World Vision Supporter Magazine
August 2010
“Having a baby should be a time of joy and celebration and all women deserve the utmost care when they are bringing a new life into the world.” – Rebecca Gibney
Creating a safer world for mothers and babies [ Page 4-5
World Vision commended for transparent reporting [ Page 7
Rebecca Gibney meets mums in Malawi [ Page 10-13
When women’s lives are cut short or incapacitated as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, the tragedy cascades. Children lose a parent. Spouses lose a partner. And societies lose productive contributors. Our world cannot afford to keep sacrificing so many people and so much potential.” – HM Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, UNICEF’s Eminent Advocate for Children
Contents Features Creating a safer
Inside Creating a safer world for mothers and babies Mozambique: Volunteers vital in spreading health knowledge
[6
United Nations brings global health to Melbourne
[7
Vietnam: Caring for mums and kids... from a sponsored child’s viewpoint
10-13 ] Rebecca
Gibney meets mums in Malawi
20-21 ] A
day in the life: Halima in Tanzania
22-23 ] A
healthier start for Indigenous children
[ 10 -13
Nutrition in Nepal: Chutka and Sabina
[ 14 -15
Former sponsored child: Matildah’s passion for child health in Zambia
[ 16 -17
A tragic milestone
[ 18
Child Health Now
[ 19
A day in the life: Halima in Tanzania
[ 20-21
A healthier start for Indigenous children
[ 22-23
Sponsor visit: Meeting Geoffrey in Uganda
[ 24
Child Rescue: From stones to schoolbooks
[ 25
Child health: Thinking beyond the lucky country
[ 26
World Vision launches global Child Health Now campaign
[ 27
Supporter Magazine
August 2010
© World Vision Australia. World Vision Australia ABN 28 004 778 081 is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. “Having a baby should be a time of joy and celebration and all women deserve the utmost care when they are bringing a new life into the world.”
Send all correspondence to World Vision News, GPO Box 399, Melbourne 3001 © 2010 All material contained in this magazine is subject to copyright owned by or licensed to World Vision Australia. All rights reserved.
AC F I D
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Rebecca Gibney meets mums in Malawi
World Vision
World Vision Australia is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct. The Code requires members to meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management.
[ 4-5
– Rebecca Gibney
Creating a safer world for mothers and babies [ Page 4-5
World Vision commended for transparent reporting [ Page 6
Rebecca Gibney meets mums in Malawi [ Page 10-13
Cover: Rebecca Gibney, award-winning actor and star of Packed to the Rafters, is a World Vision Australia ambassador. She travelled to Malawi last year to visit World Vision projects and learn about maternal and child health. Read her travel diary on page 10.
worldvision.com.au
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world for mothers and babies
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Creating a safer world for mothers and babies
T
here are few events that create as much joy and excitement as pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnant women and newborns are potent signs of hope and new life. Here in Australia, their health, comfort and wellbeing become an ongoing and intimate concern for loved ones, a range of health professionals and sometimes even perfect strangers.
a further 10 million women suffer debilitating, long-term effects from pregnancy and childbirth complications which include obstetric fistula, urinary incontinence and depression3.
But in the world’s poorest communities, there is often a very tragic and different reality. The latest estimates indicate that every year more than 340,000 women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth1. And every year nearly 4 million newborns die within their first 28 days of life2. Most of these deaths take place far from any hospital or clinic, in remote villages and crowded slums, where families are left to mourn and wonder why.
In some parts of the world, malaria is a major risk for both mothers and babies. It can cause miscarriage, severe maternal anaemia, low birth weight and the death of newborns.
Perhaps the most distressing thing of all is that most of these deaths are largely preventable. Treatments for obstetric and newborn complications are well known and have been practised in countries like Australia for more than 50 years. Whilst much progress has been made around the world on overall child survival rates and disease reduction, efforts to reduce the deaths of newborns and their mothers have made little headway. With little improvement in statistics over the last 20 years, giving birth and being born still pose a greater risk of death than any other life events. Ten years ago, when the international community pledged to halve extreme poverty by 2015 through the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), improving maternal and child health was given equal weight alongside eradicating hunger and achieving universal primary education. MDG 4 aims to reduce under-five child mortality by two-thirds and MDG 5 aims to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters. However, of all the MDGs, progress towards meeting Goal 5 is the most off track.
Why do so many women and babies die? Most maternal deaths can be attributed to a handful of causes. These include post-partum haemorrhage, infection, high blood pressure, prolonged or obstructed labour, and complications from unsafe abortion. Beyond these deaths,
n In Indonesia, Santi holds her newborn for the first time.
She travelled 35km from home to the region’s only hospital, which has just four beds, to give birth.
Likewise, most newborn deaths are accounted for by three main causes: severe infections (including sepsis, pneumonia, tetanus and diarrhoea), breathing complications and pre-term birth4.
According to UNICEF, the vast majority of these deaths and injuries could be prevented if relatively simple and cost effective health services were available in poor communities. These include:
• • • • •
basic antenatal and postnatal care skilled birth attendants adequate nutrition improved water and sanitation facilities improved hygiene practices
Nutrition is critical At least one in five maternal deaths is linked to poor nutrition5. Making sure women increase their calorie and protein intake during pregnancy is essential, not just for their own health but for their newborns too. Providing micronutrient supplements, such as iron to prevent anaemia, Vitamin A and folic acid, also helps to reduce maternal deaths, and improve foetal and early childhood development. Read about nutrition in Nepal on page 14
Skilled birth attendants save lives No matter where they take place, 15 percent of all human births will involve some type of potentially life-threatening complication6 . Therefore having skilled help during labour and delivery is essential. A skilled birth attendant (SBA) is a trained health professional, such as a midwife or a doctor with obstetric training, who can detect and treat problems during labour or childbirth and ensure that emergencies are referred to a hospital. Many countries face extreme shortages of SBAs, so every year 60 million women still give birth at home without skilled assistance7. The problem is particularly acute for women living in isolated rural communities where getting to the nearest clinic or hospital when complications arise may involve a journey of several hours, often on foot. Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980-2008: a systematic analysis of progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5, The Lancet, Volume 375, Issue 9726 The State of the World’s Children 2009, UNICEF 3 The State of the World’s Children 2009. UNICEF 4 The State of the World’s Children 2009. UNICEF 5 The State of the World’s Children 2009, UNICEF 6 United Nations Population Fund 7 The State of the World’s Children 2009, UNICEF 8 The State of the World’s Children 2009, UNICEF 1
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World Vision provides assistance to many governments by supporting the training or up-skilling of SBAs such as midwives or nurses. This can improve the quality of the care that SBAs provide to pregnant and birthing women.
ea
lt h
• Pr o t e c t i n g
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n Every child, just like baby
Sabrun (pictured), is precious.
