A Conversation with Dr. Fred Sai
Lifelong activist and global health champion Dr. Fred Sai has been called “the godfather of family planning.” A member of Aspen Global Health and Development’s Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, the Ghanaian physician spoke at The Aspen Institute on Wednesday, November 14th, 2012, about how his life experiences have led him to believe that investing in women is the key to sustainable development, offering wisdom and inspiration for a new generation of advocates.
Kaiser Family Foundation’s Jackie Judd, formerly of ABC News and National Public Radio, interviewed Dr. Sai on his lifelong commitment to advocating for universal access to reproductive health and family planning. Dr. Sai discussed his life experiences growing up in Ghana and the daily reality of childbirth-related hardships facing the women in his family. Dr. Sai’s education in Britain showed him what access to modern healthcare could mean for the developing world and he has worked tirelessly trying to provide it. He also discussed his leading roles in many landmark international conferences for women’s and children’s health over the last half century, including the Conference on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Geneva in 1979, which resulted in worldwide reform in policies regarding child nutrition. Fresh from his 90th birthday celebration, Dr. Sai told the audience he hopes to see his advocacy mantle taken up by a younger generation of leaders and change-makers.
Watch a video of Dr. Sai’s interview here.
More of Dr. Sai’s story of becoming an advocate for access to family planning, along with stories of other members of the Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, can be found in the book Why We Care. The stories can also be found online at http://www.why-we-care.org/ .
Dr. Sai and the other members of the Global Leaders Council are currently soliciting nominations for the 2013 Resolve Award, celebrating progress made by governments toward universal access to reproductive health. Learn more about the award and how to apply here.
Follow the Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health’s reaction on Twitter @GLCRHresolve (http://twitter.com/GLCRHresolve) and share why you care about promoting access to reproductive health and family planning using #whywecare.
Photos from the event:
Lifelong activist and global health champion Dr. Fred Sai has been called “the godfather of family planning.” A member of Aspen Global Health and Development’s Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, the Ghanaian physician spoke at The Aspen Institute on Wednesday, November 14th, 2012, about how his life experiences have led him to believe that investing in women is the key to sustainable development, offering wisdom and inspiration for a new generation of advocates.