In hopes of raising awareness about the important issue of global maternal health, Helium partnered with the Pulitzer Center to sponsor a writing contest as part of the Global Issues/Citizen Voices Essay Contest asking the question, “Hundreds of thousands of women die each year due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. What are the first steps to making a difference?”
With 41 entries the variety of topics was broad. The winner is Helium writer Alexandra Fielden with her article about the Millennium Development Goal 5 and her experience working on women’s reproductive health in the Maldives. The article was rated fifth on Helium. Congrats Alexandra!
“I think Helium’s partnership with the Pulitzer Center is an absolutely superb way to get people thinking about important issues facing the world today. The medium enables the public to start to form their own opinions, and to question their validity, as opposed to simply reading about what ‘the experts’ think and immediately forgetting about it afterward,” says Fielden. “Personal (sometimes emotional) connections and the public’s interaction with these issues seems to me to be an excellent way of creating an impact by facilitating ‘social e-momentum’ towards positive change. Many thanks to Helium and the Pulitzer Center!”
For more information on this issue read the corresponding coverage at the Pulitzer Gateway Dying for Life page. Or read all the Helium articles now.
