The Mother and Child Project: Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope by Kay Warren

The Mother and Child Project: Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope Reviews

• 
  Donna

  This is Nonfiction. This book is a collaborative effort of some notable public figures who are trying to make a difference by sounding the alarm bell to the Christian population regarding the lack of (or the lacking) healthcare of pregnant women/girls and their children in developing countries. One of the many things needed is to make contraception available to these women and they urge Christians (including the ones who are against contraception) to step forward and make that happen.
  
  This was more of a plea by several people all saying the same thing but quoting different scriptures. So the repetition was a little much for this little book. But I loved how science and research were used to not only spell out the magnitude of this problem, but also how it spelled out the need for assistance. So 3 stars.
• 
  Emily Fuentes

  Excellent book- worth reading to see how people of all faiths, political persuasions etc can come together and save millions of lives.
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  Sophia Kaankuka

  Melinda Gates' books are so Spectacular and Wonderful! She has definitely made an enormous history with all of them by her Great Insight
• 
  Corie

  This book is a collection of essays from prominent justice-seekers in the Christian community, politicians, humanitarians, artists all pertaining to global health issues, especially those pertaining to women and children. The writings touch on the importance of healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy, how to strengthen families by supporting gender equality, education for girls, educating pastors and community leaders about the importance of family planning, women's reproductive rights, and benefits of healthy, educated girls and women. The writings also touch on orphan care, child-marriage, human trafficking, and why the faith community must enter into this conversation.
  
  What needs to be reiterated in church families is that "support for contraception does not imply of require support for abortion." So often the two get linked or are viewed as inseparable and this faulty logic has led to injustice, further poverty and needless deaths in developing countries. "The important role of religious leaders in supporting family planning cannot be underestimated" and this book's message is a necessary conversation for those involved in and passionate about the global community.
  
  For an adoptive mama's heart, this quote stood out to me as an example of the mother-child bond and the heartbreaking positions many mothers are in because of the lack of maternal health care, educational opportunities for women, and family planning options: "She loved [my son] for his own sake, and therefore she would rather have suffered his absence if he flourished than to have enjoyed his presence if he languished."
• 
  Jes Smith

  The Mother and Child Project is a book written to a Christian audience to show the importance of whole family health. It is divided into four sections, each section contains essays written by political and religious leaders about a problem third world countries face regarding mother and child health in pregnancy and family planning; mother emotional and physical health and impact on family; child marriage, slavery and orphans; and why Christians need to advocate for mothers around the world.
  
  The essays are well written and thought provoking. They are full of personal experiences and studies on the impact changes have on the lives of families. Some of the statistics are shocking and there was much I hadn't even considered when thinking about how the lives of women and children are lived in other parts of the world. Some of the information I have read in the book Half the Sky, but the figures on child marriage and slavery I don't think is talked about much.
  
  This is an important book for all people to read, but especially Christians, whose family planning policies wreak havoc in the world. The only problem I encountered when reading the book was the repetitive nature of the essays. Each section could have been cut down by only publishing essays with different information.
  
  
• 
  Sarah

  Imagine having to give birth unassisted, on the dirt floor next to a rubbish dump. It’s unfathomable really. I’ve always been aware of the pitfalls in our maternity system here in New Zealand. It isn’t a perfect system. Even the Health and Disability Commissioner argues this. In fact, before I had my children I didn’t really trust our maternity system. However I am grateful to have received excellent care while having my three children, but there are heartbreaking cases of when birth goes horribly wrong, right here in our own backyard. There are the cases of babies who didn’t make it, and babies who sustained birth injuries caused by multiple system errors. Errors that were preventable. Sadly it does happen. But most births in the West go well, and with our obstetricians, anesthetists, pediatricians and tertiary hospitals available if we need them when we give birth, we western folk tend…Read more here:
  http://latteslacedwithgrace.com/2015/...
• 
  Michelle

  Notable figures from a variety of perspectives present a case for improving the health of women and children in the developing world. I appreciated the honest treatment of the importance of family planning in the face of religious environments that sometimes strenuously object to that phrase before attempting to understand what it actually can mean. The book felt too long and redundant in many places, but that is to be expected since the goal was to collect the endorsements of a variety of public figures around a focused topic, so of course they would all say much the same thing.
• 
  Emily

  This book is a collection of essays from Christian leaders, politicians, and humanitarian aid workers, as well as the stories of mothers in developing countries. It touches on a number of global health issues, but mainly the importance of the timing and spacing of pregnancies. I appreciated the different voices in support of mother and child health, but the overall message of the book, while important, was very repetitive.
• 
  Annie

  The book is comprised of essays written by doctors, politicians, activists, and entertainers who have taken an interest in global maternal care. I appreciated the range of views and writing styles. Some authors sited statistics medical evidence while others told stories of their own experiences and interactions with mothers facing life-threatening pregnancies due to lack of resources. The variety of voices and experiences gave the book scope that a text or narrative may have missed.
  
  One of the most shocking statistics sited over and over is that a woman dies every two minutes in birth-related complications. Not having access to a hospital; Having babies too close in age; Not enough education in post-natal sexual activity and recovery all contribute to fatal complications for women in rural areas and developing countries. Something as simple as a $5.00 taxi fare to a hospital could prevent many of these deaths. Things that are choices for women with access to good healthcare are life-threatening risks for women without it.
  
  **I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.**
• 
  Luann

  The Mother & Child Project: Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope is a book that one can hardly "like". The content is heartbreaking and eye opening for individuals living in middle class or beyond. However, it is a good book because it breaks ones heart and motivates a change of mind and action on the part of those who live among the privileged. I would encourage you to read it and allow your heart to be broken, your life to be changed, and your hands and feet moved to act.
  
  It took me a bit to get through the book. The repetition, statistics, etc. were burdensome and the book sat idle for months. Then I changed my reading strategy. Rather than try to read the book through over the course of a few days or weeks, I picked it up once a week. Each essay became its own message and a weekly window into the lives of women and children who have not been born into my privilege. One cannot ignore a voice that calls out on a weekly basis!
• 
  Wendy

  Very insightful! It was informative for those not as familiar with the culture of developing countries and persuasive in demonstrating how world and community efforts can help improve our world. I was impressed at the variety of spokespeople who contributed to this book. I definitely support the work of the Mother and Child Project.
  
  I found some of the messages in the book rather repetitive. I also admittedly skimmed some of the speeches.
• 
  Christine Wright

  I’m speechless. I’m in prayer. Through tears and stomach churning I finished this book. I have an eleven year old daughter. I lost my first daughter at 38 weeks. I could’ve died during that birth. I had multiple losses since my eleven year old. Thankful I didn’t die. But also what would have happened to me had I been in a third world country living like some of these women. God be with them. Allow YOUR light to shine through all the one sided mindset of how women and children are treated. When I see people on the news killing their children or having their kids taken away I say it should be legal to have them get a mandatory hysterectomy or vasectomy because they don’t need kids. And those babies thrown away I want to just go and get them. I pray I can find a way to help in some way. I’m so sad but have hope in Jesus.
• 
  Karen Templeton

  The content was repetitive and thoughts were cut a bit short. I felt like we were left hanging on what we can do to be involved in efforts.
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  Jen

  This book did not give me what I hoped. I actually didn't finish it. I found some of the stories to be repetitive. It just didn't pull me in like I hoped.