Before and after care Most deaths of mothers and babies occur in the 24 hour period around the birth, extending through the first week of life. Some life-threatening conditions can be detected and treated if women attend antenatal check-ups provided by professional health workers. Village-based community health workers can also help to improve the health and nutrition of pregnant women; for example, by ensuring they take their iron tablets. They can also identify some danger signs and help families make birth preparedness plans. n Community-based health workers
After birth, community health workers can provide new mothers with timely and essential advice on issues such as breastfeeding, hygienic cord care and keeping baby warm, which can make all the difference.
can improve the health of pregnant women, identify danger signs and help create birth preparedness plans.
Read about maternal and child health in Zambia on page 16.
Educating women and girls Perhaps the most important and powerful way to improve conditions for mothers and babies in the long term is to ensure that women and girls have access to education; from primary schooling through to the provision of basic health knowledge (including of things such as birth spacing) and other life skills. Educated women and girls are much more likely to marry later, practise family planning, and recognise when their health and the health of their babies is at risk and seek help8.
Like most human development challenges, the answer to this question is complex. A lack of political will, a failure to prioritise the health of women and children, and the inferior status given to women and girls in many parts of the world are all cited as reasons, but hardly excuses for this shocking toll. But there is hope. In some of the world’s poorest countries, progress is being made when governments, communities and organisations like World Vision work together to improve the health of women and children. In countries such as Sri Lanka and Thailand, maternal and infant mortality rates have dropped dramatically in recent years and this has been attributed to improvements including increased access to family planning, skilled birth attendance and backup emergency obstetric care. For more than 50 years, World Vision has worked with children, families and their communities to address health needs. We know from experience that community-based maternal and child healthcare can create lasting change.
1. 2. 3.
That mothers and children are well nourished. That mothers and children are protected from infection and disease. That mothers and children have access to essential health services.
The training of community health workers and skilled birth attendants to provide women and their families with primary healthcare and health education is at the core of our maternal and child health activities. We also build the capacity of local communities to demand improvements in the quality and availability of government-provided health services at the local and district level. On pages 6-9, we highlight some examples of how these activities are improving the wellbeing of mothers and babies around the world. To find out more about World Vision’s work on maternal and child health and how you can help, visit worldvision.com.au/ Issues/MaternalChildHealth/ z worldvision.com.au
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We know the causes. We know the solutions. So why are so many mothers and babies still dying?
Through development and advocacy programs made possible by child sponsors, we work with communities to achieve three essential outcomes:
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Progress is possible
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n World Vision worker Gracinda trains a group of health volunteers.
The volunteers learn vital information about disease prevention, which they then share with other community members.
Mozambique: Volunteers vital in spreading health knowledge
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n rural Mozambique, volunteer community health workers play a vital role in helping to fight disease and suffering amongst women and children.
“We have around 25 groups of (health) volunteers and each group has around 25 people. That’s more than 600 in total,” Gracinda explained.
World Vision worker Gracinda is responsible for training health volunteers in one community in southern Mozambique’s Gaza Province.
As a result of the ongoing training they receive, the volunteers “know the many diseases and how to prevent them and how to transmit this knowledge to other community members”.
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Among other things, the volunteers receive training in how to educate their fellow community members about maternal and child nutrition, the importance of immunisation and antenatal care, and how to prevent and control common diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and skin infections.
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n Armando,
a community health worker.
“I received training about HIV and AIDS prevention and I also learnt that when a woman is pregnant she is meant to go to the hospital to be monitored and also when giving birth so she delivers well.”
She added that the majority of the volunteers are women, but there are some exceptions. Local pastor Armando is one of them. Armando said he was compelled to become a health volunteer because he could no longer bear to witness so much disease and death among women and children in his community. At one point he was conducting more than 10 funerals every day. “The first training I received was about malaria; how to identify it, how to avoid getting it etc.,” Armando explained. “Then I received training about HIV and AIDS prevention and I also learnt that when a woman is pregnant she is meant to go to the hospital to be monitored and also when giving birth so she delivers well.” He said that he could see the impact of his work in the increasing number of women and children regularly attending health clinics for treatment and advice. “This makes me happy.” “We have been able to achieve a lot together by transmitting knowledge to others in the community... it’s helping to change our behaviours.” z
United Nations brings global health to Melbourne
n Every child deserves a chance.
The ‘Making Health Global’ public program commences 27 August.
The United Nations (UN) and the Australian Government are working to make Melbourne the centre of global health this month. The 63rd UN Department of Public Information/NGO Conference will be held in Melbourne from 30 August - 1 September to discuss health issues and progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It’s the first time Australia has hosted a United Nations event of this size, and only the third time the annual conference has been held outside New York. The conference will bring together influential speakers and engaging representatives from international non-government organisations, including World Vision, to discuss the agreed targets to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and combat preventable diseases. Around the conference, a wide variety of public events will be staged with the theme ‘Making Health Global’. Starting 27 August, everyone can participate in these events; a highlight will be a One Just World forum on 31 August at 6pm, where writers on poverty and health will be speaking at BMW Edge in Federation Square Melbourne. Details available at onejustworld.com.au As the world comes to Melbourne, connect through Making Health Global. For updates and full program details when available, go to worldvision.com.au/MakingHealthGlobal z
World Vision commended for transparent reporting
WORLD VISION AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2009
“World Vision understands the importance of transparency and the role it plays in building trust with the public and with our partners in the developing world,” said World Vision Australia Chief Executive Tim Costello on receiving the award. “We will continue to further improve the quality of our reporting.” World Vision reports including the Annual Program Review, the Annual Report and the Annual Evaluation Review are available at worldvision.com.au
WE ARE DEDICATED TO WORKING WITH CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TO OVERCOME POVERTY AND INJUSTICE.
worldvision.com.au
] World Vision
The Transparency Awards judge the quality and transparency of reporting in the not-for-profit sector and they are supported by the PricewaterhouseCoopers Foundation, the Centre for Social Impact and the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia.
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World Vision Australia has been commended for the openness of its public reporting and has been named winner of the 2009 PricewaterhouseCoopers Transparency Awards.
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n This is me listening to the baby’s
heartbeat. I will soon have my first healthy nephew.
Vietnam: Caring for mums and kids... from a sponsored child’s viewpoint
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han is 14 and she lives with her family in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Nam. With camera in hand, she recently spent a day documenting the range of maternal and child healthcare activities being delivered in her community, made possible by the support of World Vision child sponsors. This is her eyewitness account.
