What happened – and what the G8 need to do now
(June 18, 2009) — Improved health care for millions of African mothers and their young children received a global boost this week as advocates for children worldwide called on G8 leaders to make maternal and child survival in Africa a top priority at their summit meeting in Italy next month. (Read a PDF of Save the Children's briefing memo to G8 leaders.)
On Tuesday, to commemorate the Day of the African Child, African leaders, international health activists and children in North America, Europe, and 13 African countries joined together in a global show of support for increased resources to lower child and maternal mortality rates in Africa.
An estimated 4.5 million children under 5 die each year in Africa, including more than 1 million who do not survive the first 28 days of life, according to a new briefing paper on child survival issued by Save the Children. Most of these deaths in Africa are due to preventable and treatable causes that rarely claim the lives of children in the world's richest countries, the report noted.
On Tuesday, in 13 African countries, Save the Children worked in partnership with national governments, civil society groups and a wide range of international and national nongovernmental organizations to hold activities that focused on increasing awareness of the issues of newborn and child survival. Approximately 150,000 people took part across Africa.
In Ethiopia, Olympic gold medal winner Meseret Defar helped celebrate the country's recent gains in child survival in an event in Addis Ababa. In Liberia, hundreds of children and family members marched in support of children's health programs. In Nigeria and Sierra Leone, radio talk shows focused on child survival throughout the day.
Success in the Fight Against Under-5 Mortality
Save the Children also has released a new policy report, Briefing for the Day of the African Child: Accelerated Action Towards Africa Fit for Children, that highlights recent success in reducing deaths among children under 5 in several African countries. Some examples:
- Botswana has reduced its under-5 mortality rate from 124 per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 40 in 2008 — saving over 4,000 children's lives a year
- Liberia as reduced its under-5 mortality rate from 235 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 110 in 2007 — saving over 23,000 children's lives a year
- Malawi has reduced its under-5 mortality rate from 210 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 111 in 2007 — saving over 60,000 children's lives a year
Despite progress, the report noted that an alarming 25 percent of all child deaths in Africa — more than 1 million a year — take place during the first 28 days of life.
Save the Children estimates that $1.3 billion a year in additional funding could save up to 800,000 newborn lives in Africa through a comprehensive package of proven health interventions for women and babies in the region.
"Death rates among newborns remain so high in Africa that parents in many communities postpone naming their newborn for a month or more until they are certain the child will survive infancy," said Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Secretary General of Save the Children.
"Most of these deaths could be prevented by ensuring access to basic low-cost services such as immunization, skilled care at delivery and basic care of the newborn, including breastfeeding, and early treatment of infections," she said.
"Throughout the developing world, and especially in Africa, the most dangerous day in a child's life is the day a child is born," Petri Gornitzka said. "We must do more to save these lives."
Petri Gornitzka called on world leaders attending next month's G-8 meeting to help African countries meet their goal of cutting by two-thirds the number of children who die before their fifth birthday.
"During this financial crisis, the world's poorest families risk being left on the sidelines. But when the solutions that save children's lives are so proven and affordable, this is exactly the kind of investment that African leaders, and leaders of the richest nations, must prioritize," Petri Gornitzka said.