Let's Reduce Child mortality-MDG goal IV

The initiative of the United Nations on the Millennium development goals is highly commended and has been pertinent in the achievement of world peace and development, Moreover the provision of opportunities for a better life for people in the world is an inevitable tool in achieving peace, equity and development in all member nations. One of the most striking and important of this eight millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is the ‘Eradication of Child Mortality’.

World situation as it relates to Child/ Infant mortality is really pathetic and of course very rampant in the developing and underdeveloped countries. The death of millions of children every year all over the world is highly painful and definitely unacceptable. The United Nations’ target as revealed in the millennium development Goals is to reduce the situation by two third between 1990 and 2015. This is 2009 and yet all that has been done has been to little avail. It is then obvious that something significant has to be done to achieve this goal - some sort of synergy between the youths and the government that will bring about a positive head way.

Reports from the World Health Organization reveal that the leading causes of these deaths include malaria, Pneumonia, diarrhea and measles. The government has played a wonderful part in leading campaigns on Vaccination, availability of maternal health care delivery facilities and a host of others. Meanwhile, it is obvious that these solutions are not completely capable of bringing a halt to child mortality. One of the short comings of this health schemes put together by the government is the inability to access very remote areas where many of the diseases are raging and vulnerabilities are high. It will then be wise enough to submit that Youths should be given an opportunity to contribute immensely to this course.

The roles of the Youths in reducing Child mortality can range from personally creating awareness in their surroundings of this great plague, to actively participating in vaccination and prevention of infant diseases.

To elaborate further, it is recommended that if youths will take the responsibility of ensuring environmental sanity (cleanliness) by being actively involved in campaigns against these children diseases, the work will reduce immensely. To ensure that the messages get to the target populace (the rural areas), such campaigns could be staged on market days or during special festivals.

Further more, Youths can take up the responsibility of setting up Non-governmental organizations within their schools or communities where health education would be given to illiterate mothers on how to care for their wards. These NGOs can also see to the donating of materials such as mosquito nets to parents, Soaps, Drugs and even cardigans to prevent Cold.

More so, Considering a Country like Nigeria, the use of Youth Corps during their service year for village/rural health education and infant vaccination can be employed. This will go a long way in ensuring that the efforts of the government to reach everyone is achieved, as well as reduce the cost of employing health workers to conduct such exercise. One other approach related to this is disabusing the mind of illiterate mothers that child mortality is normal and cannot be avoided. Mythical opinions such as ‘Abiku’ (Yoruba: born to die), a common phenomenon in the Yoruba ethnic group of Nigeria can be corrected by the youth Corp as they go about their daily routine.

With motives that are beyond gain and money making youths can also venture into blood donation, they should in fact be enlightened and made to understand that blood donation does not kill – instead it gives life to the recipient. Fundamentally, child Mortality reduction should be attended to with utmost tenacity. The importance of quickly harnessing the means of reducing this plague cannot be gainsaid; necessary actions must be taken on these recommendations to stop this pathetic situation.

It is obvious that unity in applying these recommendations is what can assure us of effectiveness and success; the message of unity should continually ring in the hearts of all. The passion to keep alive the leaders of tomorrow should drive us to take necessary action. It therefore lies in the hands of all to combat the scourge of child mortality before it steals away our joy (the children) before our very eyes.