A Book Project: 14952639_pb001childbirth

Faizabad, Badakshan : A pregnant woman lays on a table waiting for a caesarean section ( C-section) in the operation room at the Badakshan Provincial hospital. Crises put pregnant women at greater risk due to sudden loss of medical support, trauma, malnutrition, disease and exposure to violence. Many mothers are having children too young along with diet, and extreme poverty they face huge challenges having a healthy pregnancy. Afghan women also deal with vitamin D deficiency from staying indoors and being covered up. In the rural parts of the country, in remote areas Afghan women deliver with no skilled help because women cannot leave home without a male and there aren\'t enough midwives to help every mother in need given Afghanistan\'s poor infrastructure.

June 2, 2011

(Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)