ABC News, UN Launch Million Moms Challenge

Monday, ABC News and the UN Foundation launched an initiative engaging millions of Americans to support millions of moms across the globe around the critical issues of pregnancy, childbirth and children’s health — moms here helping moms worldwide.

The Million Moms Challenge will be featured on weekly segments on ABC News’ broadcasts including Good Morning America, World News with Diane Sawyer, Nightline and 20/20, as well as other ABC News platforms, including ABCNews.com and ABC News Radio.

ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser, Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts, ABC World News weekend anchor David Muir, Nightline anchor Cynthia McFadden, This Week anchor Christiane Amanpour and Juju Chang will be among those contributing reports. The initiative will lead up to an hour-long edition of 20/20 on maternal health anchored by Diane Sawyer on Dec. 16 (10-11 p.m. ET).

Using the latest in social media strategies together with the broadcast and digital news platforms of ABC News, this initiative hopes to “build a vibrant community that connects moms everywhere around things all mothers care about: the right nutrition to support their pregnancies, trained midwives to assist in safe deliveries of newborns, and vaccines that allow children to survive to celebrate their first birthdays and beyond,” ABC said in a statement.

As part of the initiative, a dedicated website (www.millionmomschallenge.com) will provide a live, interactive forum for some of the nation’s top mom bloggers to share their stories and ideas through blogs and video posts in real time with moms and midwives in the developing world. Viewers who want to know more and get involved will find ways large and small to make a meaningful impact through simple, inexpensive interventions that make a real difference for mothers and children around the world.

The Million Moms Challenge is asking a million Americans to join the movement by signing up on the Challenge’s website or on Facebook.

The Million Moms Challenge is a joint effort of ABC News and the UN Foundation, in conjunction with corporate partners Johnson & Johnson and Baby Center. BabyCenter is a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies. BabyCenter will encourage its 25 million moms in the United States and overseas to join the Million Moms Challenge. In recognition of the first 100,000 people who sign on to the Million Moms Challenge, Johnson & Johnson will donate $100,000 to several of the biggest NGOs helping moms and babies throughout the world.