Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) Martha Wainwright and Jim Kerr of the rock band Simple Minds have re-invented one of their popular songs ‘Promised you a miracle’ to speak out against maternal mortality, an official statement by Oxfam, an international NGO said Tuesday.
The NGO has roped in the band for their international campaign.

The band’s renewed song is especially aimed at reminding the world leaders who are due to meet at the G8 summit in Canada next month about their unfulfilled promises to bring down maternal mortality.

The statement quoted Jim Kerr as saying: “When we were asked to get involved in this campaign, I could see the sense in the song because world leaders did make the pledge, they did make the promises, and they have reneged and they’re dragging their feet.”

According to Oxfam, rich countries promised to give 0.7 percent of their income as aid to help poor countries combat poverty and hire doctors, nurses and teachers in 1970. In 2005, after their meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland, G8 leaders promised to give an extra 50 billion dollars in aid by 2010 — half of it to Africa.

“These promises have not been kept,” the statement said.

Martha Wainwright said: “I think the most important thing is to act and hold people to their promises and especially with things that pertain to women and babies because often they are the members of society that have the least voice.”

The campaign will see a video accompanying the song in which people will take a pledge and demand that world leaders keep their promises to support health systems in poor countries and to make health care free for pregnant women and children.

In India, Oxfam along with partner NGOs conducted a study in five states — Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu — and found that the reproductive status of women deteriorates as one goes down the social structure.

“Despite government programmes and interventions, the reproductive health status of women in India presents a sorry scenario, mainly because of the socio-economic forces that influence reproductive health,” the report said.