As different as many of their experiences are from mine -- fighting their husbands for the right to plan, struggling to put food on the table -- there is something universal in motherhood that unites us.

My vision is, within the next 100 years, but hopefully much sooner, women everywhere will have the knowledge to save their lives, and the lives of their babies. Yes, it is ambitious -- but if don't imagine it, we will never achieve it.

Many of the programs on which poor women and children depend for their survival are at risk of losing support in the halls of government. But the thing that gives me hope is our story.

Simply teaching mothers to hold their babies against their skin can make huge differences in a baby's health.

I am filled with tremendous optimism mostly due to one fact: while we here at the foundation might be working hard to help lift people out of poverty, the poor are working harder.