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From Bangladesh to Mali, EVERY ONE draws crowds and makes headlines on World Pneumonia Day

On 12 November people around the world took action as part of Save the Children’s campaigning activities for World Pneumonia Day, calling on governments to take action to stop the world’s biggest killer of children. In events that featured celebrity ambassadors, mass rallies, and political decision makers, Save the Children acted as a strong and credible voice calling for an end to 1.5 million avoidable child deaths from pneumonia every year.

In Mali, Minister of Health presided over a public rally that ended with a performance by the renowned Mali singer and Every One campaign ambassador Babane Kone.

In Nepal, over5000 people attended a concert by nationally acclaimed band Kutumba. Read a blog written by EVERY ONE campaigner Sharda Basnet here.

In Malawi, an awareness-raising event was held to highlight the dangers of indoor smoke inhalation, a major cause of pneumonia in the developing world. There were workshops on the dangers of indoor smoke and training on how to use thelow emission, environmentally friendly ‘rocket stove.’ A‘Smoke Out Pneumonia’ public meeting drew over 500 people.

In Bangladesh, Save the Children partnered with 19 medical colleges and 25 schools to carry out a number of activities which drew widespread media coverage. You can see a video summary of Bangladesh’s activities here.

In India, Save the Children India staff organised health camps, street plays and fun runs across the country, while thousands of woollen caps, donated by Save the Children Netherlands, were distributed to vulnerable children. EVERY ONE campaign ambassador and Bollywood star Shabana Azmi lent her voice to the campaign.

Events were also held in Afghanistan, Egypt and Liberia.

With a social media reach of over 900,000, World Pneumonia Day combined popular mobilisation, cutting-edge policy research and advocacy. Reaching policy makers, celebrities and thousands of people on the ground, it succeeded in raising the profile of pneumonia as one of the greatest public health threats to children in the world today, and of the critical need for governments to act now to stop it.

 

33,000 child deaths while Commonwealth leaders meet in Perth

In advance of the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on October 28 in Perth, Save the Children, along with a coalition of health workers and other aid agencies, is calling for more to be done to prevent 33,000 children dying from preventable illnesses in Commonwealth countries.

Catherine Ojo, an award-winning Nigerian health worker travelling to Perth for CHOGM, says no woman should die giving life, yet so many women and children continue to die from pneumonia and diarrhoea - both of which are easily preventable diseases. 

“There is a gap of 3.5 million health workers and I have travelled from Nigeria to Perth to ask Commonwealth leaders to stand up and lead a health revolution, which will save the lives of many children across the Commonwealth,” she says.

At the turn of the new millennium, world leaders promised to cut the number of child deaths by two thirds before 2015, as part of the Millennium Development Goals.  Yet today, among the 20 Commonwealth countries that made this commitment, seventeen are off-track.  A key factor is the lack of health workers on the ground in communities who can diagnose illnesses, dispense treatment, assist at birth and administer vaccines.

CEO of Save the Children Liz Gibbs says Save the Children has contributed to the global call for health workers by supporting the training of 400,000 health workers in developing countries and wants Commonwealth Governments to fulfil their commitments to provide millions more.

“The Commonwealth is well-positioned to lead the world and commit to addressing the critical shortage of health workers necessary to save the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children and mothers,” Ms Gibbs says. 

There have been notable commitments made by a number of Commonwealth countries including Australia, which has committed to train and support tens of thousands of health workers in countries like Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia and Afghanistan.  Kenya has committed to recruit and deploy an additional 20,000 primary care health workers and open more community health facility centres to provide maternal, newborn and child health services.  Bangladesh has committed to train 3,000 more midwives by 2015.

CHOGM is a biennial meeting and was last hosted by Trinidad and Tobago in 2009. 

 

Save the Children demands action from world leaders: step up and address the global health worker crisis

Save the Children supporters gathered to make a human mosaic bearing the message ‘Health Workers Save Lives’ in Times Square yesterday (4am NZ time). The event coincided with the launch of a new report, ‘No child out of reach’, and was a message to world leaders that they must take action. The United Nations General Assembly is currently meeting in New York and Save the Children wants the global health worker crisis to be high on the agenda, up there with peace and security.

The new report supports the campaign and highlights the need to rapidly increase global investments in recruiting and training health workers.

The World Health Organisation estimates that 57 countries have a ‘critical shortage’ of doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers, resulting in the most vulnerable children in the world being denied access to healthcare.

CEO of Save the Children New Zealand Liz Gibbs says health workers are our most vital resource in improving the chances of survival of children, mothers and their families.

“We live in a world where eight million children die before their fifth birthday and where children in countries with sufficient number of midwives, nurses and doctors have a much greater chance of survival. The global health worker shortage is an issue that we can no longer ignore. Global action must be taken to ensure every child has a health worker within reach,” Ms Gibbs says. 

 

Insufficient progress towards meeting Millennium Development Goal 4 on child survival 

A new UNICEF report 'Levels and Trends in Child Mortality' shows that despite important progress on reducing child deaths in the poorest countries, at current rates it is still insufficient to meet the Millennium Development Goal on child survival, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.

The new figures on child mortality must act as a wake-up call to world leaders meeting at the UN next week. We continue to see important progress in reducing child deaths, but it is painfully slow. We have the tools to prevent the vast majority of these deaths now.  We can meet the MDG on child survival, but we need world leaders to act now to ensure that lifesaving services reach everyone who needs them. These are not just statistics but children's lives.
 
World leaders are meeting next week at the UN General Assembly and must make clear commitments to recruit and train health workers, especially those on the frontline like midwives and other community health workers, who can make a life-or-death difference to millions of children and mothers.

The new child mortality figures can be downloaded here

 

New Zealand ranks 17 in the top 20 countries for delivering health care to children in need

A major new index by Save the Children has ranked the best and worst countries for a child to fall sick in. The new analysis shows that children living in the bottom 20 countries are five times more likely to die than those further up the index. 

New Zealand is ranked 17th out of 161 countries in the world and is considered one of the best places for children to be able to receive the health care they need, should they fall sick.

This report has been released two weeks ahead of the crucial UN General Assembly in New York on September 20^th, when progress on global women and children's health must be assessed.

There are 161 countries (with accurate data available) included in the health worker index. Countries with a population of less than 500,000 were not included. New Zealand is one of the top 20 countries on the health worker index. The top 10 countries include, in order, Switzerland, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Belarus, Denmark, Sweden, Cuba, Uzbekistan and Germany. The bottom 10 countries include, in order, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Timor-Leste, Niger, Guinea, Nepal, Yemen, Paupa New Guinea and Guniea-Bissau.

 

Slow to decrease, and often overlooked, newborn deaths comprise ever larger share of child deaths 

The World Health Organization and Save the Children release most comprehensive newborn death estimates to date and call for more action to reduce newborn mortality

Increased global focus on maternal and child health too often overlooks newborns, who now account for 41 percent of child deaths, according to a new study published in the medical journal PLoS Medicine today. 

“Newborns are barely on the global health agenda and this study lays out the tragic results of that neglect.  Each year 3.3 million babies still die in the first four weeks of life -- despite the existence of proven, cost-effective interventions that could save these newborn lives,” said coauthor Dr Joy Lawn of Save the Children’s Saving Newborn Lives programme.

The new study finds that newborn deaths dropped from 4.6 million to 3.3 million between 1990 and 2009.  But while the newborn mortality rate dropped 28 percent during that time, it lagged progress on maternal mortality (34 percent reduction) and mortality of older children (37 percent reduction for children ages 1 month to 5 years).  As a result the share of child deaths that occur in the newborn period (the first four weeks of life) rose from an already high 37 percent to 41 percent and will likely continue growing, the authors said.

The three leading causes of newborn death – preterm delivery, asphyxia and severe infections – are highly preventable with proper care.

For more information contact Patrick Watson on 029 770 6213 or email Patrick@savethechildren.org.nz

The full paper will be available here: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001080

 

Newborn deaths decrease but account for higher share of global child deaths

The World Health Organization and Save the Children release most comprehensive newborn death estimates to date and call for more action to reduce newborn mortality

Fewer newborns are dying worldwide, but progress is too slow and Africa particularly is being left further behind. These are the findings of a new study published in the medical journal PLoS Medicine today. The study covering 20 years and all 193 WHO Member States was led by researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO), Save the Children and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The estimates are based on more data than ever and extensive consultations with countries. The study shows detailed trends over time and forecasts potential future progress.

Newborn deaths decreased from 4.6 million in 1990 to 3.3 million in 2009, but have fallen slightly faster since 2000. More investment into health care for women and children in the last decade when the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set, contributed to more rapid progress for the survival of mothers (2.3% per year) and children under the age of five (2.1% per year) than for newborns (1.7% per year).

According to the new figures, newborn deaths - that is deaths in the first four weeks of life (neonatal period) - today account for 41% of all child deaths before the age of five. That share grew from 37% in 1990, and is likely to increase further. The first week of life is the riskiest week for newborns, and yet many countries are only just beginning postnatal care programmes to reach mothers and babies at this critical time.

“Newborn survival is being left behind despite well-documented, cost-effective solutions to prevent these deaths,” says Dr. Flavia Bustreo,  WHO Assistant Director-General for Family, Women's and Children's Health. “With four years to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, more attention and action for newborns is critical.”

To read the paper in PLoS Medicine please go to:

http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001080

In New Zealand Save the Children’s EVERY ONE One Thing campaign www.do1thing.org.nz is helping to raise awareness and support for Save the Children’s global effort to save children’s lives.

