
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to Marie Claire. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Who: Christy Turlington Burns, Founder, Every Mother Counts
Day Jobs: Model, entrepreneur.
Driving Force: Every two minutes, a woman dies from complications during pregnancy or childbirth. That's 289,000 women worldwide every year, but Christy Turlington Burns, 45, focuses on a more hopeful number: 98 percent of those deaths are preventable.
Eureka Moment: Her interest in maternal health is deeply personal. After delivering her first child in 2003, she suffered a postpartum hemorrhage. "What was a manageable complication for me could likely be deadly for women in the developing world, which is crazy, because it's so preventable," she says. "I want every mother to have the same chance as I did."
Proof Positive: Since 2010, her nonprofit, Every Mother Counts, has given more than $1.4 million in grants to clinics and care providers across the globe, including a program in Malawi that is bringing solar power to 40 rural health clinics, and another in Haiti that trains midwives. "Many women are left for dead when things go wrong," Turlington Burns says. "Having someone there can literally make the difference between life and death."
Get Involved: everymothercounts.org
Related: 19 Other Women Who Are Changing the World
Photo via Peter Hapak
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
-
Princess Charlotte Can Do This Difficult Skill, Just Like Her Mom Princess Kate—But Kate Admits Charlotte is Better at It
“I’ll have to keep practicing now.”
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Pete Davidson’s Latest Romance Appears to Be with Madelyn Cline of ‘Outer Banks’ Fame
Both went through breakups this summer.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Selena Gomez Roasts Herself in TikTok Video: “Guess Who Has a Boyfriend? Not Me, Bi—”
She has been embracing her single status as of late.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Almost Famous
Half of the Shondaland dream team, the woman whose work brings 'Bridgerton' to life, is one of the most influential producers in Hollywood. And she’s ready for everyone to know it.
By Jessica M. Goldstein
-
Payal Kadakia Is Finally Sharing Her Secret Sauce to Success
In her new book, LifePass, the ClassPass founder gives you the tools to write your own success story.
By Neha Prakash
-
The Power Issue
Our November issue is all about power—having it, embracing it, and dressing for it.
By Marie Claire Editors
-
J. Smith-Cameron Is in Control
She’s Logan Roy’s right hand. She’s Roman’s ‘mommy girlfriend.’ And she’s a fan favorite. Here, the Succession star takes us behind the scenes of Gerri’s boardroom power plays.
By Jessica M. Goldstein
-
More Than A Pretty Face: Anna Schuleit
German-born artist Anna Schuleit went from anonymous to Einstein virtually overnight, thanks to a call from the MacArthur Foundation announcing that she'd won a 2006 "Genius" grant for $500,000.
By Katherine Turman
-
What Makes an Olympic Moment?
In the past it meant overcoming struggle...and winning. But why must athletes suffer to be inspiring?
By Megan DiTrolio
-
'The Other Black Girl' Gets Real About Racism in the Workplace
"It really hits home how many spaces don’t allow Black women to really show up as their authentic selves."
By Rachel Epstein
-
Melissa Moore's 'Life After Happy Face' Podcast Looks at Killers Through New Eyes
The true crime expert and daughter of the Happy Face Killer opens up to Marie Claire about destigmatizing the label of 'criminal's kid.'
By Maria Ricapito