For Immediate Release
October 17, 2011
American Academy of Pediatrics Joins the Million Moms Challenge with ABC News
and the UN Foundation
First-of-its-kind Campaign to Connect Millions of Americans with a Million Moms in Developing
Countries Across the Globe
CHICAGO - Today the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is joining ABC News and the
United Nations Foundation in the recently launched Million Moms Challenge. This first-of-its
kind initiative will engage millions of Americans with a million moms in developing countries
around the critical issues of pregnancy, childbirth and children's health -- moms here helping
moms worldwide.
The Million Moms Challenge is building a vibrant community that connects moms across the
globe by using the latest social media strategies together with ABC's world-class broadcast and
digital news platforms to shine a light on the extraordinary challenges faced by mothers and
babies in the developing world.
Stories based on compelling characters and innovative solutions to maternal and child survival
will be featured on ABC News broadcasts including “Good Morning America,” “World News
with Diane Sawyer,” “Nightline,” and “20/20,”as well as other ABC News platforms including
ABCNews.com and ABC News Radio. The initiative will lead up to a one-hour prime time
special on maternal health anchored by Diane Sawyer on December 16, 2011.
“There is so much we can do together, so many simple ways for us all to link arms to make sure
every mother and child has a chance to lead a healthy life,” said ABC News anchor Diane
Sawyer.
The Million Moms Challenge will focus on things mothers care about: The right nutrition to
support their pregnancies; skilled attendants to assist in safe deliveries of newborns; and access to
vaccines and other preventive care to allow children to survive to celebrate their first birthday and
beyond.
“This is an exciting opportunity to help connect people and programs with the moms and children
who can most benefit from their help and support,” said AAP President Robert W. Block, MD,
FAAP. "The Academy is committed to supporting the Million Moms Challenge."
AAP projects include: helping to expand the Text4Baby health messaging program by signing up
a million women this coming year; and helping to train birth attendants in resource-poor settings
to prevent newborn asphyxia with the AAP's Helping Babies Breathe resuscitation program.
As part of the initiative, a dedicated website (Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
provide a live, interactive forum for some of the nation’s top mom bloggers to share their stories
and ideas through blogs and video posts in real time with moms and midwives in the developing
world. Viewers who want to know more and get involved will find ways large and small to make
a difference in their own communities and around the world. The Million Moms Challenge hopes
that at least a million Americans will join the movement by signing up on the Challenge’s website
and /or “liking” the Challenge on Facebook.
“You don’t have to be a mom to help a mom,” said Kathy Calvin, CEO of the UN Foundation.
“A healthier tomorrow for our world starts with healthy moms and babies today. The Million
Moms Challenge gives us the chance to make history by sharing stories, ideas and sparking a
global conversation that will help the United Nations build a global partnership for healthy lives,”
she added.
In addition to the AAP, the Million Moms Challenge partners include African Medical and
Research Foundation, CARE, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, GAVI Alliance,
mothers2mothers, ONE Campaign, Partners in Health, Riders for Health, Save the Children, the
UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign, US Fund for UNICEF, White Ribbon Alliance, and
World Vision.
Along with ABC News and the UN Foundation, Johnson & Johnson and BabyCenter are
corporate partners in the initiative. Individuals are also encouraged to donate to the Million
Moms Challenge to help moms and babies overseas (www.globalgiving.org/projects/helpingbabies-breathe/).
The Million Moms Challenge is part of an ABC News year-long global health series “Be the
Change: Save a Life,” which is sponsored in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
For more information about the Million Moms Challenge, visit www.millionmomschallenge.com.
To get involved in the conversation about healthy moms and babies around the world, follow
@AMillionMoms on Twitter and use the hash-tag #MillionMomsChallenge. You can also like
Million Moms on Facebook at facebook.com/millionmomschallenge.
For more information:
AAP contact: Gina Steiner/gsteiner@aap.org/847-434-7945
ABC News contact: David Ford / david.ford@abc.com /212-456-7243
UN Foundation contact: Eric Porterfield / eporterfield@unfoundation.org
/ 646-637-6438
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About the American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academyof Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians,
pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety
and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit
www.aap.org.
About ABC News
ABC News is responsible for all of the ABC Television Network’s news programming on a
variety of platforms: television, radio and the internet. Its flagship program is “World News with
Diane Sawyer” with other programs including “Good Morning America,” “Nightline,”
“Primetime,” “20/20,” and the Sunday morning political affairs program “This Week with
Christiane Amanpour.” With an average television and radio audience of 180 million people in a
given month, ABC News surpasses the competition. ABC News Radio is the largest radio
network in the country, with more than 2,400 affiliate stations. In addition, ABC News NOW is a
24-hour news and information network currently available to 44 million users across cable,
broadband, and mobile platforms. NewsOne, the affiliate news service of ABC News, provides
live and packaged news, sports, and weather reports, as well as footage of news events, to 200
ABC affiliates and more than 30 domestic and international clients. Visit www.abcnews.com.
About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and
philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN
Foundation builds and implements public/private partnerships to address the world’s most
pressing problems, and works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public
outreach. Through campaigns and partnerships, the organization connects people, ideas, and
resources to help the UN solve global problems. The campaigns reduce child mortality, empower
women and girls, create a new energy future, secure peace and human rights, and promote
technology innovation to improve health outcomes. These solutions are helping the UN advance
the eight global targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For more
information, visit www.unfoundation.org.