CONTACTS

For more information contact Patrick Watson on 029 770 6213 or email Patrick@savethechildren.org.nz

The full paper will be available here: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001080 

• World Health Organization: Dr Mikkel Z. Oestergaard, Tel. +41-22-791-2361, E-mail: oestergaardm@who.int
• Save the Children: Tanya Weinberg (Media), Tel. +1-202-640-6647(o), +1-202-247-6610(c), tweinberg@savechildren.org
• Dr. Joy Lawn, Saving Newborn Lives program, Tel +27-21-532 3494, joylawn@yahoo.co.uk
• All WHO information can be found at www.who.int

 

World Marathon Challenge 5 October 2011 

Teams of children from schools around the world will take part in an exciting simultaneous relay race, running a full marathon distance in 200 metre stages, passing a baton and attempting to break Haile Gebrselassie's 2:03:59 world record.

Our Vision

Hundreds of thousands of children around the world running together to help save millions of children’s lives.

How it works

The Challenge is based on the established International Simultaneous Marathon Relay event. Results will be posted in a World Marathon Challenge league table.

The pilot event will run on October 5th 2011, focused on children aged 11-13 on the day of the event, with teams from around the world. In future years we aim to grow and expand this into the biggest running event in the world.

We aim to grow the World Marathon Challenge to become an annual event, increasing in scale and impact every year.

Details:

1. Each team has 31 runners – 15 boys, 15 girls plus a captain who could be a boy or girl
2. Every runner has a number: 1 to 31 (the captain is number 1)
3. Each runner runs a 200 metre leg before passing the baton to the next member of their team
4. In total, the team runs 26.2 miles (42,195 metres) – each team member runs 6 or 7 times, with recovery times of about 15 minutes
5. The captain, or a celebrity, runs the first lap of 195 metres
6. The goal: beat Haile Gebrselassie’s record, or beat your counterparts from across the world!

Fundraising for save the children:

Your school can make a huge difference. And everyone can get involved.

If your school would like to help by fundraising, why not organise:

• A cake sale - bake some tasty treats to sell to friends and family at the event
• A non-uniform day – give a small donation to dress however you like
• Sponsorship from friends and family: could each team member raise a small amount of money to run for this worthy cause? Why not set-up an online giving page to make collection easy?

This year is a pilot event and we are looking for one New Zealand school to take part. If you're interested, let us know: email Sophi at sophi.nauman@savethechildren.org.nz.

 

UN Women Call for Greater Equality for NZ Women

In a press release UN Women New Zealand has reported on how New Zealand measures up against OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations in terms of gender equality.

While New Zealand has done well in some areas, in others it is disturbingly far behind.

Maternal healthcare

New Zealand is among the world's leaders in maternal healthcare, providing skilled assistance at 100% of child deliveries. Yet alarmingly New Zealand has one of the highest levels of maternal mortality within the OECD, ranking 20th, with only the US and Luxembourg ranking lower.

New Zealand also falls short with paid maternity leave, coming in at 16th place with only 14 weeks paid leave while countries such as Norway, Denmark and Sweden offer 46, 52 and 68.4 weeks respectively. Studies have shown that paid maternity leave increases employee retention, and reduces infant mortality and post-partum depression. 

Violence against women and girls

One in three New Zealand women reported experiencing physical violence from an intimate partner during the period 2000 to 2010. This percentage puts New Zealand as the worst affected OECD country.

New Zealand women also suffer from high levels of sexual violence committed by an intimate partner. Of the OECD countries who responded to this question, New Zealand reported a higher rate than any other, with 14% reporting having experienced sexual violence during 2000 and 2010. 

To ensure protection and equality for all those living in New Zealand, UN Women New Zealand calls on the Government to actively investigate the causes of New Zealand's high level of maternal mortality and instances of partner violence against women, and implement initiatives to address the issues highlighted by the report.

In a press release, UN Women concluded: “New Zealand may have been the first nation in the world to give women the vote, but New Zealand women are yet to obtain full equality. Women make up over half the population - everyone needs to demand that they are true equals, from the workplace to the home and beyond.”

 

Two months to the UN Millenium Development Goals summit

The EVERY ONE campaign is undertaking two months of intensive advocacy, media and popular mobilisation to press for a global breakthrough on health workers at the UN's Millenium Development Goals meetings in September.

10 highlights from around the world

1. The White Ribbon Alliance mobilised thousands of its campaigners globally to take action in support of health workers 
2. The Global Business Coalition, representing companies from across the world, endorsed the campaign. The WHO gave their backing too. 
3. On twitter, the campaign reached 1.6 million people and secured 6.5 million impressions. 
4. American model Christy Turlington gave her support to the campaign saying: “It is unimaginable to go through birth and life without ever receiving the advice and support of a health worker. It’s time for world leaders to close the health worker gap.”  Sarah Brown urged support for the campaign saying: "Health workers count. Join the call for 3.5 million more health workers better equipped and supported. Get involved." 
5. In Tanzania, TAMA, the Tanzania  Midwives' Association, began travelling across the country gathering signatures for a petition in support of the call. They’ll be taking with them the world’s biggest plaster, seen here just after its arrival in Tanzania. 
6. In Kenya, civil society organisations wrote to political leaders to urge political resolve and sufficient resources to implement key changes nationally and make every child count irrespective of location and situation. 
7. In the UK, campaigners took the world’s biggest plaster to the centre of London and organised an online campaign to press the UK Prime Minister to commit new and additional support to help key countries strengthen their health workforce.
8. In India, the campaign was highlighted in both The Hindu newspaper, and the Times of India, the largest circulation English language newspaper in the world. Both newspapers urged millions more health workers to tackle the scandal of children living in “health care deserts”. Indian campaigners are also working with MPs to develop questions to ask in parliament on the need for more health workers.
9. The campaign got prominent coverage in the Chinese media too and people in China have been showing their support for healthworkers by adding their thumbprints.
10. In the US, TV network ESPN interviewed adventurer Charlie Wittmack on why he climbed Mount Everest to raise awareness of the need for more health workers, to save children lives.

 

Raising our voices together is key. As Miatta, a health worker from Liberia noted: “We go the extra mile – go where people need us. We are saving lives at the cost of our own lives. Our stories are untold. We are not politicians – all we want to do is save lives.” Together we’re working to ensure that health workers get the support they need – and millions more colleagues to help them save lives.

Over the next 2 months, more than 250 organisations – including health workers themselves, affected communities, business representatives, Ministries of Health, local grassroots organisations and international advocacy groups – will together be pressing world leaders to fill the health workers gap and better support those health workers in place. Over the next two months we’ll all be raising our voices even louder, and engaging more and more people, to secure a breakthrough for health workers when nations meet at the UN in September.

Visit www.healthworkerscount.org and follow @healthworkers on twitter to see more.

 

Midwives from Afghanistan and Nigeria receive award from Save the Children and the International Confederation of Midwives

Two extraordinary women are being recognised for their commitment to saving the lives of women and newborn babies today (19 June, 2011, Durban, South Africa) as they are presented with a Midwife Award for exceptional contribution. This award from Save the Children and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) recognizes midwives working on the frontlines for newborn survivial in resource-challenged countries. The majority of the world’s 358,000 maternal and 3.3 million newborn deaths occur in low income countries and midwives are crucial to reducing these deaths. 

 

One winner is Madina Rashidi, from rural Jawzjan province, Afghanistan. Madina was the only woman in Shebirghan City to complete high school and was selected by her community to attend midwifery school. She completed her studies in 2009 and now provides 24-hour care as the only midwife in the only health center in her village, in a rural insecure, area. Madina’s has been a catalyst in changing centuries of tradition. Most women gave birth at home either with a Traditional Birth Attendant, a relative, or completely alone. By persuading the community’s men to allow their wives to come to the clinic and encouraging women themselves, Madina has been responsible for an increase in antenatal and postnatal care, more births in the health centre and saving many lives. 

 

The Nigerian winner is Catherine Ojo, from Zaria in the North of the country. Catherine works as chief nursing officer at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital  in Northern Nigeria and started a Special Care Baby Unit at the hospital after caring for a preterm baby, which nearly died many times.  She is a leader, training other midwives on newborn care, how to resuscitate newborn babies, simple care of preterm babies (Kangaroo Mother Care), community based newborn care, and prevention of mother-to child transmission of HIV. She also acts as counsellor to younger midwives helping them through difficulties with their jobs. As part of her ongoing commitment to saving the lives of Nigeria’s babies, Catherine has been involved in several research studies to improve newborn care.

Dr. Joy Lawn of Save the Children’s Saving Newborn Lives program said: “Birth is the time of highest risk for new mothers and for babies. These awards highlight the vital role that midwives play in saving lives. However, currently there is a global shortage of 350,000 midwives, especially affecting Africa. We need many more midwives and especially more with the commitment of Madina and Catherine, to make sure that no woman, anywhere in the world has to give birth alone.”

If midwives were at all births and had the right training and health system support, then Save the Children estimates that 1.3 million newborn babies’ lives could be saved. These needless deaths of newborn babies could be avoided and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals for maternal and for child survival accelerated. 

This is the third time since 2002 that Save the Children has made this global award with previous winners being midwives from South Africa, Malawi and Ethiopia. This year, the awards will be given on behalf of Save the Children’s EVERY ONE global campaign and its Saving Newborn Lives program, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The winners have been sponsored to attend the 29th Triennial Congress in Durban, South Africa and will receive a trophy and certificate of recognition.

 

Success at GAVI vaccine summit

Donors have committed US$ 4.3 billion to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) alliance, exceeding an initial target of US$ 3.7 billion.

GAVI held a summit conference on 13 June, with governments and large corporations in attendance. The summit pledged funds to ensure that vaccines against diseases such as pneumonia, one of the most common causes of death in children under 5, are distributed to children in the world’s poorest countries.

Adrian Lovett, Save the Children’s global campaign director, said: “This is a really important moment for Save the Children’s global [EVERY ONE] campaign. After these vital pledges, the GAVI Alliance is poised to immunise more than a quarter of a billion children in developing countries by 2015.

“Vaccines are one of the most effective and practical ways to help children survive and realise their potential. The increased funds will be used to provide vaccines that protect against the biggest child killers on the planet, including diarrhoea and pneumonia, and to reach the children who need them most, especially the poorest and the most vulnerable.

