Anthony, 20 months, sits on his mother’s lap. A Save the Children health worker helped Anthony receive treatment for malaria and diarrhoea.
Anthony’s health was deteriorating, and Mercy had stopped breastfeeding him because she was pregnant and she believed breastfeeding would adversely affect the pregnancy.
Through training and support provided by Save the Children, Chisomo was able to help Mercy and her children. He treated Anthony’s malaria and diarrhoea.
He was able to reassure Mercy that it was natural and safe for her to breastfeed her son, and that it would have no negative consequences on her pregnancy. He also taught Mercy the nutritional value of the staple foods she could afford, so she could maximize the quality of the meals she prepares for her family.
Chisomo checked back with the Bensons a few weeks later. “I noticed great improvements!” he said. “The family responded to my advice. They improved their hygiene to prevent diarrhoea. Anthony is no longer malnourished. And I was very pleased to see Mercy breastfeeding during my visit.”
One of Save the Children’s key strategies to address child mortality is Community Case Management. This involves training community health workers to provide life-saving treatments for children under five years of age in remote communities. Community Case Management focuses on common, life-threatening childhood illnesses like pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria. It is proving very effective in countries such as Malawi, Mozambique and South Sudan.
The simple fact of having access to basic health care can save the lives of children who would otherwise have to be transported a long distance to the nearest clinic. When a worried mother visits a community health worker with a sick child, the health worker is able to assess the child’s condition and provide medicine such as antibiotics or anti-malarial drugs. Workers are also trained to identify when a child is severely ill and requires referral to a hospital.
Every year, almost 7.6 million children–nearly half of them newborn babies—die needlessly. The main killers are malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea. The tragedy is that these diseases are easily prevented and treated. Children could survive if only they had access to things like basic health care, nutritious food and vaccines.
EVERY ONE is Save the Children’s global response to save the lives of millions of children under the age of five each year, along with the mothers who are dying in childbirth due to lack of a skilled birth attendant. Through EVERY ONE, Save the Children aims to educate and influence governments and the public about the need to help children survive—and thrive—in their early years of life.
Last year’s Community Case Management results in Malawi, Mozambique and South Sudan included:
as community health workers to provide frontline care in remote villages.
of malaria and pneumonia among children under five years were treated.
Positive perceptions of the village clinic were reported in a mid-term evaluation. The evaluation found that people considered the clinic to be a valued resource, and that mothers trusted the quality of care they received.
A health workforce is being created by this project to benefit the country after Save the Children leaves.
The project’s success in 2011 led to its expansion into Mali and Pakistan in 2012. The Pakistan program includes screening for malnutrition in children, and the Mali program includes care for newborns.
Save the Children is a key member of the Canadian Maternal Newborn and Child Health Working Group, established by the Minister of International Cooperation in 2011. Together with our partners in this group, we are spreading the word about the need for health workers, vaccines and nutritious food, and we are fostering collaboration between the many organizations who work to advance maternal, newborn and child health. In Year 2 of the five-year EVERY ONE campaign, Save the Children International continued mobilizing people in support of child and maternal health. Around the world, activities included walks, signature campaigns, drama presentations, relay races, concerts, social media campaigns and more.
children and women worldwide received cost-effective, lifesaving care from Save the Children International. For example, 2,000 community health workers in Afghanistan were trained to identify malnourished children, and 450 religious leaders and health workers in the country were trained to encourage pregnant women to go to clinics where giving birth is safer.
in October raised awareness about the need for more health workers in the world’s poorest communities. Children from Toronto, and from First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario, participated in this event.