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rker. She of ten pays a village health wo follow up the This is Mrs Pham, d an h nitor child healt our home visits to mo giver s. She is also re ca d an s er th mo of es r. tic he ac er pr to run aft nu trition lks fas t and we have best friend. She wa Every mon th at the village children under five ar e measure d can assess meeting house. This is so the he and weighed their nu tr it ion st atus an alth worke proper follo r d then hav w-up. e
This is M rs the villag Truong – a dis tr ic e health t health w tea Vit amin A o . This is g m today to give th rker. She has join old, as w ell as mo iven to all children e small children ed thers afte r their de from six to 36 m onths liver y.
a health abies for tation b t h g u o ealth s av e b r r s Dao h ’s suppor t, our h cilities . M d n a ye n ion e fa Mr s Ngu With Wor ld Vis ipped with mor u . q p e -u d k c n a e d ch u pg r ad e ha s b e e n
My friend Uyen washes her hands with soap. The village health workers have increased the knowledge and skills of the community to prevent common diseases through good hygiene.
ung girl and that ever y yo nd ie fr other a d an r a second m a nurse Mrs Dang is nfide in. We consider he . co to our health mother can ought ful care who gives th
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This is the w for a primar ater purifier system pro y students n school in my comm vided by World Vis ow have ac ion u cess to safe ne. A total of 28 0 water duri ng school ti drink ing me .
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My World Vision \/ n Rebecca Gibney,
pictured in a delivery room, is passionate about improving conditions for new mothers and babies in Malawi.
Rebecca Gibney meets mums in Malawi
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ebecca Gibney, multiple Logie-winner and star of ‘Packed to the Rafters’, travelled to Malawi in September last year to see the challenges faced by mothers and babies, and the work World Vision is doing to ease their burdens. Read her travel diary for a snapshot of what she saw. When World Vision first approached me about becoming an Ambassador for Maternal and Child Health, I was excited by the prospect of contributing positively to an issue I knew needed serious attention.
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n Rebecca talks with Dan, the only
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qualified healthcare worker in his district.
“Having a baby should be a time of joy and celebration and all women deserve the utmost care when they are bringing a new life into the world.”
Having a baby should be a time of joy and celebration and all women deserve the utmost care when they are bringing a new life into the world. But so many women die or experience complications during childbirth, and this is not the only issue. Many of them are malnourished throughout their pregnancies and their babies are born without the vital nutrients they need to grow into healthy children. Children are still dying due to lack of proper nutrition, sanitation and clean water. We need to educate and provide for these women so they have the opportunity to raise a family in a healthy, loving environment. Every woman deserves that right. I can only commend organisations like World Vision who are really making a difference by responding to this very real crisis; there is hope.
“I was continually surprised at the enthusiasm and incredible spirit I was seeing among people who had so little; and reminded of how blessed I am in my own life.”
Travel Diary 14 September 2009 Day one. We headed out to the Dowa District Hospital about an hour from Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital. The red earth was not unlike that in Australia. Hot, dusty roads with hardy thorn-like trees and everywhere beautiful, smiling faces. We really were in the ‘warm heart of Africa’. I was greeted by the district health official, Violet; a warm and generous woman. The hospital services over six hundred thousand people but has only one doctor. People travel great distances for treatment and pregnant women will often walk over 15 kilometres to give birth here. The birthing room is small with five beds, no linen and dirty, dusty floors. Often the beds are full and the women have to give birth on the floor. One young woman told me she had, after walking 10 kilometres, given birth to one of her twins on the side of the road. She then continued on walking and gave birth to the other twin at the hospital. When I spoke to her, she was caring for her babies on a filthy worn mattress on the floor. In the children’s ward there are 21 beds jammed into one room. Children with malaria are next to children with pneumonia. A few metres away are the children with infectious diseases.
n Meeting Magdalene and her mother. Magdalene is convinced that with proper training she could contribute to maternal and child health in her community.
It is heartbreaking to witness the conditions that these women and children endure. Giving birth should be a special time for any woman but many face losing their babies before they are born. Those who make it to hospital, due to the lack of resources, could also place both themselves and their newborn babies at risk. *** In the afternoon, we headed to a health centre 15 kilometres away and met Dan, the only qualified health care worker for the entire district. He alone looks after the 15,000 people who live in the area. He had already seen 100 people and attended nine births that day; all before lunch! He showed us around. The facility has no electricity or running water. The staff regularly walk two kilometres to fill water barrels at the local well and if a woman gives birth at night they assist her by torchlight. As Dan spoke to us, I was struck by his incredible passion and good humour. I was continually surprised at the enthusiasm and incredible spirit I was seeing among people who had so little; and reminded of how blessed I am in my own life.
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“As we drove away I was reminded that we’re all connected; no matter where we live or who we are.”
n Rebecca was
struck by the spirit, enthusiasm and good humour of the people she met in Malawi.
15 September 2009 Today was a huge day. We drove for two hours over dusty, bumpy roads deep into the countryside to the Kafulu district, where we met a mother and daughter. In the Kafulu district there is only one bicycle ambulance, so many pregnant women have to walk up to 20 kilometres in hot, dusty conditions to get to a hospital. One of the women we met, Magdalene, was once a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA). She told me she was convinced that with proper training and education she and others like her could perform the services they have provided for generations and help stop the rise in deaths among pregnant women and their babies. *** From Kafulu we travelled to the Chata district. Memories began to flood back. Twelve years ago I had come to Chata to visit the local school and met a small boy, Brastone, who stole a piece of my heart. As we drove through the village I was transported back in time. When we finally arrived at Brastone’s house it felt like only yesterday that I had last been there.
n Reunited:
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Rebecca and Brastone.
Virtually the entire village had turned up to greet us with singing and dancing. In amongst the crowd I spotted Brastone, now a young man, quiet and dignified. To be here now, having shared photos and letters, to have played a role in helping to shape this young man’s life and knowing that we would be connected forever, was incredibly humbling. We spent the afternoon sharing stories and exchanging gifts. When the time came to say goodbye, among the tears I knew I would return someday to this young man who has blessed my life and will forever be in my heart. As we drove away I was reminded that we’re all connected; no matter where we live or who we are.
16 September 2009 I met an extraordinary woman today. Therese lives in a village about an hour and a half from Lilongwe. She has four children and is seven months pregnant with her fifth. She was preparing to walk 20 kilometres to visit her 17 year old daughter, Jessie, also heavily pregnant and awaiting the birth at a healthcare centre. The walk would take her over three hours in the searing heat. Once there, she was to wait until her daughter gave birth, which could have been weeks. She would then make the long journey back home with her daughter and new granddaughter; only to return two months later to deliver her own baby. Although this process would prevent her from caring for her other children, she was adamant it was a much safer option than depending on her local traditional birthing attendant. What was most surprising about Therese was her incredible good humour despite the obvious hardship she faces. She laughed often and loud and told us stories of her past with relish. She is an inspiration and I feel so lucky to have met her. The fortunate thing about Therese’s circumstances is that the healthcare centre she is attending is supported by World Vision. Unlike previous centres we visited, this one is a well cared-for facility, with refrigerated vaccines, electricity, clean running water and a waiting room for women to live in while they wait, sometimes two weeks, for their labour to commence. It’s a humbling experience to be reminded that we can achieve so much simply by offering a little support. Rebecca Gibney Watch Rebecca Gibney’s video online at worldvision.com.au/Issues/MaternalChildHealth/
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n Rebecca with Therese (second from right) and her family outside their home.
greatly inspired Rebecca.