“The hard work begins now to keep these historic commitments on track and make sure the vaccines get to the children who need them most. We want donors to look towards the UN General Assembly in September, where we need to see specific commitments to tackle the shortfall of 3.5 million health workers in poorest countries.”

 

Read an interview given by Bill Gates on the importance of vaccines. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated US$1 billion to GAVI.

 

Sometimes even when you do everything right, things still go wrong.

“My name is Adele and I brought my son Lotyamare to the Save the Children facility two weeks ago because he was growing very weak and thin.”

Adele is a mother of four living in Lomeyien Payam, Southern Sudan. Her home is a one-room tukul (mud and thatch hut) which is a part of a boma (extended family compound) that includes relatives and neighbours.

The health system in Southern Sudan is struggling to get on to its feet after the devastating impact of over 20 years of conflict. The biggest killers of children in Southern Sudan are malaria, diarrhoea and respiratory infections. These illnesses are easy to treat but only one in four people are within reach of a functioning health centre. Only 13% of children are immunised against killer diseases and only 12% of families have a mosquito net in their home.

Adele was taking good care of her 1-year-old son, but he became ill and she knew she had to get help.

“Even though I was breastfeeding him,” says Adele, “he was continuing to grow thinner over time and his diarrhoea worsened. He was malnourished and I didn’t know what to do. My other children are okay, so I am unsure of what caused Lotyamare’s illness.”

Adele brought Lotyamare to an Outpatient Therapeutic Programme (OTP) where he was diagnosed with malnutrition.

Save the Children is supporting one Primary Health Care Centre in Kapoeta North County and five Primary Health Care Units. The Units provide free consultations and basic medicines to communities who would not otherwise have access to proper healthcare. This simple intervention is instrumental in addressing the problem of preventable deaths among young children. Any cases that are more complex, such as difficult deliveries, are referred from the Primary Health Care Units to the Primary Health Care Centres, larger facilities with more resources and more specialised staff.

Lotyamare received the medicine he needed, and Adele has been following the instructions of the OTP staff to ensure her son recovers fully.

“After two weeks receiving Corn-Soy Blend and Plumpy Nut from Save the Children, he is improving already. He doesn’t have diarrhoea anymore. I am still breastfeeding him and also giving him porridge made with the Corn-Soy Blend powder, and Plumpy Nut three times a day. He is playing with his siblings again and his personality is coming back.

“I will come to the centre every week until the OTP staff tell me that my son is better and we don’t have to come anymore. I am very grateful for the support and advice given to me, to make my son healthy again.”

 

www.morehealthworkers.org

An online mechanism has been created to enable more organisations to add their voice to the call for more health workers with better support.

On 26 May, 50 organisations issued a statement, published in UK newspaper The Guardian, to bring together hundreds of organisations in a call for more health workers, better supported.

The statement calls for a breakthrough on health workers at the UN general assembly meetings in September, with specific commitments to expand the number of health workers in developing countries and to provide better support for the health workers who are already in place. 

The more organisations add their voices to the call, the more powerful our appeal will become.

 

Saving newborn lives in Nepal

Save the Children’s "Saving Newborn Lives" programme has trained over 1,000 health workers and volunteers in the Bardiya district of Nepal, where it is helping the government to pilot community-based newborn care package training. On track to meet the Millennium Development Goal 4 of reducing deaths of children under the age of five by two thirds, Nepal’s current child mortality rate for children under five stands at 50 out of 1,000 live births. There is an infant mortality rate of 41 out of 1,000 live births.

Auxiliary nurse and midwife Pushpa recently did a week-long Community Based Newborn Care Program, and used the techniques she learned almost immediately to resuscitate 18 year old Asha’s newborn daughter. The child was later treated with skin-to-skin kangaroo mother care, a low cost method to save low birth weight babies. Pushpa says “I have seen many babies born like that, not breathing. We didn’t know how to save them. Now since the training, I have already saved a few babies with the bag and mask technique.” Pushpa was inspired to become a health worker by her own harrowing experience of childbirth: she was only 16, and was hung on a tree for four days and told to push the baby out. Now a mother of two, she is happy to be able to help women like Asha on a daily basis.

This year Save the Children will start implementing the community-based newborn care package in Nawalparasi, a district in Western Nepal, training over 1,000 health workers and volunteers.

 

Don’t break one promise to make another, Save the Children warns G8 leaders

G8 leaders have to stick to pledges for the world’s poor, even as they act to help countries in the Middle East, the aid agency.

The package of help announced by the G8 summit at Deauville is timely, but key pledges to the developing world still have to be delivered. As the summit’s final communiqué makes plain, rich countries are $19 billion short of aid promised to the poorest.

Save the Children’s Global Director of Campaigns Adrian Lovett said, “We don’t want the Arab Spring to be followed by an African winter. $19 billion can be measured in children’s lives. It could vaccinate millions of children or fund the healthcare of the world’s poorest mums and children for a whole year – with over a billion dollars in change.”

However, progress has been made on two other fronts.

G8 leaders strongly endorsed a successful outcome of the global immunisation summit in London in June. If fully funded, this could help save four million children’s lives through expanding the delivery of new and existing vaccines for major child killers such as pneumonia and diarrhoea.

Leaders also pledged support for mothers’ and children’s health - but pledges will have to be matched by action at the UN Assembly in September, where world leaders will have to make specific commitments to tackle the shortfall of 3.5 million health workers in the world's poorest countries.

Adrian Lovett said, “We know that even just one trained health worker can reach five thousand children. We know too, at a time when aid spending is under scrutiny across the G8, that helping women and children enjoys clear public support. The eight million people who have already signed up to our global campaign prove just that."

 

Save the Children at the G8 Summit

As leaders of the eight most powerful economies in the world (France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada & Russia) gather in Deauville, France, the world’s attention is on events in the Arab world. Save the Children, however, is urging them “not to turn their back on their promises to the world’s poorest children.”

While welcoming the strong performance of some countries within the G8 and the new transparency on how each government is going to deliver on its commitments on health, Save the Children warns that vital G8 promises to the world’s poor are seriously off track. These include the 2005 Gleneagles agreement, where more than a third of $50 billion pledged has not been forthcoming. And amid spiralling food prices and rising levels of child malnutrition, only a third of the $22 billion committed on hunger at the 2009 summit has been delivered.

Save the Children's EVERY ONE Global Campaign Director, Adrian Lovett says, "The dramatic events in the Middle East shouldn't divert world leaders from the solemn pledges that they have made to the poorest in the world. The G8 has to make clear that it firmly intends to honour those promises, otherwise their failure will be measured in terms of children's lives."

The $19 billion shortfall from Gleneagles could pay to vaccinate four million children against two of the biggest child killers – pneumonia and diarrhoea – five times over. Or it could fund healthcare for every mother and child for a whole year – with over a billion dollars in change.

Save the Children’s representatives in Deauville urged world leaders to throw their support behind the global immunisation summit to be held mid-June in London, where if enough funds are pledged, expanded vaccination programmes could help save four million children's lives. They also urged the leaders to urgently step up their action to tackle the global hunger crisis and to commit to concerted action on health at the UN General Assembly in September, aimed at plugging the 3.5 million healthworker gap and supporting existing healthworkers in the developing world.

For updates from the G8 summit via Twitter, follow @AdrianLovett, @everyone_stc, or Save the Children’s PR director in the UK, @Rougewoman - or check out Adrian’s blog.

 

One year report on EVERY ONE

The EVERY ONE campaign’s first progress report is now available. The report sheds light on what we’ve managed to achieve in the campaign’s first full year.

Some highlights include:

1. In 2010 we helped train 84,906 health workers.
2. In 2010 5.8 million actions were taken by people to support the campaign.
3. We contributed to some major policy breakthroughs and played a key role in the UN’s EVERY WOMAN EVERY CHILD Strategy.

 

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is travelling to the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ethiopia and France as part of the "Every Woman, Every Child" global health effort Mr Ban launched in September 2010 during the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) summit at UN Headquarters in New York.

The trip will include visits to hospitals, health centres, training centres for healthcare workers, and rural health programmes, as well as meetings with top government officials. It will conclude with the G8 Summit in Deauville, France, where Mr Ban will continue to advocate for women's and children's health as a cornerstone of the global development agenda.

Speaking at Maitama Hospital in Nigeria, the Secretary-General reiterated his dedication to the achievement of the millennium goals for women’s and children’s health.

“One thousand women die every day from complications from pregnancy and childbirth – the kinds of complications can and should be dealt with in a hospital like this one. Twenty-two thousand children under five die every day too. This is truly unacceptable. Especially because most of these deaths can be easily prevented.” 

Read the Secretary-General’s full comments here.

 

The Hawassa Half Marathon

On Sunday 1 May Adrian Lovett, global leader of Save the Children’s EVERYONE campaign, ran the Hawassa EVERYONE half marathon.

At 41 years old the idea of running a half marathon was new to Adrian. He wasn’t, and never had been, a runner – not even a jogger. However, the EVERYONE cause is to him, as to many of its supporters, a personal one. His daughter had serious health problems when she was born, and it was thanks to skilled medical help that she survived.Getting healthcare to those who need it, and cutting child mortality by two thirds by 2015, were easily motivation enough to get running.

Ethiopia

As well as running the marathon, Adrian took the opportunity to visit some EVERYONE programmes, including the Kelela health clinic in South Wollo and Black Lion Hospital in the heart of Addis Ababa.

“We stop off at a remote health post on the side of the road.  ...  We chat to a mum just leaving with her baby girl, Musata.  They were back for a check-up two days after Musata was brought here with a serious case of pneumonia.  Thanks to a new approach the Ethiopian government adopted last year and the training these local health workers received from Save the Children, they were able to treat Musata’s pneumonia and send her home, instead of having to refer her to a more specialised health centre far away. Musata is coughing a little, but otherwise looks completely well. She smiles endlessly and we all melt. This is what it’s all about.”

