Lisa Darsch, M.S.N., RN, an adjunct clinical instructor for the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing, recently presented a talk to the United Nations on funding entrepreneurs in emerging markets.
The founder of Zero Mothers Die invited Darsch to present as part of the Women Leaders Forum. Zero Mothers Die is a global partnership initiative to save the lives of pregnant women, new mothers and their babies. The group’s aim is to reduce maternal mortality by putting mobile technologies in the hands of these women. In doing so, they hope to increase their access to healthcare and information to have a healthy pregnancy and childbirth.
The organization acts as a safety net, providing mobile phones to pregnant women in Ghana, Mali, Tanzania and Zambia. The phone comes with 30 minutes of airtime for the mother to call a physician for advice on issues with her pregnancy. The phone is also used as a management tool to allow the organization to locate the mother in cases where she is in need of specialized care.
Darsch’s connection to Africa comes from her work with entrepreneurs in Europe in the life sciences area, as well as prior missions trips to the continent. She works closely with several international organizations on projects in her subject matter expertise, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations, Zero Mothers Die, Universal Doctor, Global eHealth Consultants, the African Development Association and the European Venture Philanthropy Association as well as her own organization, CEO Collaborative Forum, which is based in Barcelona, Spain.
For those with an interest in international health, as well as the creation of policy and the implementation process, Darsch will lead a Global Experiential Learning (GEL) trip in May 2015 to Switzerland, to visit and be involved in the World Health Assembly hosted by the United Nations and the World Health Organization in Geneva. For more information on this trip, contact Darsch at ldarsch@su.edu.