The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood is a coalition of international organisations formed in 1999 to raise awareness of the need to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for all women in developed and developing countries. This publication describes the formation of the Alliance from its start to the global movement that it has become. This publication aims to demonstrate how a grassroots movement has led to actions that have apparently united individuals, governments, and others around the world to take action for safe motherhood. The publication also offers lessons learned by the global alliance.