Getting to Hawassa after his visits, Adrian knuckled down to the business of preparing for his race. 

"I check in to the hotel, put on my EVERY ONE t-shirt and trainers and head out for a run.  ... something remarkable happens.  First a few people spot the t-shirt and shout “Yes! EVERY ONE!”  Then a few kids run up and high-five me.  Then some women laugh and make that whooping noise, which is multiplied when I give a sheepish wave.  And now I have a dozen children running alongside me.  Suddenly I am Forrest Gump. I know people are probably laughing at me rather than with me, but you can’t wipe the smile off my face. The chest pain is (almost) forgotten. I love this place."

And then the day of the race arrived.

"6.15am: walk down towards the starting line.

6.29am: anticipation is at break point.  No way back now.  Just have to do it. Voice in my head saying, pace it, don’t go tearing off at the start like everyone else does.

6.30am: starting klaxon. Go tearing off at the start like everyone else does."

Read Adrian’s blog post, The Race We Can Win, in full to learn more about his visit to Ethiopia, and how the marathon went. It’s a fascinating, entertaining glimpse into the work of EVERYONE on the ground, and how the money we raise is put to good use.

The Hawassa half-marathon

The marathon was first run in 2010 with special guests Paul Tergat of Kenya, TiruneshDibaba of Ethiopia and New York Marathon Race Director Mary Wittenberg from USA. This year the world marathon record holder, Haile Gebreselassie, was in attendance.

Hawassa is the regional capital of southern Ethiopia, 275 miles south of the capital Addis Ababa. The course runs along the shores of Lake Hawassa, at a 1700m altitude that can pose an extra challenge for non-local runners.

The races are divided into men’s elite, women’s elite and non-elite, all running a 21km course. There is also a 7km mass run and a 2km children’s race.

 

 

5 May – International Day of the Midwife

In September 2010 the UN Secretary General announced the Every Woman, Every Child strategy. A year on it’s time to remind national governments and world leaders to fill the 3.5 million health worker gap by 2015 as part of getting back on track to meet Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.

There are 350,000 trained and qualified midwives missing as part of this health worker gap. The world needs midwives now more than ever – they are the key to achieving reductions in maternal and newborn deaths.

The International Confederation of Midwives and Save the Children are calling on midwives and their supporters to demonstrate a shared commitment to tackling the issue of maternal and newborn mortality and to call on governments to bridge the health worker gap.

As part of our global activity to show support for midwives Save the Children is sponsoring two Save the Children EVERY ONE Midwife Awards, to be announced at the ICM Congress in June, which recognise the importance of midwives in newborn health.

Here in New Zealand there are many events taking place to mark the International Day of the Midwife.

There is also a Virtual International Day of the Midwife. This is a free online global conference starting at 12.00 hours on May 5^th and running for 24 hours. Topics will include infant-led introduction to solids, changing the environment for birth in hospitals, midwifery in New Zealand and overseas, New Zealand research on caring for Gen Z women, educators talking about eLearning, students discussing how they can support normal birth and health consumers considering how to use the Internet safely for personal and advocacy use.

 

New Zealand is one of the top ten places in the world to be a mother, a Save the Children study finds

May 3, 2011 – New Zealand is one of the best places in the world to be a mother, according to Save the Children’s 12^th annual State of the World’s Mothers report and index released today.

The report documents conditions for mothers and children in 164 countries – 43 developed nations and 121 in the developing world – and shows where mothers fare best and worst. Norway and Australia top the list with New Zealand ranking at number six. The top ten countries, in general, attain very high scores for mothers and children’s health, educational and economic status.

The ten most bottom-ranked countries – eight of which come from sub-Saharan Africa -  perform poorly on all indicators. Afghanistan ranked at the bottom of the list of 164 countries. Conditions for mothers and their children in the bottom countries are grim. On average, one woman in 30 will die from pregnancy-related causes. One child in six dies before his or her fifth birthday, and one child in three suffers from malnutrition. Nearly 50 per cent of the world’s population lacks access to safe water and only four for every five boys are enrolled in primary school.

“Save the Children is concerned with the wellbeing of mothers because more than 75 years of field experience has taught us that, in most cases, the quality of children’s lives depends on the health, security and well-being of mothers,” comments Liz Gibbs, CEO of Save the Children New Zealand.

“Providing mothers with access to education, economic opportunities and material and child health care gives mothers and their children the best chance to survive and thrive.”

“We are lucky here in New Zealand, but as Mother’s Day approaches it’s important that we look at the broader picture.  Behind the statistics is human despair and lost opportunity and that cannot be ignored.  We are asking everyone in New Zealand to do just one thing to help us raise money and awareness for the challenges that mothers and children face around the world. We’ve already had so many creative ideas for support and sharing the messages on www.do1thing.org.nz I’m urging every one to help us achieve change.

“It’s estimated that we could save the lives of almost 250,000 women and 5.5 million children if all women had access to a full package of essential healthcare – and that’s what Save the Children is working towards with our EVERY ONE campaign. Getting more female health workers is one of our campaigns key priorities,” says Ms Gibbs.

 

Top 10 - best places to be a mother:

1 Norway

2 Australia

3 Iceland

4 Sweden

5 Denmark

6 NZ

7 Finland

8 Belgium

9 Netherlands

10  France

 

Bottom 10 - worst places to be a mother

155 Central African Republic

156 Sudan

157 Mali

158 Eritrea

159 DR Congo

160 Chad

161 Yemen

162 Guinea-Bissau

163 Niger

164 Afghanistan

 

Conditions for mothers and their children in these countries are devastating.

• Over half of all births are not attended by skilled health personnel.

• On average, 1 woman in 30 dies from pregnancy related causes.

• 1 child in 6 dies before his or her fifth birthday.

• 1 child in 3 suffers from malnutrition.

• 1 child in 7 is not enrolled in primary school.

• Only 4 girls are enrolled in primary school for every 5 boys.

• On average, females have fewer than 6 years of formal education.

• Women earn only 40 percent of what men do.

• 9 out of 10 women are likely to suffer the loss of a child in their lifetime.

 

Child Survival Needs EVERY ONE

Recently, Save the Children spoke with the U.S. Congress to urge them not to cut life-saving aid for children. We sent our best health experts, but, equally important, we provided a platform for members of the public to let decision-makers know how significant it is for them to support children in poverty.

Globally, 8 million children die every year before the age of five. Experts concur that most of these deaths are preventable. But experts alone cannot prevent these deaths. Specialists need to work with the wider public in both developing and developed countries. Public engagement helps people know what they can do in their immediate and wider contexts to help save children’s lives, and helps ensure that child survival is accorded the priority and handled with the understanding required at every level of decision-making, from the global to the local.

Save the Children is running our own global, public campaign for Child Survival called “EVERY ONE”, involving a range of people: from world leaders to movie stars, rural mothers in Bangladesh to the upwardly mobile young of Delhi, Seoul and Toronto.

Save the Children’s decades of experience programming across the world includes helping to pioneer technical innovations in child health across the micro-macro range: from neonatal care improvements to support for health budgeting processes and removing financial barriers to health. These are necessary conditions for progress but popular campaigning has a vital, complementary function.

Campaigns help generate the enabling context required for already-known technical solutions to be realized. The recent history of action on HIV/AIDS is a good illustration. Scientific learning has been essential to prevention and treatment efforts but engendering a transformational increase in popular understanding and commitment has enabled changes ranging from individual behaviour to international financial commitments, saving millions of lives and livelihoods. UNAIDS founding Director Peter Piot cites the keys to success in reducing new HIV infections and declining mortality rates as going “beyond today’s medical model and today’s public health” to include “leadership … and mobilization of the community as a whole in a true campaign.”

For child survival, public engagement has comparable potential.

Research shows that investment in children’s health can deliver important economic as well as social dividends. The World Bank estimates that 50 percent of Asia’s economic growth between 1965 and 1990 is attributable to demographic and health improvements. Ensuring the connection between social and economic gains is more widely understood can help enable decision-makers to allocate what is needed.

To dramatically reduce child mortality around the world, the insight of a relatively small number of experts is vital, but alone will not be enough. The more people we involve in these discussions – around both the traditional village water pump and the high-tech office water cooler – the more progress we will make.

Save the Children’s global Child Survival Campaign, “EVERY ONE,” brings both of these together. Only doing both can secure a world without unnecessary infant deaths.

This blog post by Save the Children International CEO Jasmine Whitbread originally appeared on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation blog.

 

UN-Backed Polio Immunisation Campaign Underway In Southern Sudan

A United Nations-backed polio immunisation campaign is underway in Southern Sudan, targeting children under the age of five. The region experienced an outbreak of the sometimes deadly disease in 2008 after being polio-free for the previous three years.

More than 60 infections were confirmed among children at that time, leaving them very vulnerable to the disease since few had previously received routine immunisation.

"There is a need for serious awareness among the local populations at the grassroots level to fully understand the importance of meeting the full dosage of the vaccine," said Yasmin Haque, the director of UNICEF's Southern Sudan Area Programme.

This is the second polio immunisation drive to be launched in Southern Sudan since the beginning of the year.

Despite challenges, over 3,000 children had been immunised with the oral vaccine in the last three years.

 

Save the Children Celebrates World Water Day in Afghanistan

25 March 2011 – Save the Children joined local officials, teachers, and students to celebrate World Water Day for the promotion of good health and hygiene of the children at Shikhan Female Highschool in Mirbachakot District, Kabul Province in Afghanistan.

This year World Water Day on Tuesday 22 March focused on the stress and strain that rapid population growth, industrialization, climate change, man-made conflicts, and natural disasters have all had on urban water systems. This year’s theme of “Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge” encourages governments, multinational organizations, communities, and individuals to meet the challenge of managing urban water supplies in an effective and innovative manner.

Save the Children is an advocate of World Water Day because it the organisation supports adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities for children throughout the world. 

Whenever access to clean drinking water is provided to children and this is reinforced with education on such topics as hand-washing with soap, the incidence of bacterial disease declines dramatically.

