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Nearly 830 women die in Nepal for every 100,000 live births. This is the 16th worst maternal mortality rate in the world. So when Dr. Yogesh Shah, associate dean of global affairs for Des Moines University, met Charlie Wittmack, a world class adventurer, speaker, educator, attorney and family man planning a first-of-its-kind intercontinental triathlon that goes through Nepal, the wheels started to turn.
Wittmack was the first Iowan to climb Mount Everest and the man who attempted to swim the English Channel in 2008. He will embark on The World Triathlon, an 11-month expedition to swim, bike and run nearly 12,000 miles through 12 countries, an unprecedented feat even for world-caliber triathlon participants.
Dr. Shah saw Wittmack’s downtime in Nepal training to climb Mount Everest as a wonderful opportunity for global health outreach. So when The World Tri group reaches Kathmandu, Nepal, DMU will provide on-site clinicians and students to work with them to provide training on safe childbearing. DMU will team up with its partners, the World Health Organization and the White Ribbon Alliance, and medical professionals to work with local birth attendants to teach best practices and provide equipment for complicated deliveries with DMU’s state-of-the-art simulators. There will also be a push for public awareness and education.
