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"Think of the poorest you have ever seen and ask if your next act will be of any use to him." .... Mahatma Gandhi
UN Declaration of the ... Rights of the Child
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WHO, September 2011 - The silent killers are poverty, hunger, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes. Despite the scale of this daily/ongoing catastrophe, it rarely manages to achieve, much less sustain, prime-time, headline coverage.
"The continuation of this suffering and loss of life contravenes the natural human instinct to help in times of disaster. Imagine the horror of the world if a major earthquake were to occur and people stood by and watched without assisting the survivors! .... They die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death."
— A spotty scorecard, UNICEF, Progress of Nations
Anup Shah, Today, 21,000 children died around the world - Global Issues, Updated: September 24, 2011
photo unicef india |
Latest estimates of causes of child mortality in 2010 with time trends since 2000
The Lancet - 11 May 2012 - Child survival strategies should direct resources toward the leading causes of child mortality, with attention focusing on infectious and neonatal causes. More rapid decreases from 2010—15 will need accelerated reduction for the most common causes of death, notably pneumonia and preterm birth complications. Continued efforts to gather high-quality data and enhance estimation methods are essential for the improvement of future estimates.
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Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers 2012 Report
"Our research shows that a mother's breast milk — one single nutrition intervention — can save a million children's lives each year,... All mothers should have the support they need to choose to breastfeed if they want to. Breastfeeding is good for babies no matter where they live, but in developing countries, especially those without access to clean water, breastfeeding can be a matter of life or death."
A Curriculum:
Elementary Units and Lessons:
Middle School Units and Lessons:
High School Units and Lessons:
Informational Papers
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15 Million babies born too soon. 1.1 Million preterm babies die every year, but with inexpensive treatment 75% could survive
Born too soon: the global action report on preterm birth provides the first-ever national, regional and global estimates of preterm birth. The report shows the extent to which preterm birth is on the rise in most countries, and is now the second leading cause of death globally for children under five, after pneumonia.
Addressing preterm birth is now an urgent priority for reaching Millennium Development Goal 4, calling for the reduction of child deaths by two-thirds by 2015. This report shows that rapid change is possible and identifies priority actions for everyone.
This inspiring report is a joint effort of almost 50 international, regional and national organizations, led by the March of Dimes, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, Save the Children and the World Health Organization in support of the Every Woman Every Child effort, led by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
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Adolescence is a formative period during which children grow into their rightful place as full citizens and agents of change in their own lives and the lives of their societies. Progress for Children: A report card on adolescents provides an overview of the situation of adolescents, including of their vulnerabilities in critical areas. It makes a compelling case for increased efforts in advocacy, programming and policy, and for investment, to ensure the rights of adolescents and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Download PDF - UNICEF - 52 pages - April 2012 - ISBN: 978-92-806-4629-0
Putting adolescents at the centre of health and development - The Lancet, Volume 379, Issue 9826, Page 1561, 28 April 2012
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 Putting Health Workers First
"The focus of all our efforts should be on enabling healthcare providers to deliver evidence-based health care for all. A SEISMIC shift is needed progressively to understand and address the full range of basic needs of healthcare providers in low- and middle-income countries: Skills, Equipment, Information, Structural support, Medicines, Incentives (including a decent salary) and Communication facilities."
(Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Coordinator - HIFA2015 campaign)
Governments and funding agencies should absorb and keep constantly in mind the words of Lincoln Chen and colleagues:
"Indeed, the only route to reaching the Health MDGs is through the health worker: there are no shortcuts."
(Chen L et al. Human resources for health: overcoming the crisis. The Lancet, Volume 364, Issue 9449, Pages 1984 - 1990, 27 November 2004).
 Causes of Child Deaths
According to UNICEF, of the 8.1 million child deaths (under-5s) in 2009, most (and 70% in developing countries) result from one the following five causes or a combination thereof: acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, measles, malaria and malnutrition.
