Huffington Post: Reach Act Would Reinforce America’s Moral Leadership and Save the Lives of Moms and Kids
Mark Shriver, president of Save the Children Action Network, and Richard Stearns, president of World Vision U.S.

“…[The Reach Every Mother and Child Act] would dramatically accelerate the reduction of preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths worldwide — helping to achieve the global commitment of ending these deaths within a generation. … Taking lessons learned from other successful global health initiatives such as PEPFAR and the President’s Malaria Initiative, the Reach Act would enact key reforms that increase the effectiveness and impact of [USAID’s] maternal and child survival programs. It would require a coordinated U.S. government strategy for contributing to ending preventable child and maternal deaths, establish rigorous reporting requirements to improve transparency, accountability, efficiency, and oversight of maternal and child health programs. Further, the bill would ensure USAID focuses on increasing access to the highest impact, evidence-based interventions to maximize our return on investment. Additionally, the bill would provide USAID with the authority to explore and implement new and innovative financing tools … to complement existing assistance and to help countries along the path to self-sustainability. In this highly-charged and often partisan political atmosphere this bill is an opportunity for Congress to demonstrate America’s moral leadership abroad — creating a more stable society and, most importantly, saving the lives of mothers and kids” (8/3).