Progress in maternal and child health Despite being one of the poorest countries in Africa, Malawi has almost halved child mortality in less than 20 years through a combination of measures including increasing the number of attended births, boosting immunisation coverage and investment in better nutrition. This was possible partly because a single national health plan attracted substantial donor backing. Challenges remain; but this shows us that progress is possible.
worldvision.com.au
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n Jesse (left) and Therese
ild sp improve support of ch is working to Through your n io is V d rl o our s, W awi. Some of other program health in Mal ild ch d an l materna ude : activities incl ildren under of diet for ch y it al qu ng vi to reduce • Impro ilies in order m fa r ei th d five an trition levels r malnu g programs fo g breastfeedin in rt o pp Su • ums s new m rs to be leader unity membe m m co g in in • Tra trition thcare and nu in heal centres ity nutrition un m m co ng hi is importance • Establ e taught the ar s er th o m where d hygiene d nutrition an o go f o installing sanitation by d an er at w ving • Impro er to decrease d bores, in ord an ls el olera w es such as ch nce of diseas de ci in arrhoea and di ence by ce HIV preval du re to g in rk d • Wo health care an ving primar y impro n unity educatio comm alth services for better he ng ti ca vo d A •
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Malawi in k r o w ’s n World Visio d onsorship an
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Nutrition in Nepal: Chutka and Sabina
W
hen three-year-old Sabina was a baby, she was underweight and severely malnourished. In her first year of life, her young mother Chutka did not know how best to look after her to keep her healthy. With a little help from World Vision, Chutka is now well-informed about children’s nutrition and Sabina is at a healthy weight. Little Sabina’s life had a shaky start. Her mother Chutka was weak throughout her pregnancy. When Sabina was born, Chutka didn’t understand the importance of good nutrition, so she couldn’t understand why Sabina wasn’t as healthy as she should have been. As any mother would, she worried immensely about her.
n For Chutka and
Sabina, preparing nutritious food has become a part of everyday life.
“Before Sabina was one year old she was quite unhealthy,” she explains. “She was not very active. I was very worried about Sabina at that time. I used to think, what can be done to make her better?” With a bit of help from World Vision, Chutka’s anxiousness was soon relieved. Female health workers and World Vision volunteers began to see Chutka and Sabina at the community health centre and also visited them at home. Through talking with the World Vision staff and volunteers, Chutka soon began to gain valuable information about health and nutrition. “I learnt from female health workers at the health post as well as volunteers who came to my place. I learnt the importance of nutritious foods. I learnt that I should breastfeed my daughter frequently as well as feed her other green leafy vegetables,” she says, indicating the importance of a balanced diet to growing bodies. “Previously I didn’t know about the importance of breastfeeding, but now I know,” she says, adding “it is important to feed children green vegies to keep them healthy and not get diseases.” Little Sabina’s diet now includes nutritious rice, potatoes and other vegetables, all cooked lovingly at home. The health staff also taught Chutka how to make ‘super flour’, a nutritious high-protein blend of soybean, corn and barley. Chutka explains how it is prepared: “You grind them and mix them at home and feed the child frequently. After I introduced super flour to Sabina, she started becoming healthier.” Chutka and Sabina now visit the local maternal and child health centre on a regular basis, where Sabina’s health is checked and they are given vital information about good health, hygiene and sanitation. “We bring Sabina once a month for weighing to see whether she has become weak or not,” says Chutka.
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The centre has another special meaning for the young family, as Sabina’s father Karma is now a World Vision volunteer there.
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“My husband does the weighing,” Chutka says with a hint of pride. Karma explains the process for visiting mums and bubs: “After we find out that a child is quite weak, we feed the child regularly, take care of health and hygiene,” he says.
“Previously I didn’t know about the importance of breastfeeding, but now I know. It is important to feed children green vegies to keep them healthy and not get diseases.”
Karma says the best thing about his job is the weighing, because it gives him great joy to watch an initially weak child grow bigger and stronger. Because he has witnessed this in his own daughter, he knows all too well the importance of the program. He is very proud to be involved. These days, Sabina is at a healthy weight, much to the delight of her doting parents.
“I’m very satisfied with how Sabina is today and I’m very happy,” says Chutka. “Sabina is very active these days, and she often asks for food when she is hungry.” Chutka and Karma can now look forward to a bright future for Sabina. “Now Sabina is fit and fine, she’s quite healthy. I plan to send Sabina to school so she can get a better education,” says Chutka. Sabina’s parents proudly hold up their daughter’s weight chart. A clear line ascends, showing her weight steadily increasing into the normal, healthy range. It may just be a drawn line to some, but to them it is everything. “I want to thank World Vision for what they are doing. I’m very happy,” Chutka says. z
people go g n u o y f o s ’s Thousand f Australia vents ! o e n o in t ge withou g fundraisin in n n u -r t s d Australia longe
n Three-year-old Sabina, once listless and unhealthy,
l aroun ung people al r yo , st gu u A t to them fo On 20 -22 ing importan d th e an m s e so ili t u m o ildren, fa ch went with r fo s d n s. raise fu al Food Crisi 40 hours, to by the Glob d e ct fe af s ie s. communit g for 35 year been runnin as h ure, it e rn in fu m , Fa d o r n up fo ve gi T he 4 0 H ou e av h s ung Aussie This year, yo t! even eyesigh technology... will help Hour Famine 0 4 e th m o to fr a’s in Nepal Funds raised tka and Kar m porting: u h C e lik s e famili , by sup d production increase foo production crease crop in to ks an b wing food • seed d use for gro n la e is im ax to m tity of crops • terr acing it y and quan al u q ve ro p r to im esh for longe • ir rigation vegetables fr p e ke to ge stora • cold food g seasons in x tend growin e to s se u o h • green ates severe clim
Get y! hungr
more to find out n, go to o i t a n o d a e k or m a
com . e n i m a F r 40Hou
is now thriving. “I’m very satisfied with how Sabina is today and I’m very happy,” mum Chutka says.
2022 August 2010
40 Hour Famin e funds also su ppor t World Vision’s work fighting ch ildhood malnutrition in Kenya ; providin g supplementa food suppor t to ry families in Cam bodia; assisting food security pr ojects in Laos and addressing child labour an d traf ficking in India. In additio they help Wor n, ld Vision respon d to emergenc around the wor ies ld as they arise, and assist us in our ef forts here in Austral ia to raise community aw areness of issu es of poverty.
\ /
My World Vision \/ n Matildah is working hard to ensure that her daughter
Mercy, and other babies in her community, will grow up healthy and happy.
Former sponsored child: Matildah’s passion for child health in Zambia
T
wenty-year-old Matildah is a doting mother with a beautiful, healthy two-year old daughter, Mercy.
As is the case for many children in rural Zambia, Mercy may not have seen her second birthday had she not been blessed with a mother well-educated on maternal and child health.
] World Vision
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Matildah is a former World Vision sponsored child. She attributes her knowledge of, and passion for, good health to her sponsorship when she was younger.
