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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 18 Wome ' Da INTERNATIONAL SUNDAY MARCH 8, 2015 234,000 reasons to celebrate International Women's Day (NC) The walls of the exam room at the Kallo Basic Health Clinic are covered with colourful charts and posters, offering information about healthy pregnancies, nutrition, and proper care for newborn babies. Behind her desk, midwife Zarin Leqa reviews a medical chart from her stack of les. Her patient is about to enter the third trimester of pregnancy. Leqa checks the expectant mother's blood pressure, weighs her, and takes her temperature. When the baby comes, Leqa will be there to care for both mother and child during birth and in the weeks that follow. It might seem like a routine check-up but the Kallo Clinic is in a mountainous part of northern Afghanistan, hours away from the nearest city. Opened eight cent since 1990. But there is years ago and serving thoustill a long way to go. Accordsands of local Afghans, this ing to the WHO, one in 49 Afclinic offers basic pre-natal ghan women still die due to exams that can save an expregnancy or childbirth. pectant mother's life ­ and In our country, this rate is the life of her baby. dramatically lower, at one in Slowly but surely, health 5,200. The difference? Most care is improving for women Canadian women are eduaround the world. Are you cated about their health duraware of the progress? ing pregnancy, have routine In 1990, as many as check-ups, and can get emer523,000 women died every gency care if complications year from complications relatarise. ed to childbearing. By 2013, Midwife Zarin Leqa conducts a preCanadian experts and that number had dropped by natal exam with a patient who is six organizations are playing 45 percent according to the months pregnant. Malnutrition is the a leading role in improving World Health Organization most common health problem that health for women and chil(WHO). That means 234,000 Leqa sees in her pregnant patients. dren worldwide. In 2014, more women are surviving our government announced even better. Maternal mortality childbirth every year. $3.5 billion in funding to supIn Afghanistan, the results are has dropped by almost 70 per- port maternal, newborn and child health worldwide, adding to an investment of $2.85 billion committed in 2010 to support this work. Many interventions to improve maternal health are simple and cost-effective. Access to a trained birth attendant or community health worker, and accurate information about a healthy pregnancy and childbirth are sometimes all it takes to save a life. Investing in maternal health is a key factor in breaking the cycle of poverty. When mothers are healthy, they can raise healthy children who grow up to contribute to their families and communities. More information about maternal and child health is available online at www.akfc.ca/en/mnch. www.newscanada.com Burlington Women's Recreational Soccer League The Burlington Women's Recreational Soccer league is taking registrations for its upcoming outdoor season which runs from May to late September. We offer 3 different divisions: 19 and over on Sunday nights, 35 and over on Sunday nights and a 30 and over on Tuesday nights. We are the original league that plays women's soccer on Sunday and Tuesday nights. Linda Sweet is a strong advocate of women's rights and related issues and celebrates International Women's Day. She is an experienced educator who founded Glenburnie School in 1985, with a goal to provide progressive, child-centred, hands-on learning opportunities to students in a private school setting. Her passion and commitment to incorporate innovative and progressive techniques into her classrooms are ongoing. She is an active participant and leader in a wide variety of education, sport, and community forums. Mrs. Sweet's vision continues to be to prepare students with 21st Century skills and strategies to become effective decision makers in tomorrow's world. www.lindasweet.ca/blog www.glenburnieschool.com GLENBURNIE SCHOOL LINDA SWEET, M.S. Ed. For more information contact the BWRSL at www.bwrsl.com. 2035 Upper Middle Road, E. · Phone 905-338-6236 · Fax 905-338-2654 Dorothy Byers, B.A., M. Ed. As Head of St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School in Oakville, Dorothy Byers is focused on nurturing the intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual development of girls and young women from preschool to graduation. Dorothy believes strongly in the benefits of single-gender education in the development of confident, capable, and contributing members of society. 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Fifteen different weekly small group classes, mornings, afternoons, evenings, designed to increase your workout with challenge! Come in for a complete workout on one of our five reformers, five Combo Chairs, ten Wall Tower workout centres, Cadillac and more. Private and semi-privates available. Work on mastering form and principles as you realign, strengthen, lengthen, and improve overall body mechanics. Emphasis on abdominals and back muscles leads you to increased core stability and strength, challenging your body with basic foundation movements. Freer movement and postural realignment result. Mary German - Owner, Studio Director: Exercise Physiologist, Pilates Instructor Reformer & Equipment, Mat Work, Gait Analysis, Pre & Post-Natal Contact: 905-847-0707 · www.livingwellpilates.com