Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

The government of India has made major efforts to reduce the number of women who die during pregnancy and childbirth. Yet Indian women from low-caste and tribal communities continue to face much higher risks of maternal deaths than others. Many of these women feel that the government's approach-offering money to encourage hospital births-does not reflect their real needs or experiences. They also face discrimination in the health system. This project explored what maternal health means to low-caste and tribal women in India, and how existing services can better support them. Through community consultations and a review of existing research, our team created a draft framework that describes maternal health from their perspective. In December 2025, Ms. Ottsen travelled to India to share this framework with community members and gather their feedback using Maternal Life-Course Mapping-an arts-based activity in which women discuss and map their experiences, priorities, and needs across their reproductive lives. Together with community women, frontline health workers, and a local organization, Ms. Ottsen refined this framework and co-created recommendations for future programs and policies. The goal was to ensure that maternal health services are culturally-appropriate, respectful, and grounded in the values and realities of the women themselves. By doing so, this research aimed to bridge the gap between global definitions and disadvantaged women's local experiences of maternal health.