Mother, that magic and mysterious creature who cures all ills, rights all wrongs, comforts, cares, inspires, creates, smiles, laughs and loves unconditionally, is the “invisible victim.”

• 536,000 women die each year due to poor access to emergency obstetric care and limited health-care resources; more than 99% of all estimated maternal deaths occur in the developing world – Global Health Council
• Globally, at least one in three women and girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime – UN Commission on the Status of Women
• An estimated one million children, mostly girls, enter the sex trade each year – UNICEF
• “Honour killings” take the lives of thousands of young women every year, mainly in North Africa, Western Asia and parts of South Asia – UNFPA
• Of the 1.2 billion people living in poverty worldwide, 70 percent are women – Women’s eNews
• One in four young girls in developing countries suffers from iodine deficiency. Nearly a half billion women are stunted from malnutrition – Women’s eNews

Every woman is a daughter and every man is a son – it is our duty to protect and cultivate the rights of women so that they may have the opportunity to give birth to and raise children in a safe and healthy environment. How would a boy remember his first day of school without her soft kisses and words of encouragement? How will a girl become a woman without her guidance and support?

The Pledge For Moms Project is a non-profit website tailored to encourage the online community to take part in raising awareness of the suffering of our sisters, daughters, and mothers across the globe.



Mission
The mission of PledgeForMoms.org is to provide a platform for the online community to find information and inspiration in raising awareness of maternal mortality rates, women’s education and health issues, and human rights violations around the world.

2010 Goals

1. Recruit 1000 artists in the local and online communities for the Artists for Moms Project
2. Engage in the Save-a-Mother Project to help decrease maternal mortality and infant death rates in the Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India through collaborative efforts; set up relationships with other similarly driven websites
3. Select 10 Artists For Moms members to participate in and/or contribute work to the October Save-a-Mother event, and to raise $5,000
4. Provide relevant news and resources to allow the online community to understand and/or take action relating to women’s health, rights, education, career, and family issues
5. Participate in and document local charity events to serve as an example for the community and to recruit volunteers

Artists For Moms
Who are Artists For Moms? The Artists For Moms Project was a small effort started on this website sometime in the beginning of 2009. Initially, the project consisted of several individuals who contributed their work to highlight various issues that women face today. By the end of the year, 100s of artists from all over the world have requested to participate in the galleries, and volunteered to showcase their work to help me make the site more engaging and indexable. Delighted (and a little overwhelmed) by the surge of support, I decided to continue reaching out to artists who may be interested in showing their artwork for a good cause. My goal is to feature 1000 individual artists by the end of 2010 and use this ‘clout of creativity’ to inspire others to take part in their community and walk, run, jump, speak, write, draw, or sing for the cause they are passionate about. Additionally, select members of the Artists For Moms Project will be invited to take part in India Development Service’s Save-A-Mother events. 100% of the proceeds will go to field work in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Save-A-Mother.org
India Development Service (IDS) Save-A-Mother project aims to minimize suffering and death associated with pregnancy and child birth. We have been working in partnership with local NGOs in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Many other regions in India and rest of the world are in a similar situation where this program can be replicated.

Links to resources

• Bureau of Justice: Crime and Victim Statistics
• Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women
• Family Violence Prevention Fund
• RAINN Statistics
• Violence Against Women Online Resources
• World Health Organization: Gender Based Violence

About Me
My name is Mariya and I miss my mom. She died of cancer when I was 13. At first, I wanted to build a website that would be a tribute to her – PledgeForMom… my pledge to become a great woman, for my mother… because of my mother. I thought I would blog about my childhood, my brothers, my dad, my career – share myself with the online community. And somehow along the way, the idea began to sound superficial. I know my mom would have thought I was a genius! But she came from a different generation, and she would have been proud of me even if all I knew how to do was turn on my computer. That’s when it hit me. Why not create a website dedicated to all moms. I decided to keep the original name – PledgeForMoms – and crossed my fingers for good luck. Why couldn’t a website be dedicated to the promises we make our moms, the pledges that make us into better people? Why couldn’t a website raise awareness of issues by inspiring visitors through artwork? It has been over 2 years since I started working on it, and I am proud of having gained a small following and several long-term partners through the site. If you are interested in participating in Artists for Moms, or if you would like to share your own story or ideas, please feel free to contact me at MariyaNikiforova@PledgeForMoms.org.