Child health. Generating the will

The current issue of the World Vision journal “Global future” highlights the achievements in respect to the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, that is, the global commitment to reduce under-five mortality by two thirds and to improve maternal health.

At present, only 16 out of 68 countries with the highest rates of child death are on track to reach this goal. More graphically, 25,000 children are dying each day – yet we have the means to prevent two thirds of these deaths through proven and affordable interventions. As an international community, we are guilty of failing to end this travesty.

This edition of Global Future explores the nature of political will and what is required to reverse our failure. The authors lay out the “why, who, what and how” of the actions needed to realise MDGs 4 and 5 and give us hope that we can quickly get on track.

In order to achieve the health-related MDGs, we must look to successful examples. AIDS activists refused to respond to the HIV crisis as anything less than a public health emergency and therefore have made great progress, argue Rachel Hammonds and Gorik Ooms.

Faith communities are a powerful force for progress in maternal and child health, especially when unified, say Harold Segura and Christo Greyling.

August 2010
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