DUSHANBE, October 22, 2013, Asia-Plus — About 70 children in the Jilikul district, Khatlon province will run a marathon relay on October 23, calling on the government to improve health access and nutrition status for children across the country, press release issued by Save the Children said.
The marathon relay will see groups of children aiming to beat the record of Kenyan athlete Patrick Makau, who covered 42.195 kilometers in a time of 2h3m38s. Across the world, 50,000 children in 67 countries will run their own marathon relays, known as the Race for Survival, making it the largest race ever organized for children worldwide.
Thomas Wimber, director for Save the Children in Central Asia, said: “Since 1990, Tajikistan has reduced the number of children dying before age 5 by 45%, yet still needs to reach the UN MDG Goal 4 target of two-thirds reduction in mortality by 2015. There is not much time remaining to accomplish that.”
Globally, malnutrition and undernutrition are the underlying causes of death of 45 per cent of all children under age five. With their bodies and immune systems weakened by the lack of nutrients, children struggle to fight off common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhea. Nutritional inadequacies also have severe consequences on a child’s physical and mental development, making them less likely to make positive contributions to their country’s economy in adulthood.
“As a global public health recommendation, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Health workers are an essential part in supporting mothers to do that,” said Thomas Wimber. In a report launched in February this year, Superfood for Babies, Save the Children showed that if babies receive colostrum – the mother’s first milk – within an hour of birth, it will kick start the their immune system, making them three times more likely to survive. And, if a child is breastfed for six months, it is 15 times less likely to die from killer diseases like pneumonia and diarrhea. The presence of a skilled traditional birth attendant at delivery and during early postnatal period is crucial to improving maternal and newborn health and survival. To treat complications, this must be part and parcel of an overall continuum of sound healthcare practices and structures emanating from the national healthcare and emergency response system.
Thomas Wimber said: “Indeed, the solutions to tackling child deaths are simple, proven and cost-effective and we call for a committed political consensus to strengthen the country’s health system for mothers and babies in order to ensure that all children receive the healthcare and nutrients they need to survive and thrive.”
Save the Children is calling on the government of Tajikistan to: commit to and implement secured national healthcare schemes that plan to reach every child, including newborns, with full coverage attainment by 2030; launch a national campaign to reduce mal/undernutrition so that every child has the best chance to survive and thrive; increase public spending on targeted health interventions and policies that benefit mothers, newborns and frontline midwife/birthing health workers; and continue to engage and collaborate with concerned and knowledgeable non-government and private actors in the health field to support improved wellbeing and nutrition status for children all across the country.
