This May, I want to honor motherhood by drawing attention to the fight for maternal and infant health care around the world. I visited Ghana in 2012 with the UNFPA and was able to see firsthand the struggles women in that country face accessing adequate health care for themselves and their children. Ghana, a relative success story in Africa, is but a microcosm of a much larger problem. Women all over the developing world and impoverished women in the developed world face a very different reality than most of us have known as we welcomed our children into the world.

Ghana has long been known as Africa’s “Golden Child” because it has enjoyed long periods of relative peace and prosperity. A vital part of Ghana’s success are the long-standing policies the country has had in favor of maternal and reproductive health. Because of these policies and because of the efforts of the UNFPA, efforts launched in 1972 to ensure maternal and reproductive health, many Ghanaian women have access to adequate medical treatment during pregnancy and childbirth.

However, even with government policies and non-governmental organizations like the UNFPA working to ensure maternal health, the maternal mortality rate is still too high (350 deaths per 100,000 live births) and only half of all births are attended by skilled personnel. For all its economic vitality, Ghana still has a distinct divide between the north and south. The more rural northern area suffers from much higher rates of infant and maternal mortality and a fertility rate at nearly twice that of the rest of the country. One of the disparities between pregnant women in urban and rural areas and between the educated and uneducated is access to well-equipped facilities staffed by well-trained midwives and other medical professionals.

The rural north is also plagued by teenage pregnancies and girls in the 15 to 24 age group account for approximately one-third of all births every year. These young girls rarely have access to adequate family planning information and services.

As I traveled throughout Ghana in October of 2012, I was able to witness the valuable and effective work done by the UNFPA to address these issues. I met women who were faced with giving birth in less than ideal circumstances. I saw the importance of trained midwives to ensure the health of newborns and their mothers. I documented the strong communities of women that develop around childbearing, childbirth, and child rearing. In a country that is still very much a patriarchy, the women of Ghana, with the help of organizations like the UNFPA, are working to address the needs of women and their children.

It’s true, being a mother is a right and a blessing, but becoming a mother without adequate access to quality health care can be a tragedy.

Exhibition Dates:  May 1 – May 31, 2013

Every Mother Counts

Friends of UNFPA

Global Giving

I want to thank the community of Sun Valley, Idaho, for the strong show of support during the FAMILY OF WOMAN FILM FESTIVAL 6 weekend. The films screened during the festival raised questions, provoked debates, inspired conversations, and expanded our thoughts beyond the boundaries of our lived experiences.

The people who choose to live in this community share a drive to always be a part of something bigger than ourselves; it’s this aspect of our community that has always moved me and is the driving force to continue to bring quality films, talented filmmakers, and well-renowned speakers to this valley. We look forward to continuing the dialogue that connects us to the larger world.

“Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.” ― Elie Wiesel,

Friends of UNFPA

UNFPA 

Stephanie Freid-Perenchio will be exhibiting some of her photographs from her personal show, HomefrontUSA, at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts for their current exhibition, HOME FRONT, a show that runs March 1st – May 25th, 2013.

Sun Valley Center for the Arts – HOME FRONT Exhibition PDF

But the battles don’t end when war does. As soldiers return from Afghanistan and Iraq, we see how reintegrating into life at home can be a battle as well. Many soldiers come home with physical injuries or psychological wounds such as post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma, or traumatic brain injuries that tax everyone in the family.

Home Front USA looks at the sacrifices (small and large) that our military men and women and their families make in the service of our country; it also considers the monumental challenges facing our military communities and our nation as these wars draw to a close.

Exhibition Dates: February 15 – May 30, 2013

Protect Our Defenders

Invisible War

Navy SEAL Foundation

Higher Ground Sun Valley

Twin Falls, Idaho  KMVT-TV / KTWT-TV Stephanie Freid- Perenchio and Peggy Goldwyn discuss The Family of Woman Film Festival 6 starting March 1st thru March 3rd in SunValley Idaho. http://www.kmvt.com/features/riseandshine/The-Family-of-Woman-Film-Festival-192492821.html

February 26th 2013- KECH 95.3  On the Morning Show, Dayle Ohlau talks with Family of Woman Film Festival co-chairs Peggy Goldwyn and Stephanie Freid- Perenchio about the film festival, UNFPA, Friends of UNFPA and their collaboration with Higher Ground on opening night Friday March 1st with the film  THE INVISIBLE WAR. http://kech95.com/cafe/

Women In Film Audio Interview…CLICK HERE

is pleased to announce a special limited-edition photography box set showcasing 3 of her most popular exhibits, The TRIBE, The WILD and VANISHING COWBOYS. These photo box sets will be available starting Jan 1, 2013. As a valued customer and friend we would like to offer you a chance to pre-order your LE photo box set starting Nov 15 through Dec 31, 2012.

10-12 Archival Carbon Black & White – Color Prints signed and numbered by the artist.

Archival leather bound porfolio box with an African beaded shell design on the cover that is inserted in a leather/suede or animal skin carrier pouch.

THE TRIBE-Edition of 5 10-B/W Archival Carbon Prints
….with narrative.
   Kenya 2007-2009
   Paper Size:  11×14 $1000 Paper Size:  13×19 $1250 Signed
….and numbered  by the artist.

