Premiere Security Issue for Millions of African Families Is Lack of Maternal and Child Health Care, Save the Children Says --180,000 Have Died in Africa since Kampala Bombings Two Weeks Ago--

Save the Children urged African heads of state to act on the African Union Summit theme of “Maternal, Infant, and Child Health and Development in Africa.”

“The bombings of two weeks ago killed 76 innocent people and have rocked Africa.  The attacks have understandably pushed security to the forefront of the African Union agenda,” said Chikezie Anyanwu, Save the Children’s Africa Advocacy Advisor. “But leaders must not forget the other African victims of the last two weeks—the 170,000 children and 10,000 mothers who died needlessly during that time.”

Africa has about 12 percent of the world’s population, but half the world’s maternal and child deaths occur here.  About 1 in 9 African children die before their fifth birthday, and in many countries the odds are much worse.  Every year 4.5 million children and 265,000 mothers die in Africa from largely preventable causes.  Topping the list are complications at birth, pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria.

“Let’s not wait for extremists to exploit the misery caused by lack of basic health care for African children and pregnant women to act.  It's already obvious  this is a fundamental security issue for millions of families across the continent,” Anyanwu said.

U.S. intelligence agencies have reported to the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee that in Afghanistan, the Taliban was able to flourish in part due to widespread traumatic births and the popular view that the Afghan government was not able to offer citizens basic health care and services.

In Africa only 10 countries are on-track to meet Millennium Goal 4 by 2015.  That goal, agreed to by all countries of the world at the United Nations, is to reduce child deaths by two thirds of 1990 levels.  Malawi and Botswana recently got on track to meet MDG 4. Progress on maternal mortality has been slower or missing across Africa.  It’s not clear that any country will meet MDG 5—to reduce maternal deaths by three fourths.

“We hope the African heads of state won’t push the maternal and child health theme of this summit to the side.  If a very poor country, like Malawi, can put a plan and resources in place to dramatically reduce child deaths, there’s no reason every African country can’t do the same,’ Anyanwu said.

Save the Children is the leading, independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and 120 countries around the world.  Whom You Know was introduced to Save the Children through BVLGARI.