What causes and prevents child death - watch this video.

Understand the basic causes of child death by watching this informative video - share it with others to increase their awareness of the issues. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOhHV7hwsXA

By understanding what causes preventable child deaths, we can be informed advocates for children in our communities and with our government.



Millions of children die from illness and health conditions that most kids in Canada wouldn't die from. Here are some basic facts:

• More than two million babies die on the day they are born and another two million in the first month.


• The main identified causes of death are: pneumonia (29%), diarrhoea (20%), pre-term births (12%), asphyxia (suffocation) (10%) and malaria (8%). All these causes are largely preventableand research shows that two-thirds of these deaths or 6 million children could be saved each year through simple, affordable strategies such as better nutrition, birth spacing, skilled birth attendants and early recognition and treatment of childhood diseases.


• Over eighty percent of child deaths occur in the two regions of Sub-Saharan Africa (4.5 million or 49% of the total) and South Asia (3.0 million or 33%).


• Just 30 countries are the home of 7.5 million or 81% of child deaths. Yet these countries in 2006 and 2007 received just 48% of health aid commitments. The three countries contributing the largest number of deaths - India, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – had 39% of total child deaths, yet only 17% of health aid.


• Child deaths are intimately linked to maternal health – children are up to ten times more likely to die if their mother has died.


• around 3 million children are still born.

Do you Five for 5 action this week by watching, rating and sharing this campaign video on child health! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOhHV7hwsXA

Do Your '5'.

Capture or create a unique number '5' so that part of you can be at the G8/G20 Summit in June! Find or create your image of '5', take a photo and help us create a huge Canadian banner to deliever to Stephen Harper. Your photo will tell the Canadian government that you believe five years is NOT a child’s lifetime!

Look around your house, workplace, school or neighbourhood and find unique items to create a number five. For inspiration, look at some of the great photos on the Fivefor5 flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1392101@N22/. So far we have just over 120 photos. We need many more to make an amazing banner to carry with us during the G8 and G20 Summit events.

Upload your photo to the Fivefor5 Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1392101@N22/pool/

Use the comment section under your photo to tell us what actions you think the Canadian government has to take at the G8 to help stop the preventable deaths of children under-five around the world. These comments will be added to our '5' banner too!

Don't miss this opportunity to show the world just how creative Canadians can be!

Make the call - Phone Stephen and ask for action!

If you believe that 5 years is NOT a child's life time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper needs to hear from you!

Take 5 minutes, pick up the phone and leave the PM a message that you expect him to help stop the preventable deaths of millions of children under five each year.
1. Call the PM in Ottawa at 613.992.4211

2. Leave a message- It’s unlikely you will get the opportunity to speak directly to the Prime Minister.

3. Follow this script as a guideline, but feel free to use your own words:-Good morning/afternoon Prime Minister.

• My name is ___. I am from _____(city/province).
  
• I am calling to express my thanks for the leadership you have shown in making child and maternal health a priority at the upcoming G8 summit and by supporting a major initiative to improve the health of women and children in the world’s poorest regions.
• To ensure that your initiative can stop the preventable deaths of 8.8 million children and 500,000 mothers, I believe that it must include resources and activities that both prevent and address ill health that cause death. Also, I believe that new money must be available to support this initiative.
• I am asking you for these things because I believe that 5 years is NOT a child’s life time. -Thank you for your leadership that can help millions of children to live and thrive past five.
• I am looking forward to learning more about the concrete steps that the Canadian government will be taking on this issue, and I would like to be emailed or called back with the Prime Minister’s response.
• My e-mail address is .... my phone number is .... Thank you and goodbye.
  

4. Be sure to have a friend take a photo of you making your call or film yourself using a webcam, and upload the images onto our flickr site http://www.flickr.com/groups/1392101@N22/.