VANISHING COWBOYS-Edition of 5 12-B/W-Color Archival
…. Carbon Prints with narrative.
….Rocky Mountains 2002-2010
….Paper Size:  11×14 $1200 Signed and numbered by
…. the artist.

THE WILD-Edition of 5 12-B/W Archival Carbon Prints
…. with narrative.
….East Africa 2007-2010
….Paper Size:  11×14 $1200 Paper Size:  13×19 $1400
…. Signed and numbered by the artist.

To order: please contact Nikki at
SFP STUDIO | 208-727-6803 or by email nikki@sfpstudio.com

Beginning in 2001, with unprecedented access to the notoriously secretive Navy SEAL community, Stephanie Freid-Perenchio spent seven years documenting the lives of Navy SEALs and their families for her book, SEAL: The Unspoken Sacrifice Since then, Stephanie has photographed in war zones and in areas of geo-political turmoil; she has documented the ever-threatened animals of Africa and captured the fading way of life of the American cowboy. And that’s just to name a few of the topics that Stephanie has photographed. A humanitarian documentary photographer, Stephanie is a prolific artist who is never satisfied to sit on the sideline and just take the shot—rather, she is an artist of action using her photography to create change. Not only does she donate a portion of every photograph sold to various non-profit organizations connected to the subjects of the photograph, but she has also given her time, energy, and talent to a number of causes close to her heart. Stephanie understands that photography can be used as a tool for social change. In fact, this idea is the fuel powering her passion. Read More…

Sun Valley Property News Magazine feature story.
Written by Rryan Waterfield
Photos by Stephanie Freid- Perenchio, Photographer

United Nations, New York — UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, last week visited Sun Valley, Idaho, where he was the key guest of honour at the Fifth Family of Women Film Festival. Dedicated to documentaries addressing women’s status and empowerment at the global level, this year’s festival focused on the Middle East and North Africa.

Dr. Osotimehin opened the festival on 1 March at a special ceremony that screened Saving Face winner of the 2012 Oscar for Best Documentary (short). The film highlights the practice of disfiguring women in Pakistan, typically as a result of acid attacks caused by domestic violence, jealousy, land disputes or marital and pre-marital disagreements. Dr. Osotimehin then provided opening remarks and fielded questions with the documentary’s director, Daniel Junge, and protagonist Dr. Mohammed Jawad.

During the festival, Dr. Osotimehin presented remarks on gender-based violence and the empowerment of women, and their linkages to reproductive health, with examples of UNFPA’s work in those fields. He also had several meetings with key leaders of the North-western United States, both residents of Sun Valley and other guests at the event.

The festival is co-chaired by Peggy Goldwyn, a Board Member of Friends of UNFPA, and Stephanie Freid-Perenchio, humanitarian documentary photographer from Sun Valley, ID.

Box With Her Documentary from Tunisia, made by a man/woman directing team. Women boxers from Tunisia have won African and world titles. Between 17 and 30 years old, they reveal themselves as spontaneous, sensitive, and sometimes bitter, speaking about their relationship with men, with society and their passion for their chosen sport. The camera follows them in their daily lives, in the ring, at their places of work, in their homes and in their relationships with men – both personally and as symbols of the struggle to break down female stereotypes in the Arab world.

Salaam Dunk Documentary from Iraq, presented by filmmaker Beau Lewis. Basketball is much more than a game in this stirring documentary about a women’s basketball team at the American University of Iraq in Kurdistan. For the team, most of whom have never touched a basketball or been allowed to play any sport, it is a blissful release from the realities of a war-torn nation. From all ethnicities and sects – Arab, Kurd, Christian, Sunni, Shiite, they find joy in playing and a deep love for the young American man who coaches them, and show an Iraq united in a way we’ve never seen before.

The Price of Sex Documentary shot in Bulgaria, Moldavia, Cairo, Dubai and Istanbul. Bulgarian filmmaker, Mimi Chakarova, achieves extraordinary access to the underground criminal network of human trafficking, even posing as a prostitute. She travels from impoverished areas in post-Communist Eastern Europe to the Middle East, interviewing trafficked women willing to trust her and appear on film undisguised. Their harrowing first-person accounts, as well as interviews with traffickers, clients, and anti-trafficking activists, expose the root causes, complex connections, and stark significance of sexual slavery today. (Note: possible presentation by Mimi Chakarova)

Saving Face: 2012 Academy Award winner Documentary from Pakistan, presented by Daniel Junge, American filmmaker, Pakistani co-director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and Pakistani plastic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Jawad. This documentary, short-listed for an Oscar (finalists to be announced late January), follows Dr. Jawad from his successful practice in London to Pakistan, where he is introduced to women who have been victims of acid attacks. The film then focuses on some of these women as they grapple with what has happened to them. As well as following their reconstructive surgery, the film shows Pakistani women helping each other cope and to seek justice for the victims.

For more information please visit,
http://www.americansforunfpa.org/NetCommunity/page.aspx?pid=1068

Family of Women Film Festival Interview:  http://www.conciergequestionnaire.com/ur_here/story.php?id=127

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin “shares his NYC”:  http://www.conciergequestionnaire.com/q.php?id=413