The statistics are well known and staggering. And yet, in many countries the figures continue to worsen. Each year 500,000–600,000 women die in pregnancy and childbirth. In some parts of Sub–Saharan Africa, 1 in 6 women die in child birth, while in United States the lifetime risk is as low as 1 in 84001. HIV/AIDS statistics tell an equally disturbing story of dis- parity. In parts of Africa, over 35% of the adult population — 1 in 3 adults — is infected with HIV 2. The number of women contracting the disease is also on the rise. For example, in Botswana, twice as many women as men, ages.