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“When my child falls sick, I leave everything behind and ensure the doctor attends to her. I appreciate the importance of health because of what World Vision did for me,” she says. Matildah’s mother died when she was very young and she and her siblings remained in the care of their father. It was an extremely hard time for Matildah, who says she felt as though she was an orphan. At this time, World Vision’s presence in her life was hugely important to her.
“Mum died when I was very small and I can’t remember how she looked. Even if dad was alive, we lived as though he never existed, he abandoned us and we rarely saw him. World Vision became our mother and father,” she says, explaining that the organisation assisted with school and medical care. “There was a time when I suffered from cerebral malaria which almost took my life,” she remembers. Thanks to World Vision’s support, she was able to go to hospital and had access to nutritious food until she recovered. “They never gave up,” she says of the World Vision staff. Matildah feels that without her World Vision sponsorship and access to quality healthcare, she wouldn’t be the healthy woman she is today. She credits World Vision for making her realise the importance of child health, and talks about the education she gained from World Vision being far more than books and pens.
“Because I am educated, I know the importance of visiting the hospital regularly to be checked during and after delivery, because of the dangers. The mother or a child could die at any stage if proper measures are not taken to protect both of them.”
“It was not just for me to obtain powerful academic documents but has helped me so much in understanding a lot of things like the importance of having my child immunised from diseases like polio and measles,” she says. “A lot of people in this community have lost their children, not because there are no health care services available for them. It is because, for example, they are not educated, they can’t read or write hence when they hear about child health issues, they think negatively about it. They say, we’ll just depend on traditional medicine.” “Because I am educated, I know the importance of visiting the hospital regularly to be checked during and after delivery, because of the dangers. The mother or a child could die at any stage if proper measures are not taken to protect both of them,” she continues. Through taking Mercy to under-five clinics and child immunisation programs, Matildah has learned how to prepare nutritious foods for Mercy, such as porridge made from mixing groundnuts and maize flour.
“I visit them and ensure that I go with them to the clinic to have their children treated, weighed or immunised,” she narrates. One of these mothers is Minivar. “I really appreciate now that my friend Matildah has been encouraging me so much, I take my child to the clinic for all health programmes and my baby looks healthy,” Minivar says. As World Vision phases out of her community, Matildah is an empowered woman. She says she will forever remember and be grateful for what the organisation has done for her and the entire community. Without the support of Australian child sponsors, this would not have been possible. “Without World Vision taking care of my health, I would not be here today,” she says. z
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“Nutrition is one area that I have learnt both at school and at the clinic. We are advised to give nutritious foods to our children instead of feeding them on the same type of food every day which could make them suffer from malnutrition,” Matildah says, gazing adoringly at her smiling child.
Matildah is now educating other mothers in her community on the importance of child health. She does not want to see other children needlessly die from preventable diseases. She educates mothers on the need to take their children to under-five clinics every month and during specified immunisation weeks, supporting women who may be hesitant.
n Matildah knows the
importance of immunisation and regular checkups for Mercy.
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A tragic milestone
A
t last count*, Australia’s population included just over 1.3 million children under five years of age. Around the world every year, close to seven times that many – 8.8 million children – will die before they reach their fifth birthday. World Vision, with its 50 years of experience delivering programs to improve the health of children, finds these figures shocking and unnecessary. So many of these losses are preventable. The solutions to diarrhoea, malaria, pneumonia and malnutrition are well known and readily available in nations around the world. “We’re not asking for money to find a cure. This isn’t a ‘mystery disease’ – almost 40% of children die from just two diseases: pneumonia and diarrhoea,” said World Vision’s Tim Costello. “The world knows the solutions; we just need to implement them.”
So what are the solutions? In many developing countries, the healthcare systems are simply not effectively meeting the health needs of mothers and children. Kevin Jenkins, World Vision International President and CEO, has said: “most health spending does not go to prevent the biggest child killers, which are diarrhoea and pneumonia, or on basic essentials like clean, safe water, sanitation and nutritious food... It is politics, not poverty that is killing these children. The politicians have made many promises, but the truth is that saving mothers and children from death is simply not a priority.” But proven and cost effective solutions are available. Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, is the perfect example of how commitment can see results.
Malawi leads the way In Malawi, the number of children under five dying has halved since 1990. This has been achieved with a number of simple, but very successful measures, including:
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• an increase in the number of babies delivered by a skilled birth attendant
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• widespread immunisation and increased Vitamin A supplementation
• promotion of exclusive breastfeeding
• community management of malnutrition
Malawi’s story is important, because it shows us that the solutions are available and that change is possible, even if resources are limited. As many as 6 million children a year could be saved through simple, affordable strategies like these being rolled out throughout the world’s poorest countries.
n In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
child malnutrition is a common and heartbreaking problem. This child is receiving nourishing food at a World Vision centre in North Kivu.
A better start to life for millions If nutrition is improved in the womb and through the first two years of life, children can build up immunity to disease. It’s estimated that 85% of pneumonia deaths can be prevented by early detection and treatment with antibiotics, alongside hygiene and health education. The cost of an oral rehydration treatment that can prevent a child dying from diarrhoea is just 30 US cents (34 AU cents), while 80 percent coverage of Vitamin A in Africa could be achieved at a cost of just US$1.20 (AU$1.38) per child. With solutions like these readily available, all that’s needed is the political will and determination to make them an everyday reality for those children around the world who don’t have a healthy start to life. World Vision is working across borders through the Child Health Now campaign to tackle this issue and there’s much you can do to help. Children can be given a better start to life. Millions more can celebrate their fifth birthday if governments in developing and developed nations keep their commitments and help put an end to these preventable deaths. z * Statistics from The State of the World’s Children 2010: Child Rights @ http://www.unicef. org/infobycountry/australia_statistics.html#68
Together we can end preventable deaths Child Health Now is World Vision’s first global maternal and child health advocacy campaign. The campaign wants to ensure that mothers and children:
n Shahnaj an d
he net in Bangla r younger sister Smri timoni play desh. un
der a mosqu
ito
• are well nourished
• are protected from infection and disease
• have access to essential healthcare
Child Health Now aims to hold governments to their Millennium Development Goal commitments: to improve the health of mothers and children, the most vulnerable people in our society. Millennium Development Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
• MDG 4 aims to cut infant and child deaths by two-thirds by 2015 from 1990 levels.
Millennium Development Goal 5: Improve maternal health
• MDG 5 aims to lower maternal deaths by three-quarters by 2015 from 1990 levels.
You can help
Australians can act today on behalf of millions of women and children across the world who have no voice. Sign the Child Health Now petition at worldvision.com.au/childhealthnow
Will you choose to leave a legacy that can live on for generations? For information on how to make a bequest to support World Vision’s life-changing work:
1300 303 440 service@worldvision.com.au worldvision.com.au/bequests/ContactUs.aspx
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n “I like drawing.”
n Child sponsorship has improved life for Halima and her mum Zaituni.
