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Women and children
Safeguarding the health of women and children
Approximately 12.4 million children die each year before the age of five according to the WHO. Nearly
70 per cent of these deaths occur in the developing world with the most common causes being acute
respiratory infections (ARI), diarrhoeal diseases, malaria, measles and malnutrition, often in
combination. More than 1,600 women die every day from pregnancy and childbirth related
complications. The majority of these deaths - almost 90 per cent - occur in Asia and sub-Saharan
Africa. Of all the health statistics monitored by the WHO, maternal mortality shows the largest
inequality between developed and developing countries.
Improving maternal and child health is possible even in the most vulnerable communities. What is
required is strong commitment. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments, international
agencies, and other donors must strengthen and expand efforts to respond to emerging reproductive
health needs as well as safeguard maternal and child health. |
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With an estimated 12.4
million children dying
each year before the
age of five, Red Cross
and Red Crescent
Societies are comitted
to improving children's
health and stopping this
tragic loss of life. |
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The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, through its network of National
Societies, has been supporting and implementing health initiatives related to reproductive health and
mother and child care for over 20 years. Most recently, 53 African National Societies, Ministries of
Health, and UN agencies worked in a participatory planning process to focus Red Cross and Red
Crescent programmes on the prevention and management of major public health problems including
reproductive and mother and child care.
National Societies in the Americas have established a strategic alliance with the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO) and their respective health ministries to implement the Integrated Management
Childhood Illness (IMCI) package in ten countries. The Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan Red
Crescent National Societies have incorporated mother and child health programmes into the network
of clinics providing medical and preventive health services for communities in defined catchment areas.
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Areas of action: building
on comparative advantages
Experience gained by the International Federation, together with other organizations, has helped
identify those interventions that require scaling up and where comparative advantages can best be
leveraged. The basis for the scale up strategy is the Red Cross and Red Crescent's extensive experience
in community-based first aid and its proven capacity in emergency situations to mobilize significant
resources to alleviate suffering and mitigate the effects of disasters.
The Federation and its member National Societies will reinforce and broaden efforts to reduce
vulnerability to maternal and childhood diseases in a variety of sustainable ways. These include:
1. Advocacy
1.1 Reproductive
health in emergencies: Disasters pose particular threats
to women during pregnancy, childbirth or post-partum recovery,
as well as an increased risk of sexual exploitation, abuse or
violence. The Federation will strengthen advocacy efforts to
promote reproductive health care as a basic human right for
every woman.
1.2 Female genital mutilation:
National Societies efforts advocating for the implementation
of laws that protect women's health and the application of human
rights conventions to promote safe motherhood will be strengthened.
The strong commitment by West African National Societies to
combat female genital mutilation at national and community levels
is an initial step in this effort. |
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| Reproductive and
maternal health
education programmes
are an important part of
the Sudanese Red
Crescent's activities to
assist refugees displaced
by drought in the west
and war in the south. |
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2. Fostering youth peer education
2.1 HIV/AIDS and other sexual-transmitted infections: The Federation recently made the
fight against HIV/AIDS a top priority. Many National Societies in Africa, America and Asia, using
local adaptations of the Federation's generic "Action with Youth - HIV/AIDS and STD", have
implemented youth peer education programmes with considerable success. The promotion and
demonstration of the correct use of condoms will be integrated into information, education and
communication activities as part of the scaling up. Additionally, other information components
will be introduced including safe motherhood, sexual violence, family planning and adolescents'
sexual health education to ensure participants are fully informed on all issues relevant to their
reproductive health.
3. Immunization
3.1 Immunization as front line of
defence: The best protection against measles
and other vaccine preventable diseases is immunization programmes
covering as large a segment of the population as possible. To
better ensure total coverage, Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers
participate in social mobilization efforts, verifying the immunization
status of infants whenever visiting households and providing
appropriate vaccine messages to caretakers. Volunteers will
extend their efforts to include two additional target groups:
caretakers with low literacy skills and those living in underprivileged
conditions such as remote areas or urban slums.
3.2 Scaling
up for global polio eradication: National Societies
will work towards assuring polio vaccinations for children living
in areas where the United Nations or national governments have
limited access. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement, as part of its scale up strategy, will be an active
partner in organizing the "Days of Tranquility" campaign. This
initiative aims to assure that all young children in conflict-affected
areas are vaccinated against polio and other preventable diseases.
4. Protecting the health of mothers and children
4.1 Promotion of breast-feeding: Breastfeeding provides infants from birth to six months with
the necessary nutrition and best protection from infectious diseases. Red Cross and Red Crescent
volunteers will reinforce advocacy efforts to inform mothers of the benefits of breastfeeding.
4.2 Malaria
prevention: Home care is particularly important in malaria
vector control. Volunteers will ensure that parents are informed
about malaria prevention and caring methods for infected family
members. Volunteers will also promote and monitor the use of
insecticide-impregnated bed nets in their community.
4.3 Improving home care management practices: The primary focus of this programme will
be on training family members in basic care, first aid and support techniques. The objective is to enable them to provide initial home care to a child suffering from ARI, diarrhoeal disease, malaria,
measles and/or malnutrition and determine when additional medical attend is required.
5. Emergencies
5.1 Epidemic outbreaks: The Federation has a proven track record on fighting the outbreak of
diptheria and meningitis epidemics. Eastern European National Societies actively participated in
fighting diphtheria outbreaks during the early 1990s. The Red Cross and Red Crescent, in
partnerships with WHO and UNICEF, has also been involved in responding to meningitis
outbreaks in Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan.
5.2 Reproductive health in refugee situations: Working with UNFPA and the Inter Agency
Working Group (IAWG) on issues of reproductive health in emergency situations, the Federation
has developed a strategy that relies essentially on the use of the Minimum Initial Service Package
(MISP) of care. It entails:
- identifying organizations and individuals to facilitate the coordination and implementation
of the MISP,
- preventing and managing the consequences of sexual violence,
- guaranteeing the availability of free condoms to reduce HIV transmission,
- preventing excess neonatal and maternal morbidity and mortality, by providing clean delivery
kits and the establishment of a referral system to manage obstetric emergencies,
- planning for the provision of comprehensive RH services, integrated into Primary Health Care,
as the situations permit.
The Federation is now aiming to implement this in all the refugee operations in which it is involved.
Partners
The Federation, together with its member National Societies, is committed to continuing efforts to
improve the health of mothers and children in a variety of partnerships.
Currently, the Federation has cooperative agreements with WHO, PAHO, UNFPA and is part of an
inter-agency working group to promote and facilitate reproductive health programees for refugees. A
new phase of collaboration between the Federation, WHO and other intergovernmental organizations
is underway to support Red Cross and Red Crescent efforts to scale up community awareness and
mobilization activities for greater impact.
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