In pictures: Fighting maternal mortality

Bishnu, 17, suffered the agony of a miscarriage in Nepal.

South Asia's high maternal mortality rates account for almost half of all maternal deaths throughout the world. Unicef says that the lack of adequate resources and knowledge not only results in preventable maternal deaths, but it severely impacts on children who are left motherless. Some studies suggest that these children are 10 times more likely than their peers to die within two years of their mothers' deaths.