Comotion

Birth connects all of us, whether we've given birth ourselves or simply been born.   But due to countless social, political, and economic barriers to safe and respectful health services for pregnant and birthing people worldwide, this natural and universal process can become disempowering, traumatising, or even life-threatening, with a pregnancy or birth-related death occurring every two minutes according to the World Health Organization.   By listening to communities about the specific barriers to birth justice that they are experiencing, and centring their practices on flexibility and trust, funders have the potential to make deep, lasting change for maternal and newborn health.   Thank you Jamarah Amani, Ritah Anindo Obonyo, Faith Mtema -Macheke, Emmanuella Nwabrije, Renita Edwin, and all those who have contributed their invaluable insights to the Birth Justice Initiative since it launched last year.   To find out more about the communities we interviewed in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Sierra Leone are saying is needed to move the needle on maternal and newborn health, as well as how we translated that into recommendations for donors, read the Birth Justice Initiative's new reports here: https://lnkd.in/dK2g7tSz

Looking for a new role in social impact? These roles just dropped on our jobs board! ⤵️   💼 Digital Designer ASL19, Toronto 🇨🇦 ($75,000 CAD annually) 💼 Operations Manager ASL19, Toronto 🇨🇦 ($85,000 CAD annually) 💼 National LGBT+ Independent Sexual Violence Advocate, Galop, Remote 🇬🇧 (£28,330 GBP annually) 💼 Senior Philanthropy Advisor, GiveWell, Remote 🇺🇸 £220,000 GBP annually 💼 Senior Monitoring Learning & Evaluation Officer, Masakhane African Languages Hub, Remote across Africa, ($49,200 USD annually)   Let us help you find your next new role or perfect candidate here. ➡️ https://bit.ly/44CpWK0 Or are you hiring? Don't forget to list your vacancies on our jobs board. It's free, covers all world regions, and we only feature jobs that are social-impact related. ➡️ https://bit.ly/44CpWK0   #GetHired #Opportunities #SocialImpactJobs

To protect health & support #breastfeeding, women need: 💟 Paid maternity leave - preferably 6+ months – in line with WHO recommendations for exclusive breastfeeding 💟 Time off for breastfeeding or expressing milk upon return to work 💟 Breastfeeding-friendly workplaces & affordable childcare https://bit.ly/4wyTpzy #WorldBreastfeedingWeek

Let's start the new month with some new connections and conversations.   Whatever we're working on right now, we all need a way to feel present in order to make the impact we talk about and feel rooted in the issue.   Presence is the outward expression of your purpose and power. It is the way people experience you: your tone, clarity, honesty, confidence. Presence is shaped by the stories you tell, the language you choose, the courage with which you communicate, and the choices you make about where and how you show up.   For some, this is loud: going to protests, speaking at conventions, even publishing articles or social media posts to raise your voice on the issue.   For others, this is quieter but still powerful: listening to those affected by issues tell their stories, how we raise our children, or the private conversations where we take a stand.   In a world saturated with misinformation and AI-produced content, authenticity is fundamental to your personal or organisational brand. People trust what feels human.    💬 Tell us: What's one way you show up for the causes you care about? Where do you most enjoy showing up—LinkedIn, your local community, newsletters, podcasts, events, somewhere else? What's the most meaningful impact you've seen come from simply showing up?   And as you're reading the comments, if you spot someone whose work or values align with yours, introduce yourself. Start a conversation. Follow each other. You never know which comment could lead to a collaboration, campaign, friendship, job, or community. 💜   #Presence #MotivationMonday

At Comotion, we are firm believers that you don’t need a title to lead. If you care about something, your community, your work, the world around you, that's what truly counts.   That's why we're thrilled to be partnering with Women of the World (WOW) to bring our #SaySomething workshop to a wider audience.   Both WOW 365 members and Comotion mailing list subscribers can join live for free.   Details ⤵️ 📆 Thursday 13 August, 1pm BST/ 8am EST/ 3pm EAT 📍Online 🎟️ Limited places available for WOW 356 members and Comotion subscribers. (Links in the comments!)   In this 90-minute interactive online session, we'll explore a simple but powerful framework for values-led leadership, helping you get clearer on what matters to you, understand where your influence already exists, and take practical steps to show up with confidence and purpose.   Whether you're an artist, organiser, leader or simply someone who wants to make a difference, this session is for you. WOW 365 gives you access to the WOW festival feeling all year round through live and on-demand events and exclusive content.   Every membership supports WOW's vital work with women, girls and non-binary people across the globe.