During the World Water Day celebrations at Shikhan Female High School speakers emphasised the importance of clean drinking water, and how access to potable water is linked to declining levels of sickness amongst children through the elimination of water-borne diseases. 

According to the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, about 14,000 children under five years of age die every year within the country from diarrhoeal diseases. Official statistics confirm that only 43% of urban communities and 18 % of rural villages within Afghanistan currently have access to clean drinking water.

In neighbouring Shamali District, Save the Children, through the support of the Khalifa Foundation, has also built 17 Eco-San latrines, 19 wells, and 43 hand-washing stations.

During the celebrations, several schoolchildren performed a play in which they enacted proper parental care for children that encourages them to drink only water from safe and trusted sources, such as those which had been provided by the Khalifa Foundation. 

Events were also held in Balkh, Jawzjan, Faryab, and Nangarhar Provinces, where Save the Children is implementing water and sanitation programmes through the financial support of the Khalifa Foundation.

 

World Water Day - 22 March

A month after the earthquake in Christchurch, residents are warned that they must keep boiling all water before use, until further notice. That means boiling water for cooking, washing, drinking, even brushing your teeth. The lack of sanitation services and safe water throws ordinary New Zealanders into the same kind of situation faced by millions of others around the world.

Poor hygiene and lack of clean water are the underlying cause of illness and death for 1.5 million children each year. The UN’s World Water Day draws attention to the need for clean, safe water – a basic right for people around the world. Over 900 million people do not have access to enough water and 2.5 billion – mostly in rural zones – live without adequate sanitation.

Diarrhoea is one of the top causes of illness and death in children – it kills around 1.4 million children each year, and up to 10% of those deaths can be directly attributed to unsafe water and lack of sanitation.

If, as is widely predicted, global temperatures increase by around 2 degrees centigrade, up to 3 billion more people will suffer from water shortages. Cases of diarrhoea are predicted to rise by 10% every year for the next decade.

A lack of safe water doesn’t just mean ill health. In sub-Saharan Africa, where 42% of the population cannot access water delivery systems and 18% have to walk to find drinking water, it is usually the young girls who are given the task of collecting of water, making it impossible for them to attend school.

 “Improvements in sanitation facilities could lead to a reduction of 30% in child mortality, equal to 2.5 million children’s lives saved every year,” said Valerio Neri, Save the Children Italy CEO, on the eve of World Water Day in 2010. "Until water is a right given to all, is difficult to imagine progress in health conditions and survival for millions of families. Water will become even more endangered by environmental and climatic change. If the global community is not determined to resolve the problem of climate change, whole territories will become deserts without water. There will be a greater frequency and intensity of floods, and torrential rains will increase the incidence of illnesses that are carried in water and which are often deadly for children.”

Diarrhoea and other water-borne illnesses can be easily prevented by the provision of hygiene kits (containing for example bath, dish and laundry soap, disinfectant, women's sanitary materials, tooth brush and paste, and a towel) water purification sachets and basic medicines or better yet, helping communities establish and maintain a safe water source.

 

Hands On Hygiene

Save the Children is happy to be working with Initial Hygiene on their Hands On Hygiene activity to help ensure that children understand the importance of hand washing as part of their personal hygiene routine. Initial Hygiene will be taking their Hands on Hygiene programme to schools in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin from 7 March, reaching a total of nearly 500 students. As part of its activity Initial is also providing a fun interactive website game called Mission Clean Hands aimed at 5 to 10 year olds. It is designed to help children learn some very valuable lessons about hand hygiene.

The initiative will also be promoting Save the Children’s Every One campaign and encouraging students to help save a child’s life by pledging to Do1Thing. That way children can learn about their own hygiene and the challenges that some children face in other countries – if they choose to raise money they can also help save a child's life.

 

The EVERY ONE Do 1 Thing campaign is a charity partner on New Zealand's only designer charity auction site: www.the-collection.co.nz. By donating your pre-loved (or new!) high-quality label pieces, you contribute to a stock of lovely clothes that are then auctioned on the website to raise funds.

Clean out your wardrobe or bid for great new stuff - and help save a child's life at the same time.

To donate items email info@the-collection.co.nz, or drop in to the Save the Children store in Cashel Mall, Christchurch, or Cuba Street, Wellington.

 

Maternal and Newborn Health:  Research Proves Simple Measures Save Lives

A number of recent studies have shown that low-tech methods and health worker training are cutting newborn death rates dramatically.

Zambia

On 3 February the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) published its study on neonatal survival in rural Zambia. Training and equipping Zambian traditional birth attendants to perform a neonatal resuscitation intervention led to a net reduction of about 18 deaths per 1,000 live births in the first 28 days of life.

"We essentially showed that there is a method, very simple and inexpensive, to reduce neonatal mortality by about half," said Dr. Christopher Gill, associate professor of international health at BUSPH and lead author on the study. "This is the first high-quality study, using a randomised control methodology, to show unambiguously that a neonatal resuscitation protocol can be used to save lives. It's hugely encouraging."

The study was carried out in a rural district where access to healthcare facilities is extremely limited. Researchers worked with Zambian traditional birth attendants to gauge the impact of a package of neonatal interventions including immediately drying and swaddling the newborn in a dry blanket; suctioning the infant's mouth and nose with a rubber suction bulb; and, when indicated, stimulating breathing by rubbing the infant's feet or back, or using a tube-mask to resuscitate the infant. Mortality in the first 24 hours of life was significantly lower for babies delivered by trained attendants.

Attendants were also trained to recognize symptoms of sepsis in the first four weeks of life, and to administer medicine before referring them to a health centre for further care. "While early identification and treatment of sepsis is important, we found that most of the deaths were prevented in the first hours of life," Gill said.

The study concluded, "In the context of a highly dispersed, rural African community with very limited access to health care, traditional birth attendants were able to master a set of skills that allowed them to significantly reduce neonatal mortality. This was accomplished in a population of women TBAs with very low rates of formal education and under austere conditions. . . We believe this approach has high potential to be applied in other resource-constrained settings."

Since the study ended, Save the Children has stepped in with financial support to help to continue the interventions in Zambia.

Read more

Pakistan

Research from Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, suggests that women trained as part of a government programme to give care to poor people in rural areas can make a difference in saving the lives of newborns.

The areas where the “Lady Health Workers,” as they are officially known, were assigned to work had 21% fewer stillbirths and 15% fewer newborn deaths than in other areas. Health workers generally had only 10th-grade educations (to about age 14) and one extra week of training for the project.

The workers advised pregnant women to go to clinics for checkups and vitamins, and to give birth at clinics. They handed out “birth kits” with soap and clean razors to reduce the chance that cutting the umbilical cord would transmit tetanus. They instructed professional midwives in skills like getting newborns to breathe and giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and encouraged mothers to keep babies warm instead of washing them in cold water, and to breast-feed them immediately.

The study, which was paid for by the World Health Organization, Save the Children USA and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was published online by The Lancet on January 14.

Read more

In Cambodia, the Health Ministry has announced plans to step up regional midwifery training programmes in 2011. Midwives coming from urban areas rarely commit to live in rural provinces for the long-term, and women living in remote areas are not able to access the care they need.

The lack of healthcare services in rural and remote areas has contributed to a maternal mortality rate which, at 461 deaths per 100,000 live births, is cited as being among the highest in the region. In 2009, Cambodia set a national target to reduce the maternal mortality rate to 250 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015.

The Cambodian Midwives Association (which falls under the Ministry of Health) cautioned that midwives could not be forced to live and work in rural areas, and so a rise in the number of trained healthcare staff in those areas could not be guaranteed. However, the hope is that midwives from rural areas will receive the necessary training to serve their local communities.

Read more

 

Groundbreaking Research Proves We Can Save Newborn Lives at Scale – India and Pakistan

We already have many of the key tools to save the lives of mothers and their newborns, and new research proves that countries can integrate these tools into their existing health systems and save lives at a large scale without using new technology.

In the rural community of Shivgarh in India, the mortality rate for newborns has been cut in half in only 16 months by empowering the community with knowledge about lifesaving methods such as skin-to-skin care and immediate breastfeeding.

The government of Pakistan, in partnership with the Aga Khan University and Save the Children, trained its community-based, frontline public health workers, called Lady Health Workers, to provide newborn care counseling to the women they saw as part of their day-to-day work. Because women were given the knowledge to make better decisions about their health and their children’s health, Pakistan saw a 15% decline in newborn mortality and a 21% reduction in the stillbirth rate in the region where the study was conducted.

Researchers estimate that if they scaled this program up throughout Pakistan, where 57 percent of childhood deaths occur in the newborn period, it would save 100,000 children’s lives per year. And if this can work in Pakistan—a notoriously challenging place to work—then it can work anywhere.

(Original piece written for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Blog. Click through to view the full entry and a video of Melinda Gates’s trip to India in 2010.)

 

Safe delivery, safe mothers and safe babies in South Wollo, Ethiopia

Ideally, pregnant women would be able to get to a health centre to give birth. It’s a sterile environment where they can be educated about exclusive breastfeeding and the importance of hygiene and sanitation for their newborn baby. In Ethiopia, where 85% of the population lives in rural areas, often a health centre is too far away, and the lifeline for so many villages may be their Health Extension Worker.

Some basic hygiene training is being rolled out by the Government, but health workers will need more extensive training to diagnose antenatal problems and assist in safe delivery, since they are able to assist many more mothers than health centres can, and vastly more than hospitals. There are just three hospitals in the entire South Wollo district and they’re all in larger towns like Akista (Legambo district) and Dessie – so almost all the population of South Wollo will not be able to access them.

The ratio for giving birth in a health centre as opposed to at home is 1 to 15 – and that is the national average, so the reality in rural areas like South Wollo is likely to be much higher. This suggests that interventions are so far only reaching a tiny proportion of mothers due to give birth – and this is why the health workers and community health volunteers are so vital.

