTF at EngenderHealth. All Young Champions will receive a monthly stipend and 100% financial support for travel, accommodation, insurance, and visa costs. The innovations and projects that emerge from the Young Champions Program will be publicized widely.

"The health of all mothers is moving to the forefront of the world's agenda, so this is an opportune time to identify the next generation that will make innovative ideas work on a large scale," says Charlie Brown, Changemakers' Executive Director.

Visit Changemakers now to nominate an inspiring Young Champion with a groundbreaking solution, enter your own initiative, or submit your own application by March 17, 2010 to become a Changemaker for Maternal Health.

About Ashoka's Changemakers
Changemakers is an initiative of Ashoka, an organization with over three decades of finding, funding, and expanding the work of social entrepreneurs across the globe. It is a global online community of action that connects people to share ideas, inspire and mentor each other, and find and support the best ideas in social innovation. The Changemakers online community builds on this history and expands the Ashoka vision by creating an "Everyone a Changemaker" world through networking, relationship-building, and the sourcing of funding opportunities.

Through its collaborative competitions and open-source process, Changemakers has created one of the world's most robust laboratories for launching, refining, and scaling ideas for solving the world's most pressing social problems.

About The Maternal Health Task Force
The Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth brings together existing maternal health networks and engages new organizations to facilitate global coordination of maternal health programs. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Maternal Health Task Force convenes stakeholders and creates an inclusive setting to engage in dialogue, build consensus, foster innovation, and share information.

For more information about "Healthy Mothers, Strong World: The Next Generation of Ideas for Maternal Health" visit www.changemakers.com/maternalhealth or email connect@changemakers.com.

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Ashoka is the global association of the world's leading social entrepreneurs - men and women with system changing solutions for the world's most urgent social problems. Since 1981, Ashoka has elected over 3000 leading social entrepreneurs as Ashoka Fellows, providing them with living stipends, professional support, and access to a global network of peers in more than 70 countries. Working with these social entrepreneurs, Ashoka builds communities of innovators who work collectively to transform society and design new ways for the citizen sector to become more productive, entrepreneurial and globally integrated. For more information, please visit www.ashoka.org.

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