Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Africa is the worst continent on which to be a mother or child, and Mali is one of the worst countries, with one in eight children dying before seeing a first birthday, according to a study published Tuesday.
The State of the World’s Mothers 2005, a report by Save the Children USA, studied 110 countries and details health and educational opportunities for mothers and their children.
“Conditions for children and mothers in the bottom-ranked countries are devastating,” said Charles MacCormack, president of Save the Children. “Many children are fortunate just to survive the first five years of life and have a chance to go to school.”
In Burkina Faso, fewer than one in 10 women can read and write. In Ethiopia, just 25 percent of the population has access to clean water.
Scandinavian countries sweep the top rankings for the best place to be a mother, with Sweden the leader. The U.S. was 11th.
Countries in sub-Saharan Africa dominate the bottom tier, the report said. Of the 10 worst countries to be a mother or child, seven are in Africa.
A mother in Ethiopia is 37 times more likely to see her child die in its first year of life than a mother in Sweden.