A day in the life: Halima in Tanzania
H
alima, a World Vision sponsored child, is six years old. She lives in Tanzania with her family in a small mud brick house with a straw roof. A beautiful bougainvillea plant provides shade from the hot sun.
At the beginning we drank dirty water and we would feel pain and get diarrhoea,” she explains. “Now that I don’t have to walk all that way to collect water, I can have more time to work on the farm.”
Halima’s day starts early. “I wake up at 7am,” she says. “I brush my teeth, I wash my face. I take tea. If I am not going to nursery school I take care of the baby while my mother cleans.”
Halima’s family grows maize and beans on their three acres of land. “World Vision gave us maize seeds and the yield was good. We sell some maize and get money to buy school uniforms and books and pens and we keep the rest to eat,” says Halima’s father.
On school days, Halima gets ready and heads to class for a 7.30am start. “At school I learn to write and I like learning English,” she says. “I like drawing,” she adds. Halima’s mum and dad know the importance of education for their children. “If the children do well in school they are more likely to get into high school,” says Halima’s mother Zaituni. “I hope for my kids to pass their exams.” They are grateful to World Vision and Halima’s sponsor for helping to make this a reality. “World Vision provided desks for the school and renovated the classrooms,” Halima’s father Adamu says. Halima gets home in time for lunch. “After I come back from school I eat ugali (a staple maize-based dish in Tanzania) and play with my friends and sometimes eat rice.” Next, it’s time for some chores. “I sweep and wash the dishes,” says Halima. “Sometimes I collect water with my brother.”
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Her family used to have to walk a long way to collect water, which was dirty. Since World Vision drilled a bore and built a pump in the community they no longer need to, much to Zaituni’s relief. “It was painful to carry water all that way.
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n Play time!
“The children are very happy that they don’t have to spend all that time helping to get water in the evening,” Zaituni continues. “Now the children have time to do their homework. Before it was very hard. Our children are performing better at school now.” After chores and homework, Halima squeezes in some more play time before dinner. “I play with my brother and sisters. I like my brother and sisters,” she says. Her favourite game is hopscotch. After a dinner of ugali, Halima gets ready for bed at around 9pm. Bed time was not always safe for Halima and her brothers and sisters. They would sometimes be bitten by mosquitoes, which carried malaria and other diseases. World Vision provided mosquito nets to community members, much to the delight of Halima’s family. “Now I have a mosquito net, the mosquitoes don’t bite me,” says Halima. Her mum elaborates: “Before, when our children got malaria we had to walk for an hour and a half to the nearest hospital. Now the children don’t suffer from malaria at all because of the mosquito nets.” “Since World Vision came here, the number of malariarelated deaths of children has reduced and diarrhoea has reduced,” she continues. Halima and her brothers and sisters have also now been vaccinated against polio, measles and tuberculosis, thanks to a World Vision-supported health centre. Halima’s parents say they are “very pleased that someone so far away has sponsored Halima.” “We are healthy and happier and hope to build an even better life for the future,” says Zaituni. z
n Halima at home with her family.
n Less time spent walking to collect water means more homework and play.
n Bedtime is much happier when
there’s no need to worry about pesky mosquitoes!
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“Since World Vision came here, the number of malaria-related deaths of children has reduced and diarrhoea has reduced.”
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A healthier start for Indigenous children
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n recent years, closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians has become an important focus for governments and community groups alike. Despite some improvement, the mortality rate for Indigenous babies, at more than 12 for every 1,000 live births, remains three times greater than the rate for all Australian infants. There are also significant gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in most other child health and development-related indicators. (Reconciliation Australia 2010) A new initiative between World Vision Australia and five Indigenous communities in Western Australia’s East Pilbara region aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children aged 0-5 years by increasing access to early childhood services and by providing support and training for Indigenous parents and carers. As part of its Indigenous Investment Strategy, which has a focus on maternal and child health, BHP Billiton has
committed funding of $5 million for this initiative over five years. The initiative aims to increase the capacity of the communities to set up and run early childhood activities and centres, covering areas including equipment, staffing, training, mentoring, innovative childhood curriculum and literacy, and the development of local language resources. An additional and significant goal of this initiative is to promote the importance of early childhood education and school readiness within the broader community. Research conducted in the East Pilbara region in 2007 by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research showed that children living in the region were developmentally vulnerable. In the local communities themselves, families acknowledge that there are limited health and educational opportunities for their small children. Since the program commenced last year, playgroups have been established in two communities and early childhood care and development committees made up of local women have been initiated. Important relationships with schools and other organisations within the local communities are currently being established. When work started in the community of Jigalong, the local school was quick to provide support, offering the use of a spare classroom for early childhood activities. The local women then organised to clean-up the space and prepare it for playgroup activities.
n Pilbara Project Manager Deborah chats with Janelle and Tracy,
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community council members, and Jasmine, a regular visitor to a World Vision-supported playgroup.
“The women have made the playgroup their own. They clean the room and set out toys each day; they help the kids with craft activities and set up a morning snack. The mums have time together and plan their next activities and then they clean up after each session ready for the next day.”
“The women have made the playgroup their own,” one staff member commented. “They clean the room and set out toys each day; they help the kids with craft activities and set up a morning snack. The mums have time together and plan their next activities and then they clean up after each session ready for the next day.” Dr Mark Moran, Head of World Vision’s Australia Programs, said the communities are really getting behind the program. “We will work directly with parents, carers and families and provide them with training opportunities that build upon their skills,” he said. “Our aim is to ensure that they will be able to provide more sustainable early learning and health related activities for their children beyond the life of the program.” To read more about World Vision’s work with Indigenous communities, visit worldvision.com.au/Issues/Indigenous_ Australia.aspx z
n Young Liam is a regular visitor to the Jigalong playgroup. Since the project commenced last
year, playgroups have been established in two communities and early childhood care and development committees, made up of local women, have been initiated.
Ge t involved this C hristmas! Are you confident, passionate about World Vision’s work and experienced in sales or customer service? If so, read on! World Vision is currently seeking experienced retail staff to assist with our Christmas fundraising activities. Successful candidates will help us operate our stands in shopping centres and at events during the Christmas period, raising awareness about issues of poverty and informing potential sponsors about ways they can help. And as current supporters, who better to do this than you? Working with World Vision is extremely rewarding. It’s a chance for you to further your incredible support and make a very real difference in the lives of poor communities around the world. If you’re interested in joining our team this Christmas, or know someone who is, please visit worldvision.com.au/AboutUs/ JobsatWorldVision.aspx Please note that World Vision as a child-focussed organisation has strict selection criteria for all of our staff and volunteers.
n Smile! Brittany, a law student,
has been promoting with World Vision for over a year.
