Efforts to improve the health of African women, many of whom live in some of the poorest countries in the world, have largely focused on illnesses related to reproduction. It is estimated that while one-tenth of the world's women live in Sub-Saharan Africa, 40 percent of all pregnancy-related deaths occur in this region (CRLP 1999, 17). Reproductive health involves many different issues, and international and national organizations have set agendas that are often at odds with African women's priorities or what they see as appropriate for their communities. The diversity…