The World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that the scale of impoverishments of households due to out-of-pocket spending on health in some low income countries account for up to four percentage points of the total poverty headcount.18 The Asia-Pacific region has some of the highest out-of-pocket expenditures for health care in the world. Informed decision-making of the number, timing and spacing of children also improves both the health and earnings outcomes for both mothers and their children. Each birth has been estimated to reduce a reproductive woman's lifetime labour supply by approximately two years.19 Improvements in reproductive health services are also associated with reduced fertility rates among poorer women, which, in turn, increases their chances of survival. Equal opportunities for education are central to the development agenda: SDG 4 commits to inclusive, equitable and life-long quality learning opportunities for all.