Your Online Donation Will Help Save Newborn Babies (Part 1)
Her labour pains had begun. There was no midwife, no clean running water, no medical facilities, no electricity, no supplies. Fear and panic were her only companions.
These could be the opening lines to some dystopian novel set in the Dark Ages, but they’re not. The setting is the 21st century, and these are the harsh realities faced by millions of mothers, babies and healthcare workers in South Africa and across the African continent, every day.
Your online donation can help change this story.
The real story
The facts and statistics give us the real story and it is heartbreaking.
Every year…
- 2.6 million babies die before turning one month old.
- 1 million of them take their first and last breaths on the day they are born.
- Another 2.6 million are stillborn.
- 7000 newborn babies die every day.
- More than 80 per cent of newborn deaths are the result of premature birth, complications during labour and delivery, as well as infections such as sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia.
Each of these statistics has a face and a broken heart. Adding to the tragedy is that the vast majority of these deaths could have been prevented. UNICEF’s Every Child Alive Campaign is set to change these statistics.
Your online donation can help change this reality.
The real problem
Millions of newborn lives could be saved every year if these vulnerable mothers and babies had access to affordable, quality health care, good nutrition and clean water. But in many circumstances, due to many complicated reasons, these basics are out of reach from the mothers and babies who need them most.
Lack of sustainable advocacy and policy initiatives, coupled with a lack of global commitment and apathy have, in part, led to this crisis. The need is great. The need is overwhelming. The need is for continued financing and online donations to change the outcome. Every child has a right to live, no matter what circumstances they are born into.
Your online donation can help change this scenario.
