Dear Friends,

I’ve just returned from Delhi, India, where I participated in the Global Maternal Health Conference 2010, an unprecedented gathering of more than 600 of the world’s foremost experts on the issue. The energy in the air was palpable. For those of us who have dedicated our lives to improving global health, now is the time.

Now is the time because momentum is on our side. President Barack Obama’s Global Health Initiative has pledged to break down the barriers that have traditionally hampered efforts to fight the diseases and improve the inadequate health care that claim far too many lives in the developing world, especially those of women and girls. It’s this holistic vision and approach that EngenderHealth pioneered decades ago and to this day implements in 23 countries around the world.

The cornerstone to EngenderHealth’s approach is building partnerships: partnerships between government agencies and local clinics, between health providers and clients, and at the most fundamental level, between intimate partners. We are laser-focused on nurturing partnerships because we know that they are the strongest possible foundation for creating change that lasts.

And it is this very acumen that attracted me to EngenderHealth, an organization that I am so honored and proud to now be leading. Being here represents the culmination of my professional experiences and personal passion. It is nothing less than thrilling to go to work every day knowing that across 23 countries, EngenderHealth is improving the quality of family planning services so that women and couples are empowered to make informed choices, is training health professionals to make motherhood safer, is preventing HIV among those most vulnerable, is transforming women’s lives through fistula repair, and is putting an end to gender-based violence. All through partnerships.  

I am looking forward to working with all of you as we press forward, knowing that when the forces of history, knowledge, and momentum align, anything is possible.

Now is the time. 

Pamela W. Barnes