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Press Release Archive

Americans for UNFPA Announces Winner of the Inaugural Essay Contest for the Health and Dignity of Women

Michaela Maynard, Senior, University of Rhode Island
receives expense paid leadership trip to Malawi

New York, NY- May 22, 2007- Americans for UNFPA, the official U.S. support organization for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is pleased to announce Michaela Maynard from the University of Rhode Island (URI) as the winner of the inaugural Essay Contest for the Health and Dignity of Women.

Ms. Maynard, a senior from Pawtucket, RI, will travel to Malawi in Southern Africa from July 29-August 4, 2007 with Americans for UNFPA to visit UNFPA programs and increase her global understanding of the health and rights of women.

In Malawi, Ms. Maynard will tour women’s income generation projects including a dairy farm, visit maternity hospital clinics where fistula treatment is provided, observe innovative HIV prevention outreach, and meet with members of Malawi’s Parliament.

“Michaela strikes me as a life-long learner,” says Anika Rahman, President, Americans for UNFPA. “She has taken classes in global public health, volunteered in hospitals in her local community and twice abroad, and more than anything, her personal passion to contribute to the health of women is overwhelmingly clear.”

In her personal essay Michaela wrote: “My work in Guaimaca and the lessons that I have derived from that experience have inspired me to work in the most impoverished areas of the world. The trip opened my eyes to a world of human suffering, poverty and injustice. Yet, what struck me most was that despite the hardships and the lack of basic medical necessities, the people of Guaimaca posses a spirit of courage, optimism and determination, which has enabled them to develop and prosper…Traveling to Malawi will deepen my understanding of public health and help me to prepare for my future goals.”

“So often in wealthy nations the generous and passionate among us think of helping in terms of we in the West giving and women in low-income countries receiving, says Ms. Rahman. “Michaela articulated the reality that women in low-income countries are not children who need to be parented by the West; moreover, while often uneducated, they are not unable to shape their own destinies.”

“Ensuring the rights of women everywhere is a shared responsibility and our common experiences are as important as the differences in our lives,” explains Ms. Rahman. “As a pre-med student with a commitment to public health, Michaela is bound to embrace this shared responsibility and we are delighted to contribute to her efforts to promote the health and dignity of women.”

To request permission to co-publish Ms. Maynard’s travel blog, or to schedule an interview contact Angeline Martyn at 646-649-9127 or via email amartyn@americansforunfpa.org.

Through advocacy and public awareness, Americans for UNFPA is dedicated to building American support for the work of UNFPA and to restoring the United States’ moral, political and financial contribution.

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If Michaela's story inspired you and you want to help her and millions of other women around the globe, here's three things you can do:

1. Support the International Women’s Health and Dignity Act
2. Change the World with a Contribution to Americans for UNFPA
3. Tell Three Friends about One Woman Can

Related Links

»Read Michaela's Essay