Position Paper on Maternal and Infant Mortality in the Democratic Republic of the Congo By David V. Strider, RN, CCRN, MSN , BB( ASCP), ACNP May 4, 2010 The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has one of the highest infant mortality and maternal mortality rates in the world. In 2007 the infant mortality rate was 108 per 1,000 live births, which reflected only a 15% decrease over two decades. In 2007 the DRC maternal mortality rate was 1,100 per 100,000 live births. We know that 161 DRC children will die, for every 1,000 children, before they reach the age of five. Various surveys affirm that at least 76% of the DRC population is undernourished. Only 36% of the DRC infants receive exclusive breastfeeding. (World Bank Group Data Profile for Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2010). Compounding the maternal and infant health problems are the high

This is a test blog. The website is now up and running, there are links which are still in the works. I hope to make this a user friendly website, which will inform as well as help bring together people who wish to help the cause.