Two-thirds of deaths are preventable. Malnutrition, which weakens the body's resistance to illness, and the lack of safe water and sanitation contribute to half of all these children’s deaths. Millions more survive only to face diminished futures, unable to develop to their full potential. Research and experience show that most of the children who die each year could be saved by low-tech, evidence-based, cost-effective measures such as vaccines, antibiotics, micronutrient supplementation, insecticide-treated bed nets, improved family care and breastfeeding practices, and oral rehydration therapy. In addition to providing vaccines and antibiotics to children, education could also be provided to mothers about how they can make simple changes to living conditions such as improving hygiene in order to increase the health of their children. Mothers who are educated will also have increased confidence in the ability to take care of their children, therefore providing a healthier relationship and environment for them. |
An Urgent Need for Health Education
Many of these deaths can be avoided if parents and caregivers understand what to do when illness strikes and how to recognize the danger signs that signal the need for medical help. Facts for Life presents, in simple language, the most authoritative information about practical, effective and low-cost ways to protect children's lives and health. Everyone has the right to know this information.
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I told my husband that
if Shah Jahan could build the Taj Mahal to honour Mumtaz,
why can’t you build a toilet for me?
Village woman in Maharashtra, India
India, where more than 65 percent of people lack a toilet and 500,000 children die each year from diarrhoeal illnesses.
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The Global Health Media Project collaborated with award-winning animator Yoni Goodman to produce The Story of Cholera.
The Story of Cholera is an engaging, educational animation in which a young boy helps a health worker save his father and then guides his village in preventing cholera from spreading. By making the invisible cholera germs visible, this simple animated narrative brings to life the teaching points of cholera prevention.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports an estimated 3–5 million cholera cases annually, resulting in 100,000–120,000 deaths worldwide. Cholera can kill quickly and, if not contained, will spread like wildfire. Yet, it is preventable and readily treatable.
Public education is an effective means to help contain epidemics. But at-risk populations are often poorly informed as to how cholera is spread and how to prevent transmission. |
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Explore the app - Hesperian’s comprehensive app on pregnancy and birth contains a wealth of information on:
• how to stay healthy during pregnancy
• how to recognize danger signs during pregnancy, birth, and after birth
• what to do when a danger sign arises
• when to refer a woman to emergency care
• instructions for community health workers with step-by-step explanations such as "How to take blood pressure", "How to treat someone in shock", "How to stop bleeding".
For iPhone and iPod Touch: Download the app for free from the iTunes store.
For Android: Download the beta release of the Android version for free from the Google Play app store.
As this is a beta release, we are aware that it still needs a little work in places. We welcome feedback and code contributions to help improve the experience. Please reach out to us at mobile@hesperian.org, and you can find the source code here.
Don’t have an iPhone or Android? If you don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can preview the app here. (Please keep in mind that the app was built to be viewed on a mobile device, so please forgive us if the quality is not perfect.) |
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Hundreds of millions of children today live in urban slums, many without access to basic services.
We must do more to reach all children in need, wherever they are excluded and left behind. Some might ask whether we can afford to do this, especially at a time of austerity. But if we overcome the barriers that have kept these children from the services that they need and that are theirs by right, then millions more will grow up healthy, attend school and live more productive lives.
Can we afford not to do this? - Anthony Lake - Executive Director, UNICEF |
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The work of Translators without Borders is of crucial importance for the success of humanitarian projects. Information available in the local language is much more effective than in a foreign language. This is true for engineering and construction projects (such as digging water wells), and agricultural projects (such as how to irrigate the land). But it is particularly important in healthcare. In many areas in the world people do not only die from diseases, but also from the fact that they do not have basic information about how to stay healthy and what to do to prevent disease.
If you are a translator and you are willing to donate your time and professional skills to Translators without Borders, you will directly support humanitarian projects. To join TWB, we ask you to fill in the translator application form. |
Hands to Hearts International’s Baby Massage DVD teaches basic baby massage strokes that not only make your little one happy but build loving bonds crucial to their development. When you purchase our Baby Massage DVD for yourself, or as a gift, you’re contributing to HHI’s work with orphaned and vulnerable children around India.
Learn more about Hands to Hearts International at www.handstohearts.org
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 Benefits of Baby Massage:
* Reduces baby’s fussiness and crying
* Improves baby’s sleep
* Decreases constipation and colic
* Increases bond between parent and child
* Relaxing for baby and parent |
* Filmed in India. The DVD is available in English, with subtitles in the following 18 languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Finnish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Oriya, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Along with your DVD you’ll receive an instructional poster with pictures to guide your baby massage. Cost: $25 USD, shipping included for a limited time. Order here. |
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All information on this web site is for educational purposes only.
For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, kindly consult your doctor.
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