At an ambulance handover ceremony in Sayint on Tuesday 1 February, the South Wollo Deputy Head of Health, Luelsegede, said he felt the key for reducing maternal and newborn mortality in South Wollo was training health workers more extensively in antenatal care and safe delivery, and this seems to be the government’s plan. Long term, the government wants to train more midwives, but this will take time.

We are also researching ‘health-seeking behaviours’ at the moment in five woredas (administrative zones) in South Wollo, trying to understand for example why many women aren’t using the health centres to give birth. Lots of fascinating findings have come out of this. The final report is due in mid-February, and a quick summary of these will be posted on the blog.

From a blog by Olivia Maehler, Policy Directorate Project Manager at Save the Children UK, 4 February 2011.

 

Sing for Do 1 Thing

Anna Cannon, a music teacher in Otatara, Invercargill, is setting up a children’s choir to raise funds and awareness for the Do 1 Thing campaign.

Meeting each Monday afternoon, the children will sing together and create awareness of the needs of children who are less fortunate than themselves. Half of each singer’s small weekly fee will be donated to the Do 1 Thing campaign, with the other half going to run and promote the choir.

What a fantastic way not only to raise money but to get the message out there – if everyone Does 1 Thing, together we can stop children dying from curable and preventable causes.

(For more information, visit this page Anna has set up on her website.)

 

Closing the Health Worker Gap

Worldwide at least 3.5 million more nurses, midwives and other health workers are needed to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 – the reduction of maternal and infant mortality rates. Save the Children’s Every One campaign is a concerted effort to cut mortality rates of children under the age of 5.

The Second Global Forum on Human Resources for Health took place in Bangkok in the last week of January. Save the Children was there pushing forward our EVERY ONE health worker objective.

Save the Children lobbied and networked many people, including Malawi’s Minister of Health, to push the calls made in the agreed Civil Society Statement – we also echoed our calls to the media. The Forum reaffirmed commitments made at the first Global Forum in Kampala and emphasised the importance of the implementation of costed national Human Resources for Health plans, but the Forum Outcome Statement could have gone further.

In his blog, Save the Children’s David Melody touches on the successes of Malawi and Rwanda, and the important of strengthening the health care workforce in order to achieve this. Read Save the Children’s targets and strategies to “close the gap” between the number of health workers and the number of people who need them.

“Malawi is one of the pioneer countries devoting 15% of its budget to health, and is determined to train, hire, and properly support more and more healthworkers so that the needs of the country’s children can be met.”

In another staffer blog, Ben Phillips takes a look at Malawi and how even the poorest countries can make a huge change in the health and wellbeing of mothers and children.  In a video interview, Ben talks to the Malawi Minister of Health, Prof. David Mphande, about the great strides taken in Malawi, which he attributes to the political will of the government to prioritise healthcare.

 

Pledges alone not enough to improve health of women and children - UN Chief

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the importance of tracking the resources pledged for improving the health of women and children. 

"The world's women and children need more than pledges," Mr. Ban told reporters in Geneva before the first meeting of the Accountability Commission for Women's and Children's Health.

"Commitments are wonderful, but by themselves they cannot build health clinics or immunize children."

At a major UN development summit in New York in September 2010, participants adopted the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, committing $40 billion in resources to a global effort to save the lives of 16 million women and children by 2015.

The Commission will provide the evidence needed to show which programmes are the most effective in saving the lives of women and children.

"This Accountability Commission is a crucially important part of the picture. When it comes to ambitious development efforts like this, it is not enough to just collect pledges of funds," said the Secretary-General, who set up the body last month.

"We will track how many promises are kept. We will monitor what we are doing with the funds that do come in. We will ensure that progress is made across the spectrum, and where we fall short, we will be open about that, too.

"Our aim is simple: to turn our Global Strategy into global action for women and children's health," Mr. Ban stressed.

 

Global Forum on Human Resources for Health update

The Global Forum on Human Resources for Health has kicked off today in Bangkok and will run until 29 January. Save the Children represenatives are attending to ensure that we use this key platform to launch our EVERY ONE proposition for 2011: a health worker, who is trained, equipped and supported is needed within reach of every vulnerable child. We hope to drive home the message to goverment leaders that the time to act is now in order to close the 3.5 million gap in health workers.

 

UN health agency launches action plan to halt malaria drug resistance

Recent gains made against the spread of malaria are now under threat, says the United Nations Health agency. A new action plan to halt the spread of resistance to artemisinin, the world's most potent treatment for malaria has been launched, and WHO Director-General Margaret Chan warns that if these treatments fail, many countries will have nothing to fall back on.

"We believe that the plan has every good chance of success. Above all, the international community is duty bound to seize this opportunity. Too much is at stake if we fail," Dr. Chan said at the launch of the plan in Geneva. "It is no exaggeration for me to say that the consequences of wide-spread resistance to artemisinins would be catastrophic."

WHO estimates that the number of malaria cases has fallen by more than 50 per cent in 43 countries over the past decade. A recent analysis of malaria prevention in 34 African countries estimates that more than 730,000 lives were saved between 2000 and 2010 nearly three quarters of them since 2006, and the loss of an effective treatment would likely result in a significant increase in malaria-related deaths, the agency warned.

"The emergence of artemisinin resistance has been a wake-up call. It gives us another compelling reason to step up existing control measures with the greatest sense of urgency," said Dr. Chan. "The global plan spells out clearly what needs to be done. It is my sincere wish that the international community will seize this unprecedented opportunity."

 

Give up your McDonald's treat and donate

Kendall, Jonathan and Sammy decided to give up their McDonald’s treat every other week to help save children’s lives. They donated the money saved for ten weeks which totalled $200 to the EVERY ONE campaign. They have plans to keep up their one thing for the new year. Thank you so much to the three of you for doing your one thing and helping children who need support. What an inspiration.

With New Year just on the horizon – take a look at some of the one things that New Zealanders are doing to help save a life – we hope to see your ideas up there tell us what you would do!

 

Reported cholera cases in Haiti to rise to 72,000

The United Nations reports the number of reported cases of cholera in Haiti has risen to just over 72,000, including 1,648 deaths. UN World Health Organisation there are now 40 cholera treatment centres in the country with a an average capacity of 100 to 200 beds each, as well as 61 small cholera treatments units with an average capacity of 20 beds each.
 
In additional to the treatment units themselves, staffing is an issue with 350 more doctors, 2,000 nurses, 2,200 support staff and 30,000 community health workers required.
 
Meanwhile, a survey by Haiti's Ministry of Public Health and Population carried out among aid groups has identified key challenges to the cholera response including the removal of dead bodies, the disposal of medical waste and a lack of trained personnel.

 

Poorest children hit hardest by climate disaster

Children from the poorest families can be up to ten times more likely to bare the brunt of environmental disasters linked to climate change than those from better off families, according to new research by Save the Children.
 
The research shows that ethnicity and caste are important determinants of vulnerability and that the poorest families live predominantly in rural areas where droughts and flooding have wiped out their crops and destroyed their homes.  
 
Lydia Baker, Save the Children’s Humanitarian Policy Advisor said: "Most of the biggest environmental disasters this year have hit the poorest nations in the world, and children from the poorest and most disadvantaged groups in those countries have been hit the hardest, putting children’s health at extreme risk.”
 
Save the Children warns that disasters like droughts, cyclones, flooding, crop failures and increased pest invasions such as locusts attacking crops, are all expected to get worse in years to come due to changing weather patterns.   
 
2010 has also overtaken the year of the tsunami to become the biggest for international emergency responses with humanitarian funding to date totalling more than 14 billion US dollars.
 
Lydia Baker said: “The world leaders meeting in Cancun this week have a make or break opportunity to save the lives of millions of children whose lives will be made even worse because of climate change.
 
“It is imperative that funding for climate change adaptation reaches the poorest people without delay before it’s too late.  Adapting to climate change is not just about building roads and dykes – it’s about people and their lives and livelihoods and we urge governments to recognise that”.

 

World AIDS Day

The estimated number of children living with HIV increased by 400,000 in the last year, this despite figures showing that the total numbers of people affected by the virus falling. On World AIDS Day, Save the Children warns that more must be done to help this vulnerable group.

The number of children estimated to be living with the virus rose from 2.1 million in 2008 to 2.5 million in 2009, and countries where the numbers of children living with HIV are particularly high include Nigeria and South Africa, according to the latest statistics from UNAIDS.

Around 90 percent of children newly infected with HIV in 2008 will have contracted the condition from their mothers - either in the womb, during labour or through breast milk, and Simon Wright, Save the Children’s Head of Health, says more must be done. “We must do more to prevent new infections transmitted by mothers to their child as well as support children and families who are already living with the virus. This cannot be done by stand-alone projects but underlines the importance of building functioning health systems that can provide appropriate maternity services, with the money, the staff and the medicines needed. ”

Save the Children’s HIV Advisor, Alice Fay, has recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo where she was working with HIV positive children. She said: “Being born with HIV can be devastating for a child. Some children initially struggle with feelings of blame towards their parents while also knowing they could be orphaned if their parents are not able to get the drugs they need to keep them alive longer. They also have to live with the stigma of having a sexually transmitted infection, despite the fact that they may never have had sex.

 

Displaced children in Pakistan at high risk from pneumonia

As winter temperatures plummet in flood-hit areas of Pakistan, hundreds of thousands of people are at high risk of catching pneumonia. Freezing conditions are expected to fuel the spread of the deadly disease as people are forced to live out in the open or in tents with little or no access to healthcare.

Save the Children is distributing food, warm clothing, bedding and shelter materials to help people keep warm during the winter months, and Mohammed Qazilbash from Save the Children in Pakistan believes action needs to be taken now.

"More children are going to die in the flood areas if they don't get the appropriate treatment in time. We are already seeing an increasing number of chest infection cases, so the immediate need now is to make sure people can keep warm and have proper shelter."

