SEATTLE, WA (May 4, 2011) – Sandy Nelson, a member of First Covenant Church here, designed the cover for “Every Mother Counts,” a CD featuring major artists to benefit maternal healthcare around the world.
The CD is a collaboration between Starbucks and Christy Turlington Burns who produced the documentary film “No Woman, No Cry” about the lack of maternal healthcare in the world. The film will be shown May 7 on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
The CD is on sale at Starbucks until May 9. Eight dollars of each $12.95 CD will be donated to Burns’ organization Every Mother Counts.
The musical project has received extensive publicity, including a mention by actress Gwyneth Paltrow on the “Ellen” show. Paltrow contributed a song to the CD, which also features cuts by major artists including Jennifer Lopez, Roseanne Cash, Dixie Chicks, and Sheryl Crow.
Nelson is the daughter of Covenant minister LeRoy Nelson and graduated from North Park University with a bachelor of arts degree. She has been a graphic designer with Starbucks for nearly 14 years.
The United Nations has identified five major barriers to improving healthcare for women and their children: lack of emergency care, access to quality care, improving postpartum care, strengthening systems and policies, and family planning.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said, “The rate of death for women as they give birth remains the starkest indicator of the disparity between rich and poor, both within and among countries.”
The international organization notes that complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for young women aged 15 to 19 in developing countries. Compared to women in their 20s, girls aged 15 to 19 are twice as likely to die in childbirth. Girls under the age of 15 are five times as likely to die in childbirth.
