Raising hopes: World Vision India launches campaign in the city to help India’s children ‘survive five’

Mumbai: Close to 10,000 people from various walks to life raised their hands in various locations in and around the city, in support for the cause of preventing child deaths due to malnutrition. From Dharavi to Sion, the events was organised by World Vision India, as part of their Global Week of Action campaign. Teachers, local community leaders, BMC labourers, sweepers, policemen and mmembers of the public pledged to work for spreading the message of child health and well-being across the country where 1.4 million children die annually of preventable causes. Signatures were also collected during the signature campaign held alongside, in a bid to push the message further. A part of World Vision’s global initiative to garner attention on child health, the campaign focuses on preventing child mortality below five years. A child’s fifth birthday, in particular, is a milestone that more than 6.6 million children every year do not live to see, due to malnutrition. World Vision’s campaign aims to be a movement that brings together people, organisations, governments and businesses to work with renewed focus and energy.

Organised as part of the global campaign to end preventable child deaths, this is one of over 500 events being conducted across the country by World Vision India to raise awareness of the issues and encourage world leaders to act now. The under-five mortality rate in India has decreased over the last decade, to 52 per 1000 live births compared to 85 in 2003, while the infant mortality has decreased from 60 in 2003 to 42 in 2013. More children died during their early days of life, within the first month of birth. “Our experience in working with over 5300 poor communities in across India has taught us that lakhs of women and children in the developing world can be saved through implementing simple, cost-effective solutions like providing clean water and promoting skilled birth attendants to assist during childbirth, ” says Leena Makasare from World Vision India.

Dr Jayakumar Christian, CEO and National Director, World Vision India pointed out that Child Health Now is not just about a week of action but about yet another opportunity to promote and drive sustained dialogue and action. “We need action not just in the corridors of power but also across levels so that it positively impacts the poor at the grassroots level across India and the world.”

People from any walk of life can be a part of the initiative, and involve in various ways. For more information on the campaign and how to be involved, please do visit www.worldvision.in/chn. Anyone who wants to support this cause can click a picture of theirs with their hands raised, and upload the picture on this site, thus creating awareness about the same.

World Vision calls on the Government of India to:

·         Increase the national health budget to 3% of GDP by 2015 and prioritise funding to Maternal and Child Health (MNCH) services to reduce out-of-pocket expenditures on MNCH by the most vulnerable groups. Increased resources should be used to ensure adequate human resources, medicine and equipment, and improved public health facility coverage.

·         Ensure universal access to quality health services and Anganwadi centres for all children in the country, with specific focus on Scheduled Castes and Tribes and other marginalized groups including minorities, children with disabilities and children below two years of age.

·         Prioritize child nutrition & health as a national agenda and take concrete action to address socio-political determinants that perpetuate the cycle of malnutrition. A national policy on child health and nutrition should be formulated with urgency.

·         Make civil society engagement in public health services, including Integrated Child Development Services, mandatory. Community based planning and monitoring and genuine participation of people, especially women, needs to be strengthened to facilitate improved access and governance of healthcare services.

Source: Lokesh Shastri