Since October Save the Children has treated 13,512 pneumonia patients in the worst affected flood areas of Sindh, Punjab and the Khyber Pakthunkhwa Provinces, if which more than half were children. "Although many of the displaced families have now returned to their villages, they continue to livein tents and makeshift structures which are clearly useless against the biting cold. A shortage of food means children are also going hungry,
increasing their vulnerability to pneumonia and other diseases”says Mr Qazilbash.

In order to address the immediate health needs of Pakistan's flood affected communities, Save the Children is operating through 62 health facilities and 32 mobile teams in Pakistan and has so far reached more than 465,000 people in all four flood affected provinces.

 

EVERY ONE in Nigeria

In Nigeria, Save the Children is working together with PRRIN-MNCH – a maternal newborn and child health programme in Nigeria - to help the country deliver its promises on the Millenium development goals 4&5.

 

Public hearing in Dehli

In India Save the Children hosted a public hearing on child and maternal health with 400 mothers from the poorest communities in Delhi. By sharing their experiences, the mothers challenged the government representatives on access to health care. As a result, a commitment was made to include maternal and child health as a priority. Mothers from some of the poorest communities challenge the Indian government on access to health care in this inspiring video from the public hearing on child and maternal health in New Delhi.

 

Growing Up introduces a new generation of New Zealanders

In-depth insights into the newest generation of kiwis have revealed that the new New Zealanders are entering a social environment more ethnically diverse and multi-lingual. In the study which will follow more than 7,000 children over the next 21 years reveals findings that highlight deprivation, family mobility and evolving family structures.

The findings from The University of Auckland-led Growing Up in New Zealand study show immediate challenges for policy-makers, as with births from unplanned pregnancies accounting for 40 percent of births and 90 percent of all mothers-to-be to changing their diet with the news that they were pregnant.

Worrying findings showed a current trend towards smoking and drinking during pregnancy, whilst a lack of awareness around issues such as Working for Families tax credits amongst mothers in poorer areas suggests that policies targeting inequality are not reaching those most in need.

Growing Up Director Dr Susan Morton says "this is the most exciting study in New Zealand today. It reaches right into the lives of the country's newest generation with this first data introducing us to their parents and the families they have since been born into.

The Growing Up in New Zealand study is designed to gather high quality information about the lives of children growing up here and aims to help improve educational success, health and wellbeing and social connectedness for future generations.

 

The EVERY ONE campaign in Nigeria

 

New UN report reveals link between poverty and poor health in urban areas

A new United Nations report shows for the first time how poor health is linked to poverty in cities and calls on policymakers to identify those that need the most help and target measures to improve their well-being.

The report "Hidden Cities: unmasking and overcoming health inequities in urban settings" report was launched in Kobe Japan today where leaders from governments, academia, media and non-governmental organisations have been meeting to examine how to improve the health of city dwellers.

The report looks beyond city averages, the usual information from cities and towns, to identify hidden pockets of ill-health and social deprivation.

"Averages hide large pockets of disadvantage and poor health, concealing the reality of people's lives," said World Health Organisation Director-General Margaret Chan.

The report reveals inequities by looking at subgroups of city dwellers according to their socioeconomic status, neighbourhood or other population characteristics.

"All too often policymakers and planners fail to understand that with the urbanisation of poverty, many slum dwellers suffer from an additional urban penalty: they have a higher rate of child mortality, die younger and suffer from more diseases than their more affluent neighbours," said Joan Clos, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT.

The report finds that the poorest urban children are twice as likely as the richest to die before the age of five. Also, access to skilled birth attendance in urban areas of 44 low-and middle-income countries varies from a low of 40 per cent to a high of 100 per cent.

 

Haiti Cholera Outbreak

With the Haiti Government confirming more than 16,700 cholera cases in seven of the country’s 10 regional departments, and the UN predicting up to 200,000 cases of cholera, Save the Children is intensifying its efforts to prevent additional cholera infections and treat cases in the region.

“Cholera is preventable and treatable. Ensuring a swift and effective response to decrease transmission of the disease and lower the rate of deaths is the highest priority,” said Gary Shaye, Save the Children’s country director in Haiti.

“Save the Children and other humanitarian organisations have mobilized since the beginning of this outbreak to support preparations for the worst-case scenario of a nationwide epidemic. We have built cholera treatment units as well as proper water and sanitation facilities, and we are working on critical prevention programs to assist children and families during this additional and unwelcome disaster. ”

Save the Children has set up cholera treatment units in Port-au-Prince, and has provided IV fluids, oral-rehydration salts and antibiotics to its health teams in other programme areas.

Ten thousand hygiene kits and more than 19,000 bars of soap have been distributed as well as supplies including water-purification tablets and kitchen kits in Léogâne and Port-au-Prince.

Save the Children is engaging with community groups to convey key messages on hygiene and prevention, whilst distributing chlorinated water to schools, trucking water to camps and distributing chemicals for water treatment.

 

White Ribbon Day - November 25

White Ribbon day on November 25th draws our attention to the violence that exists in many domestic environments in New Zealand today, and provides an opportunity for all New Zealanders to focus on the behaviours that constitute domestic violence.    

This violence can be psychological and physical, and occurs at home where the behaviour often remains a family secret, meaning that issues go unaddressed and the appropriate assistance is unable to be provided.  

The "it is not okay" campaign has raised the awareness of this problem within our community as have the statistics showing that Police manage between 4 and 5,000 incidents per year involving abuse in very young children.

Ignoring instances of domestic violence, in all its forms, fails the victims of these crimes.  It is understood how difficult it is to provide information about such crimes, especially if it involves family members.

Crimestoppers, an independent organisation dedicated to providing an anonymous means for people to give information on crime, now provides a very safe and secure way of providing information anonymously, empowering individuals to take effective action against a crime that too often remains hidden.   

Call 0800 555 111 line or the visit www.crimestoppers-nz.org

 

UN forum on improving urban health opens in Japan

With more than half of the world's population now living in urban areas, leaders from governments, academia, media and non-governmental organizations gathered on 16 November at a United Nations forum in Kobe, Japan, to examine how to improve the health of city dwellers.

The number of urban residents is growing by nearly 60 million people per year, according to the agency. By 2050, 7 in 10 people will live in urban areas. This makes it more vital than ever to incorporate health policies into urban planning.

Actions that can improve public health:

• providing safe public transport
• investing in public utilities
• reducing air pollution by banning smoking in public

Participants from over 90 countries will be exchanging policy ideas and best practices to learn how they can enhance the health of their populations and protect them from the effects of environmental change, including climate change, disease outbreaks and disasters, among other things.

In Lagos, Nigeria, where traffic congestion is rampant, municipal authorities have introduced dedicated bus lanes to reduce traffic time and are capitalizing on waterways for transport alternatives.

In the Chinese city of Shanghai, efforts have been made to introduce smoke-free environments: in-door smoke control legislation was passed in March 2010 and the recent World Expo held there was largely smoke free by banning smoking in all restaurants and prohibiting tobacco sales and advertising.

 

Economic crisis is costing children’s lives, G20 leaders warned

Save the Children is calling on G20 leaders meeting in Seoul today to recognise the devastating effect of the economic crisis on children, and take urgent steps to help the world’s poorest countries recover.

Some 265,000 more children are expected to die as a result of the crisis between 2009 and 2015, according to World Bank figures - although the figure could be as high as 1.2 million if the recovery falters. Sixty-four million more people are expected to fall into extreme poverty by the end of this year because of the downturn.

While growth is critical, unless the poorest people can participate in and benefit from growth, the development gap won’t close, Save the Children said.

The G20 is expected to announce a “development action plan” in order to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. While welcoming the G20's recognition that global poverty is one of the greatest economic imbalances, Save the Children warns the approach will only be credible if it meets existing commitments to tackle the social impact of the crisis and safeguard progress in the fight against poverty.

"Now more than ever, richer countries need to deliver on their promises to aid the poorest. Aid saves lives today, and it can build the foundations of strong economies for tomorrow. It’s the right thing to do – and it makes economic sense,” says Adrian Lovett, Save the Children’s Global Campaign Director.

 

UN-backed measles vaccination drive targets India's highest risk children

Measles is among the world's most contagious diseases and one of the leading causes of death among children. The next stage of a measles immunization drive has started in India, aiming to reach 134 million children and prevent an estimate 60,000 to 100,000 annual deaths from the disease.

The highly contagious, viral respiratory infection kills an estimated 400 children every day. Children not vaccinated are at risk of the disease and its severe health complications such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and encephalitis. Three out of the four children who died from measles in 2008 were from India.

"The Government recognises the importance of vaccinating every child. Assam has taken the lead to launch this immunisation drive, giving a second chance to vulnerable children and to protect the population against measles," said Dr. J. B. Ekka, Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission, Government of Assam.

Find out more about the work of Save the Children in India and the EVERY ONE campaign.

 

Mobile Health Clinics in Dehli

Film Director Gurinder Chadha visited our EVERY ONE work in India in early September and recorded a short appeal film.

 

Despite economic growth, India remains a hunger hotspot

An article in the NZ Herald shared the findings of a report from the Food Policy Institute that puts India among the worst hunger sufferers, ranking 67th out of 84 countries on its Global Hunger Index. As part of the report statistics were compared on the countries' underweight children and child mortality rates.

Dr. Rajiv Tandon of Save the Children India was quoted in response to the report:

That many people in India are underfed "is not something the world does not know," Dr. Rajiv Tandon, of Save the Children in India. But improving nutrition and food distribution will require getting authorities in agriculture, health care, education and women's empowerment to cooperate.

"It will need humility. They have to give a little, take a little ... and stop wasting resources," he said.

 

Play your part play house

James Bishop of Kapiti Coast decided to play his part and put his building skills to good use by building a wendy house for Save the Children New Zealand's annual appeal.

More than 8 million children die every year before their fifth birthday of preventable causes like malaria, measles and pneumonia. We believe we can change this by increasing investment in life-saving healthcare. Save the Children's global EVERY ONE campaign is focused on achieving this positive change.

