Children are our future: We need to prioritize theirs
A United Nations report released in September 2018 offered this compelling headline: “Somewhere, every 5 seconds, a child under 15 dies”.
Paints a pretty grim picture, doesn’t it? Let’s dive into this a bit.
Why are children dying?
Children are a high-risk group for many reasons. They are vulnerable to certain diseases because of their developmental stage and their dependence on the adults in their lives. Their vulnerability places them at a higher risk of preventable deaths from diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, complications during childbirth, and injuries in adolescence.
The majority of child deaths occur in the Global South — 50% in sub-Saharan Africa alone — but there are also divisions along poverty gradients and between children who live in urban versus rural settings, even in countries in the Global North. For instance, the mortality rate amongst children below the age of five is on average 50% higher in rural areas than in urban areas. These divides prevent children and families from accessing quality health care and other related services. For example, services may be unaffordable, or the nearest medical clinic may be too far away making travel challenging.
Combatting child mortality involves more than improving health services. It involves looking at the root of the problem by addressing the reasons that children need care in the first place. Children are vulnerable to falling through gaps in systems including health systems, legal systems, education systems, and child protection systems. These gaps persist because children often cannot fight for their own best interests and need adults to advocate for them. Prioritizing children’s needs can help close the gaps in these systems, lowering children’s risk of disease. Increasing communication and collaboration among systems will also help focus on optimal outcomes for each child.
What can we do about it? The role of proper nutrition in combatting child mortality.
Poor nutrition contributes to 50% of child deaths worldwide a result of diseases like malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea. Poor nutrition can also weaken the success rates of interventions and treatments for these diseases. So, improving nutrition can dramatically lower mortality risks and prevent children from contracting these diseases. Adequate nutrition provides kids with the energy for their bodies to grow strong and fight off diseases, while going to school and fighting for their futures. Children may be especially vulnerable to the health impacts of poverty, but they also stand to benefit the most from improvements.
PIHC’s Mobile Malnutrition Clinics in Haiti
Partners in Health Canada aims to eliminate all deaths from malnutrition in children under 5 years of age, in every country they operate. In doing so, PIHC addresses the bigger picture of child mortality. In Haiti, PIHC’s Mobile Malnutrition Clinics travel to hard-to-reach areas and impoverished communities to provide nutritious food and supplements to children. These communities are often rural and lack access to a consistent food supply. The nutrition supplements that PIHC’s clinics distribute provide adequate calories for growth and development and will last for several weeks without the aid of a refrigerator, making it a solution that addresses both poverty and limited physical access to food, both of which are risk factors for child mortality. As well, the mobility of the intervention addresses urban/rural inequities by attending to the children most in need. This means that screening and treatment for malnutrition happen earlier, when children have the best chance for recovery, preventing it from leading to major illnesses. The innovative clinic program also works with community health workers (CHWs) that bridge the communities with health services at clinics and hospitals to ensure proper care and patient follow-up. By combining nutrition with links to health services, the Mobile Malnutrition Clinic will have long-term positive impacts on children and their futures.
PIHC’s child-specific initiatives help meet children’s basic needs for livelihood, creating conditions in which children can thrive and have healthy childhoods and healthy futures.
