More often than not, children born in rich countries win it, while those in poor countries lose. A childs life expectancy, health, education and so much more hinges on where he or she happens to enter the world. But theres also a lottery of motherhood, and expectant moms in developing countries are facing the toughest odds. Every year more than 350,000 women die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, most simply because they dont have access to basic delivery care. And the Ripple Effect is dramatic. When a mother dies, her children are more likely to be poor, more likely to die before the age of five, or to drop out of school if they survive. But private aid groups and governments are working hard to change the odds in the lottery of motherhood. In sierra leone, a place that save the children ranks as one of the very worst places to be a mom, a new Government Program is trying to turn the tide, as we see in this short film from viewchange. Woman after a brutal decadelong conflict, sierra leone has the highest child and Maternal Mortality rates in the world. [music plays] [dr. Tagie gbawrumansaray] im a medical doctor housed here at the princess christian maternity hospital. Narrator one in five children die before their first birthday and one in eight women die during pregnancy. Narrator the one Referral Hospital in the capital of freetown services a population of over 400,000 people. Ibraham thorlie good afternoon. Narrator though the hospital is severely understaffed, it is not the only reason so many people are dying. [ibraham thorlie] narrator and often, those patients who come too late are very close to death. [ibraham thorlie] narrator rather than watching their patients die, many doctors and nurses like rebecca pay for the worst cases from their own small salaries. Narrator victor is one of the few lucky survivors in a place where so many die. However, the government has Just Launched a Program ProvidingFree Health Care for pregnant women and children under five. [ibraham thorlie] narrator so where are the best and worst places to be a mom . For its state of the worlds mothers report, save the children studied 164 countries and compiled a mothers index. At the top of the index, women have what they need to thrive excellent medical services, plenty of Skilled Health workers, and opportunities for education and advancement. But the gap between the top and bottomranked countries is stark. At the bottom, one in three children suffers from malnutrition and one in 30 women will die from pregnancy related causes. And how does the United States stack up . Number 31. Americas Maternal Mortality is the highest of any industrialized nation. But the study is also clear about solutions that work, and the very best solution for helping moms and children more Health Workers on the front lines. The equation is simple. More doctors, more midwives and community Health Workers means more mothers and children surviving childbirth and the early years of life. Nowhere is this more clear than a place like nepal, which is ranked 133rd on the mothers index. This viewchange short film from living proof tells the story. [b singing trslator name is maheori. Im years o. My husnd went india work. He there ino food. No rice, nnothing. Aroundere thes noork. Am very,ery scar. Everyo has beeasking aut it, d that mes me ev more ared. My firsthild wasreach bo, and i mit just d this ti. If i will live, i will live. If will di i will e. Me said ke her to the hpital. Some saidrive hedown. Everne had onions. But how uld you t a car wiout mone in novber, my ughter was bo. I had e baby iour cow ed. For 12ays aftethe birt e baby a i were pt in t cow she on t 13th da were alwed out. Yocantake a nborn in t house. Gogets ang. Youre better off in the cow shed. Induka kari she was completely unaware of the fact that she would need medical care, because her first child was breach born. Ifhe hadnt gotten proper carey a traid birth atndant, s would he died. Maheswor i rest foseven da, but th its back twork. I ve to pod the ri, carry water, c grass, d chop wd. Lifes tough re. Narrator dont go away. When we return, one countrys child Health Success story that has the rest of the world taking notice. Narrator if theres one overwhelming Success Story in maternal and child health, it can be found in malawi, where almost half the country, 40 , lives in poverty. But for years, the government has been investing in all sorts of new plans for lifesaving care. The result . The number of deaths in children under five has been cut in half over the past 20 years. Malawis striking results are strongly linked to efforts on the ground, house by house, community to community, to give mothers the support they need. Living proof has this Success Story from malawi. Man my name is laitom chawinga and i have six grandchildren. I was born at home in 1948. In previous days, pregnant mothers were using unsafe methods. Some would have their babies in grass huts. After giving birth, they would leave babies on the ground in the cold. We didnt know better. We had a lot of deaths. One day, hospital workers asked uso be a part of the agogo program. We go to their house. We talk to both the man and the woman. We show them pictures and tell them what can happen if they give birth at home, that the mother of the baby can fall sick or die. Deaths have decreased, diseases have decreased, and life has improved. I am very happy because if the student fails, you are not a good teacher. I see fruits of what i teach, and im proud that i am a good teacher. Narrator access to healthcare isnt the whole story, of course. Helping women must include an investment in education. In rural bangladesh, communities are learning the real value of empowering women. This film from save the children shows that giving girls a voice can be the most powerful solution of all. Woman shilpis father died when she was very young. Her mother worked as a maid to support shilpi and two younger sons. She earned only enough to feed them one meal a day. When save the children started the girls voices project nearby, shilpi joined. She met with other teenage girls to build self confidence and learn new skills like making a budget and saving money. Shilpi realized she could help support her family even without working outside the home. She started her First Business weaving mats. Narrator around the world, communities are coming together not only to save the lives of mothers and children, but to improve them, to give women real opportunities to change the courses of their lives. Basic healthcare can solve the most urgent crises, but a bigger sea change, one that empowers women to learn, to marry later, and to decide when to have children will ultimately close the gaps in the odds that mothers face. Those changes are happening every day, country by country and girl by girl. Sometimes in places like india, something as simple as a bicycle can make all the difference. Armene modi for about a couple of years, we only focused on adult women and literacy for them. And i noticed ny of thgirls who came to the clas wereery, veryoung gis th mangalsutra, which is gold anblack beed neckle aroundheir necks,hich in dia is a sbol of mrimony. And th had babs on the hipsand i stted to a whs ing on a why are such young girls married f alread modi inany villes, there were only schools the seventh grade. There re no hi schoolsso we wked in 1villagest that point inime, andhere wer ly threeigh schos. So thei asked,ou know, ked the rents, t mothers we, what happens to the boys . You ow, how you sen thboys to hool . And theyaid, wel we ge them bycles. Ani said, ll, whatbout the gis . And theyaid, oh,o. s waste ofoney to ve a bicye to a gl. Shes gointo turn ound and get married. And thes famous iian ying whwater a ant ths ing to gw in a nghbors garden so thoughtmy god, it ly a bicle thats keepg gis from gng to scol, ls gohead andyou know give it them. [bhati] haratis moth] [brati] man like what you saw . Then visit viewchange. Org, link tvs brandnew multimedia website. Watch over 200 stories about new solutions to the developing worlds biggest challenges, get involved with the issues, share the stories with friends, and help change the world all at viewchange. Org. Narrator to read the full 2011 state of the worlds mothers report and to learn more about save the children, visit savethechildren. Org. uququd hello, im john cleese. The inquiry into human consciousness is, in many ways, the holy grail of this Global Spirit series. Just remember, for centuries, consciousness was only talked about by spiritual types, but by the end of the 20th century, quantum physicists, the real top science guys, began their own studies of this rather weird thing called consciousness. Suddenly, they were claiming that consciousness is quite possibly the single connecting force of the entire universe. So here we go. Sit back, take a deep breath, as we join our trusted guide and host, phil cousineau, heading off to the outer frontiers of consciousness in this most engaging episode of global sprit, the first internal travel series