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Sponsor visit: Meeting Geoffrey in Uganda
W
orld Vision child sponsor Shannon, who lives in Victoria, travelled to Uganda last year to meet his sponsored child, Geoffrey. He has shared his reflections with us:
As the World Vision land cruiser negotiated the final few metres of the dusty brown track to the hand-made huts within the Area Development Program (ADP), a small group of women emerged chanting a welcoming song. I was in the middle of Uganda and had arrived at the home of Geoffrey, our sponsored child. This was a huge contrast from seven years ago. My wife Reiki and I were in a shopping centre enjoying a hot chocolate and muffin when we noticed a World Vision stand with photos of children. How could we be indulging ourselves when there may have been children out there actually missing meals? This was our first contact with Geoffrey; a person whose picture for many years since has sat on a mantelpiece next to those of our three children, Spencer, Jett and Zak. We’ve loved receiving updates on Geoffrey’s school and health progress, and of course new pictures. This year, as a friend and myself were organising a trip to Africa, an email to World Vision made a visit to Uganda a possibility. After police checks and approval from Geoffrey’s family, the itinerary was set; I was about to experience what would become a highlight of our trip. *** When you first arrive in Kampala you’re confronted with a large population of hardworking people who have limited opportunities. You may come across children sitting with their hands out begging, corrugated iron homes without running water, certainly no electricity and likely no toilets.
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Initially you want to help each person and fix the problems. But it doesn’t take long to realise that even if you gave each of these people $1,000 each it would only be a bandaid solution. The problems are much deeper.
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With my mind open to what we may be exposed to within the World Vision project, we excitedly awaited the staff who would take us there. Before long we met two very friendly guys, Ronald the Project Manager and our driver Ford. During the long road trip it was exciting to hear how passionate Ronald was, and it wasn’t long before we were face-to-face with the local crew in the ADP. After a quick tour of the area we were given a warm welcome from the local women, who had a song for us. Meeting Geoffrey was pretty exciting. It was like meeting a relative for the first time. Geoffrey was very nervous but the
n Geoffrey proves that soccer really is ‘the world game’!
soccer ball I gave him soon broke the ice. I did wish that my wife and three sons could have met Geoffrey, but the next best thing was Geoffrey talking via my mobile phone (I kid you not, Africa’s mobile phone service is better than Australia’s). It was pretty cool to see Geoffrey and his family in the middle of Uganda talking to my son and wife home in Australia. Geoffrey’s limited English at times hampered the conversation but after a couple of hours we were able to joke around. We walked to see his school and where he walks daily to bring home water. We had a lovely meal with his family and neighbours and I shared pictures of my Australian family and images of my son at school. It was great to see such a happy, healthy person with a nice, friendly family. The contrast from the previously mentioned scenes in Kampala to the World Vision project was fantastic to see. There is awareness of HIV and AIDS. Ninety-eight percent of the locals now have working toilets and basic sanitation is maintained, and there is even propagation of seedlings and production of corn, pineapple, potatoes and bananas. World Vision’s efforts have helped to establish a medical centre, primary schools and the development and upkeep of water pumps throughout the area. These successes mean they are now able to focus on increasing attendances at the schools. To cut a longer story short, the World Vision project works. To think that the small amount annually that I personally give can make a difference to the lives of a family is remarkably humbling and rewarding. Shannon Shumski, World Vision child sponsor. z
n Going to
school is no longer a distant dream for Nasrat.
n Breaking stones is hard, uncomfortable
and repetitive work.
Child Rescue: From stones to schoolbooks For most of her life, Nasrat hasn’t had a childhood. Instead, she has worked every day on the river banks, breaking stones under the scorching sun to help her mother take care of her family. On a typical day, she would wake up very early and rush to Madrasas, a Muslim study centre. Afterwards, she would hurry back home and walk barefoot to the river bank with her mother, Sureya, to begins her day’s work. She would sit there for hours, breaking stone after stone with her little hands. This kind of work is hard, uncomfortable and repetitive. Nasrat had only one comfort as she laboured all day: the thought that she was helping her mum. “I help my mother get some extra money,” she said. At the end of the day, Nasrat took home between 10 and 30 rupees and her mother between 40 and 50 rupees. To put this in perspective, 40 rupees is about one Australian dollar. When Nasrat returned home at the end of the day, she didn’t even have enough energy to eat. “My hand hurts and my head aches,” she said, holding up her hand that had turned rough and hard. Some nights she would wake up to find her nose bleeding. Nasrat’s mother, just 45 years old, already has weak eyesight. This is possibly because of the repetitive work she has been doing breaking stones for years. She has no option but to continue doing this if she is to provide food for her five children and husband. “If I miss out one day’s work, we have nothing to eat the next day,” she explained. It broke her heart to be taking Nasrat to work in such an environment but she had no choice. Nasrat would always look forward to evening, when she could play with her friends and attend the Non Formal Education (NFE) centre run by World Vision. The NFE centre reopened six months ago with the resumption of World Vision’s Child Trafficking and Child Labour project in Siliguri.
“I was so excited when I was informed that the centre was opening again,” says Nasrat gleefully. Not long ago, everything changed. Nasrat’s life has been turned around. With the support of World Vision, she has finally been able to realise her dream of enrolling in a formal school. With help from World Vision’s staff and volunteers, Nasrat has been admitted to fifth class. She had already learned how to read and write both in Bengali and Hindi from World Vision’s NFE centre, as well as a small amount of English. “I like school a lot,” she says excitedly. The World Vision staff have seen her potential. “She is very sincere and learns very fast too,” says her tutor at the NFE centre. The government school Nasrat now attends readily accepted her for direct admission to the fifth class because of her good performance. World Vision help to provide uniforms for students like Nasrat, who wouldn’t be able to afford them on their own. Many schools in the area will not admit students who don’t have a uniform, regardless of their circumstances. The World Vision volunteers have also spoken with Nasrat’s mum to ensure the family’s income is not affected too much by Nasrat going to school. Nasrat will still help her mother in the mornings and evenings. Though it won’t be easy for Nasrat, she is willing to do anything to stay at school. Nasrat’s mum, who is illiterate, gives one poignant reason for allowing Nasrat to go to school. “Nasrat will be able to sign her name and not put thumb print like we do,” she says. Nasrat’s dreams may have seemed simple but they are now a reality. She now has access to education, a brand new uniform – and a future.
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en-year-old Nasrat lives with her family on the bank of India’s Balasan river. For a long time, playing with friends, going to school and wearing her very own school uniform existed only in her dreams.
To donate to Child Rescue or to read more about World Vision’s work protecting children from suffering, danger and abuse, visit worldvision.com.au/childrescue z
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Child health: Thinking beyond the lucky country
T
hose of us who are parents are absolutely passionate about our children. We would prefer to take any hurt or blow, than to have them suffer. Of course, they aren’t always aware of this passion, or even thankful – my children won’t even add me as a friend on Facebook! Nothing is more difficult for a parent than looking after an ill child. We have all experienced the stress, sleepless nights, anxiety and uncertainty. It is a heart-wrenching experience. In May I wrote in this column of a woman in a Philippines slum who was forced to choose between paying for medicine for her sick child, or food for her two other children. She chose not to buy the medicine, and her little boy died.
n Tim talks child health in the Pilbara with Margaret and baby Tianie.
