Private sector helps advance health, well-being of women, children

"Every pregnant girl or woman, wherever she lives, is connected to all of the other mothers-to-be around the world through the hope that their babies will be born strong and healthy," but "[t]he sad truth is that for millions of these girls and women, their own survival and that of their unborn babies cannot be taken for granted," Sharon D'Agostino, vice president of corporate citizenship at Johnson & Johnson, writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog. "There are many organizations taking action in this fight to save the lives of these women and children," she continues, adding, "My company, Johnson & Johnson, is honored to partner with the American Academy of Pediatrics, USAID, and Save the Children in Helping Babies Breathe, training health care workers to intervene when newborns do not reflexively take their first breath of life."

"We celebrate the changes that have occurred in the global community over the past few years," which "have opened the door to collaboration with companies already committing their resources and expertise to addressing pressing health issues," D'Agostino writes. "In my opinion, this shift was catalyzed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's call-to-action for a renewed global effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015," she continues, concluding, "On International Corporate Philanthropy Day, we highlight the role of the private sector in advancing the health and well-being of women, infants & children. ... Together we can accelerate progress in delivering the MDGs" (2/25).