Improving maternal and newborn health requires more than stronger health services. It also requires investment in the people, organisations and movements working every day to improve outcomes in their communities. That's why we're excited to share two new resources from Comotion, Global Fund for Women and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Birth Justice Initiative (BJI): 📝The Birth Justice Narrative Report explores how grassroots leaders across diverse contexts understand birth, care, autonomy and justice. It offers a shared language for movements working across interconnected issues: https://lnkd.in/dyXRfRCb 💸The Birth Justice Donor Policy Report builds on those insights to show how funders can better support maternal and newborn health by investing in locally-led, feminist approaches through long-term, flexible funding: https://lnkd.in/dfKaZYMW Together, these reports offer practical insights for anyone working to improve maternal and newborn health by strengthening community leadership, advancing dignity and rights, and supporting locally-led solutions. Whether you're part of a movement, a donor, policymaker or an advocate, please read them, share them and join the conversation. #BirthJustice #MaternalHealth #NewbornHealth

Global progress on maternal and newborn health has stalled. Poverty, disability, adolescent pregnancy, conflict and climate change continue to put millions of women and babies at unnecessary risk. There is a different path forward. Funders can have a far greater impact by investing in the organisations already embedded in communities—those that understand local realities, have earned trust, and are improving maternal and newborn health every day, often with very limited resources. Long-term, flexible funding gives these organisations the stability to strengthen health systems, respond to changing needs, and create lasting change. Last year, Comotion partnered with the UK's @Foriegn, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Global Fund for Women to launch the Birth Justice Initiative (BJI). The initiative explored how funding can better support grassroots organisations leading change for women, babies and communities. Its newly released Donor Policy Report offers practical recommendations for donors, policymakers and development partners looking to make their investments more effective, equitable and locally led. If you care about improving maternal and newborn health, this report is well worth reading. Read it here and share widely: https://lnkd.in/eie6XjSW

Improving maternal and newborn health requires more than stronger health services. It also requires investment in the people, organisations and movements working every day to improve outcomes in their communities.   That's why we're excited to share two new resources from the Birth Justice Initiative (BJI), a project we launched last year in partnership with Global Fund for Women and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office:   📝 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 explores how grassroots leaders across diverse contexts understand birth, care, autonomy and justice. It offers a shared language for movements working across interconnected issues: https://lnkd.in/dyXRfRCb 💸 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 builds on those insights to show how funders can better support maternal and newborn health by investing in locally-led, feminist approaches through long-term, flexible funding: https://lnkd.in/dfKaZYMW   Together, these reports offer practical insights for anyone working to improve maternal and newborn health by strengthening community leadership, advancing dignity and rights, and supporting locally-led solutions.   So whether you're part of a movement, a donor, policymaker or an advocate, please read them, please help amplify this critical work by sharing them and joining the conversation.   #BirthJustice #MaternalHealth #NewbornHealth GIWYN Nigeria Ijeoma Rita Egwuatu tina lubayo Fadekemi Akinfaderin Fòs Feminista Comrade Olubunmi Lawal-Aiyedun Third Sector Builders

We are finally (slowly) starting to reduce the stigma around menstruation and other areas of women's health. Is menopause the final frontier?   A woman ageing often framed as a story of loss. Loss of youth, loss of fertility, loss of desirability, and therefore, thanks to the society we live in, a loss of value and relevance.   For many women though, this new life stage brings a new sense of freedom to just be their raw, authentic selves without apologising after half a lifetime of being conditioned to please. To perform. To put their own needs and true opinions aside for the comfort of others.   Can you relate?   Read more from our COO Goli Nili on how entering perimenopause has triggered a new approach to power, purpose, and influence.   Link in the comments.

Why does Comotion exist?   Because the people changing the world deserve more than good ideas. They deserve the space, strategy and support to turn those ideas into lasting influence.   In this short video, our founder, Rachel Firth, shares what drives our work, what we do, and why it matters (on a panel at United States Institute of Peace's Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in 2023.) If you're building movements, shifting narratives, influencing policy, or trying to create change that lasts, we'd love to be part of the conversation.   Find out more on our website.   Who should we be collaborating with next? Tag the organisations, leaders and movements you think we should know.