Here in Australia we are unlikely to face the dreadful choices of that woman I met in the Philippines. We are lucky enough to have exceptional healthcare. Earlier this year we saw the Australian Government announce sweeping reforms to our health system. Of course there are health system problems we must face here in Australia – but a global comparison demonstrates just how far progressed we are. In 2007, the World Bank estimated that the Australian Government spent US $3,986 per person on health. By comparison, in East Timor it was just $58. In Papua New Guinea, it was a paltry $31 per person – less than 1% of the Australian figure.
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Having progressed our health system here in Australia, there is a role for us to play in improving health outcomes globally, especially for those who are most consistently failed: pregnant women and children under five.
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Children in the Pacific region are dying at rates not seen in Australia since before Federation. The under five mortality rate in Australia in 1907 was 24 per 1,000 live births. In East Timor today, just a few hundred kilometres off Australian shores, that rate is 97 babies – still almost four times the rate that our grandparents and great-grandparents faced. Earlier this year medical journal The Lancet estimated the global maternal mortality rate was far lower than originally thought. The revised figure of 340,000 maternal deaths annually (as opposed to 500,000) is evidence that progress is possible, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to reduce maternal deaths by two-thirds remains by far the most off-track.
Australia can afford to help tackle this problem. The International Monetary Fund ranks Australia the eighth-richest of 33 countries it classifies as ‘the developed world’. Australia should contribute its fair share of overseas health aid: approximately $1.2 billion per year by 2012. At a global level, rich countries need to increase their commitment to health to $42.5 billion by 2015 if we are to meet the health MDGs in all developing countries. To put this in context, that is just 4% of the global financial stimulus package the world’s leaders agreed to in 2009. What do all these figures mean for mothers in developing countries? It could mean not having to carry the heavy burden of choosing between children. Concepts we take for granted – such as superannuation, pensions and government rebates – are utterly foreign to millions of the world’s poorest people. For many of those people, ‘free, accessible healthcare’ is not much better. Their experience of healthcare is more likely to be expensive, erratic, and unreliable. Effective health aid can change that. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said he has an abiding belief that a first class healthcare system is basic to the Australian fair go. I would go one step further - access to basic healthcare is about more than just being Australian, and everything to do with being human. Basic healthcare is a basic human right. Tim Costello, World Vision Australia Chief Executive z
n Glimmer of hope.
World Vision launches global Child Health Now campaign
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n its first ever global advocacy campaign involving 16 national and support offices, World Vision has launched Child Health Now. The campaign aims to hold governments in both developed and developing countries accountable for their commitment to Millennium Development Goal 4: to reduce child mortality by two-thirds. World Vision’s 50 year commitment to the wellbeing and welfare of children around the world supports our concern that 8.8 million children are dying every year from mostly preventable diseases. Through Child Health Now, World Vision is reminding governments that we already have the solutions and means to address this global emergency. “To do nothing, to say nothing, infringes children’s rights as defined by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,” said World Vision Australia’s Reverend Tim Costello. Reverend Costello was joined by a panel of international maternal and child health experts and specialist World Vision staff and ambassadors at the Australian launch of Child Health Now in Melbourne. Qualified midwives, doctors and children’s health advisers joined with Reverend Costello in condemning the global tragedy: “No woman should die giving birth to life,” he said. “No child should die from easily preventable diseases.” Kenya and the USA At a simultaneous launch between New York and Nairobi, US President Obama’s grandmother Sarah Obama and
“As the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals draws closer, the challenge for improving maternal and newborn health goes beyond meeting the goals; it lies in preventing needless human tragedy. Success will be measured in terms of lives saved and lives improved.” – Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director, UNICEF
Ida Odinga, wife of the Kenyan Prime Minister, were among the 140 guests who listened as Kenyan government officials praised World Vision’s efforts to improve child and maternal health in Africa and beyond. Guests signed a petition calling on governments to prioritise child and maternal health. After five years of safekeeping at the World Vision offices in Nairobi, a time capsule containing African children’s wishes for improved health care, nutrition, water and sanitation will be unveiled to discover whether the children’s wishes were met. India Launching the campaign in India, World Vision’s Dr. Jayakumar Christian stressed the importance of Child Health Now succeeding when he said: “We are here on behalf of the children who are affected by choices they did not make; to show that progress is possible with the right investment and political will; to emphasize that partnership is the foundation – with the government, civil society, academics, faith based organisations, media, corporates. So that children have one more choice – to live.” Taiwan World Vision’s Hank Du, speaking at his country’s launch of Child Health Now described the loss of so many children before the age of five as “one of the most desperate crises facing the world today,” but held out hope because “simple and low-cost measures could... save millions of lives.” Taiwan’s Sylvia Chang, a long-time volunteer and World Vision spokesperson said at the launch: “As a mother, I’m most concerned about what legacy we will leave to our children. With millions of children dying before the age of five, unable to grow up to become a person who contributes to the world, we will lose an entire generation!” z worldvision.com.au
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Child leaders from communities where World Vision works.
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Every $1 you donate
can help us deliver food aid up to the value of $10. Through the Multiplying Gift Appeal, World Vision partners with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver life-saving food aid to hungry families. The WFP provides the food and World Vision distributes it, but we need to raise funds to do this. Your gift will be multiplied up to 10 times to help us reach more than 600,000 people this year who are in urgent need around the world. Donate now. Complete the coupon overleaf, call 13 32 40 or visit worldvision.com.au/tentimes Š 2010 World Vision Australia. World Vision Australia ABN 28 004 778 081 is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Ref # 6261
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World Vision Australia.
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13 32 40 (local call) worldvision.com.au/tentimes World Vision Australia GPO Box 9944 Melbourne VIC 3001
Information that you provide to us is used to enable us to process your gift, as the law permits or for other purposes explained in our Privacy Statement (see at worldvision.com.au or call 13 32 40). We don’t rent, sell or exchange information we hold. Your contribution will appear on your annual tax receipt. © 2010 World Vision Australia. World Vision Australia ABN 28 004 778 081 is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Ref # 6261
MULTIPLY YOUR GIFT AND HELP SAVE LIVES By donating to the Multiplying Gift Appeal, you can help World Vision distribute life-saving food aid to thousands of children and families in poor communities such as Sudan and Mozambique who are facing extreme hunger. Families like Lucia and her five children who live in Mozambique’s Tete Province, where droughts and floods have totally exhausted local food supplies. Recently widowed, Lucia can barely provide her children with even one small meal a day. “Most times when it’s time to eat, we don’t have enough,” Lucia explains. “Then the children cry and so do I.” Your gift today can help us deliver up to 10 times the food aid to hungry children and families like Lucia’s.
PLEASE DONATE TO THE MULTIPLYING GIFT APPEAL. Complete the coupon overleaf, call 13 32 40 or visit worldvision.com.au/tentimes