The play house is being auctioned on Trade Me, and  money raised will build the EVERY ONE campaign fund to pay for simple, low-cost health solutions like mosquito nets and new born care kits.

A special thanks to Blind Sense, Alix Feast, Quality Painters, Placemakers Kapiti, and Wattyl Paint for providing supplies to complete this project.

Check out the Trade Me listing if you would like to play your part by bidding on the house.

 

More than 12 million children under 14 are engaged in child labour, India

Save the Children is concerned about reports of young children working on Commonwealth Games construction sites. However child labour, especially on construction sites, is not something limited to the Commonwealth Games.

Listen to more about this on TVNZ

“Conservative estimates suggest there are more than 12 million children under the age of 14 who are engaged in child labour in India, and hundreds of thousands of them work in dangerous conditions on construction sites and in brick kilns. The Games has attracted media attention to the issue of child labour but we must not allow this issue to be forgotten after the momentary media glare subsides. It is unfortunate that in a country where elementary education is now a constitutionally guaranteed right, child labour is still socially and culturally acceptable. The authorities should not have allowed this to happen,” says Shireen Vakil Miller from Save the Children India.

 

Save the children campaigners hand out energy bars to world leaders with a clear message: RUN DON'T WALK

 

Save the Children campaigners were today handing out specially-adapted energy bars to delegates at the UN MDG Summit calling for real action on tackling child mortality. The lives of 15 million children could be saved if world leaders deliver on the agreement they are due to sign today in New York, says Save the Children.

The bars bear the message "World leaders; RUN DON'T WALK" and list the ingredients for a successful strategy, including political will, four million health workers and additional funding commitments. They also carry the warning: "15 million children's lives depend on world leaders stepping up their efforts."

"We've had a great reaction to our energy bars. As this summit reaches its climax, everyone here could do with a boost. But the message behind these bars is serious. Ban Ki-moon's new global strategy on children's and women's health means we are still in the race, but 15 million lives depend on a sprint finish. We know what needs to be done - but the message to world leaders is clear: RUN DON'T WALK " says Adrian Lovett, chair of Save the Children's EVERY ONE campaign against child mortality.

Save the Children has identified several countries that have made real progress in saving children's lives against the odds, including Malawi, Bangladesh, Nepal and Ghana. It’s a myth that a country's wealth directly relates to how many children's lives it is able to save. Instead political will is the single most important thing in saving children. Malawi, for example, has a per capita income of less than $1 a day but has more than halved child mortality from 22% in 1990 to 10% in 2008.

Adrian Lovett added: "Leaders have signed up to some sound principles in New York. They have said they want to focus on lasting results and be held to account. They must now translate this into real action. "They cannot leave New York thinking it is business as usual. They must urgently deliver the funds and policy changes to support Ban Ki-moon's new global strategy. The lives of millions of children depend on it."

 

Hauraki Primary School kids Do 1 Thing

Hauraki Primary School has raised $1246.30 for Save the Children’s EVERY ONE ONE THING.

The 70 pupils chose activities to fundraise to help the 8.1 million children who die every year from preventable causes like pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles. For one week in September the pupils chose to DO1THING:

• No TV for one week
• No computer for one week
• Sleeping on the floor
• No fizzy drink for one week
• Doing more chores
• Giving up lollies and dessert
• Giving up ice-cream
• More exercise
• Helping mow the lawns
• Washing the car
• Unloading the dishwasher
• Clean wardrobes
• Give up scooter for a week

 

A long day but an excellent result

It was quite a cold, windy and rainy morning in Auckland on Saturday, but plenty of people turned out to support 10 year-old Kanishk’s fundraising garage sale – even arriving an hour before it started.

Kanishk, with help from his friends, Cheery and Neha, managed to sell most of the goods and collected a total of $190. Although the garage sale was advertised as starting at 8.30am onwards there were people knocking door from 7.15 a.m. Friends stayed around until 7pm, so it was a very long day, but well worth it.

His family collected all goods donated by friends and relatives during the week and arranged it on Friday night. They also had some non-cash donations like sponsoring an ad in the local news paper (Western Leader) – this definitely helped.

Thanks Kanishk!

 

Contours gym fundraiser

Throughout July Contours gym in Wellington was running a spin class fundraiser in support of Save the Children. Manager Katrina Gray tells us that it was their most successful fundraiser to date and that plenty of new-comers to spin were keen to try it out, just because it was supporting a good cause. Spin classes for the month cost only a gold coin and all funds were donated to the EVERY ONE campaign to save children’s lives worldwide. A total of $75 was raised. Katrina was really pleased to be able to do her one thing. "Every little bit helps," she says.

 

Kanishk: do 1 thing garage sale 14 August, Auckland

We've had a great letter from Kanishk of Auckland whose running a garage sale on 14 August. We wanted to share it with you.

Hi Everyone,

I am Kanishk and I am ten years old. I consider myself lucky because I live with my parents (Kavitha and Arun) and I don’t need to worry about food, school and anything else I can think of.  Just imagine how unlucky other kids in this world are without food and water.  

Save the children is an organisation 'working together to make sure every child has a healthy and safe childhood'. I will make a difference by participating in www.do1thing.org.nz and organising a garage sale with my friends and family to donate the money collected. Our garage sale will be on 14 August at 73B Hillwell Drive, Henderson. You can call my father’s mobile number 021 388 346 if you want to help or donate.

I would like to raise money for Save The Children as part of my school challenge. I know about this organisation because my mum donates money to them. I study at Summerland primary school, Auckland, New Zealand http://www.summerland.school.nz/Site/Home.ashx  As part of my year five homework we have challenges to complete in sports, academics, arts and community. I designed this challenge because it is a part of my community work.

It will be great if you can come to our garage sale or donate money and make a difference. Thanks and lots of love and appreciation for your help, Kanishk (10)

 

Spin to save lives at Contours gym

Katrina Grey, Manager of Contours gym, is inviting member and non-members to join the studios spin classes for a gold coin donation. For the month of July all proceeds from the spin classes will be coming to Save the Children in support of our EVERY ONE campaign.

Katrina takes a holistic approach to running a gym. She said, “Engaging people in helping a good cause is a natural extension of this. Save the Children was an obvious choice to support – our head office is just upstairs from the gym, and with three kids, I know how important the cause is.”

Watch a quick spin class demo or drop by Contours gym at 204-210 Willis Street in Wellington to try the class and support Save the Children. For more information, see their website or call (04) 385 1199.

 

Kiwi ingenuity helps save lives

Save the Children NZ’s EVERY ONE campaign has Kiwis giving up coffee, walking to work, selling cakes and sponsoring funs runs – all in the name of saving children’s lives around the world.

EVERY ONE encourages us to get friends and family to sponsor us to do one thing to make a difference. We'd love to hear about your ideas. 

What are other kiwis doing?

Giving up coffee is popular among many in Wellington and Auckland. Why not try being really creative too? Here are some great ideas happening around New Zealand:

• Steve from Auckland is auctioning his new shoes and donating the proceeds
• Carolyn of Lower Hutt is keeping her workmates happy and fed by selling snacks at work and donating the profits
• Ken in Auckland is giving up chocolate and putting the money towards helping children
• James from Paekakariki is cycling to work instead of taking the train
• and Hannah in Wellington has organised a lunch time fun run.

 

Hannah Simpson: do 1 thing lunch time run

Hannah raised $357 on her lunch time run -a fantastic effort and helping to improve children's lives.

 

Hannah Simpson: do 1 thing lunch time run next Monday 14 June

Hannah Simpson, Wellington School of Rock Director, runs through Wellington CBD for EVERY ONE Do 1 Thing on Monday 14 June. Starting at 12pm, Hannah runs the length of Courtney Place from outside Sweet Mamas Kitchen, up Cuba Street, down Willis St then up Salamanca Rd and Kelburn Parade to Human 88.1FM and Victoria Broadcasting Society 88.3FM where she plays music live on air.

Hannah and her team of supporters are collecting for Do 1 Thing along the way. Hannah is also highlighting the Wellington School of Rock holiday programme from Tuesday 6 to Friday 9 July for teens from 11 to 17. For more contact Hannah at sophisticatedladyproductions@gmail.com

 

Liz Gibbs in India: health care workers

Liz Gibbs, Save the Children NZ Chief Executive is in India: Dr Abhay Bang gave an inspiring talk about how Save the Children has helped to fund the training of Health Care workers in central India where training for local women has helped them to save the lives of newborns and young children in their local villages.

For just US$7 in India it is possible to introduce health care interventions that will save a childs life. With our EVERY ONE campaign we can contribute to programmes like this.

 

 

State of the World's mothers

The difference between the best and the worst places in the world to be a mother is enormous. By increasing the number of women working on the front lines of health care in the world’s poorest nations, we can make a positive change. Find out more

 

 

 

 

Every child matters...

and EVERY ONE can make a difference. Thank you for making a difference.

 

 

The impact of urbanisation on health in India

Delhi is one of the fastest growing cities in India and the number of children under 5 dying is on the rise. The tremendous increase in the city’s population is largely due to continuous migration - placing huge pressure on social and health services. Delhi is getting ready to host the Commonwealth Games and money is being pumped into getting the city ready - yet children are dying because they do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. Find out more

 

 

 

 

EVERY ONE campaign launch

Princess Anne and Allan Freeth kick off the EVERY ONE campaign in New Zealand.

 

 

 

A right royal gathering

Good Magazine's Sarah Heeringa writes about the launch of the EVERY ONE campaign on the Good Magazine Blog

Find out more

 

 

EVERY ONE pledges

At the EVERY ONE campaign launch Carol Hirschfeld, Allan Freeth and HRH Princess Anne urged New Zealanders to do one thing and help save a child's life 

Find out more

 

 

WOMAD

We asked EVERY ONE at WOMAD what they would do to save a life and by the end of the weekend our tent was overflowing with ideas. Thanks to everyone who came along and said hello....

Find out more