CHN Launch: "Children first!" Cry Out Members of Parliament!

25 members of Parliament, the United Nations system, international NGOs and local partners attended this event which was organized by World Vision Mauritania.  The CHN campaign was very well attended and was launched at the National Assembly on Tuesday, April 7th, under the theme ‘promotion of child health’.

"Child Health Now!” is World Vision’s first world campaign focused on the reduction of avoidable deaths of women and under 5 children, which are deaths mainly due to diarrhea, pneumonia, postnatal complications, malaria and malnutrition. Consequently, World Vision launched this campaign by making a commitment over three years to contribute to the reduction of the number of victims. “We will succeed, through local, national and international level advocacy, and by helping communities get involved in improving their access to quality care”, asserts Lilian Dodzo, National Director of World Vision Mauritania in her keynote speech. 

"World Vision launched this campaign by making a commitment over three years to contribute to reduce the number of affected women and children."

Fatimetou Mint Ahmed Lemine, President of the Children’s Parliament, Guest of Honour at this event, also put emphasis on advocacy with local authorities, as children too are concerned by their own health.  "We wish to make an urgent appeal to authorities to face up to their responsibilities in the fight against infant malnutrition in Mauritania, and more globally in the improvement of the health of our mothers, our brothers and sisters" she addressed the Assembly.

”While it is important to show this will, on its own, it is not sufficient to make things work,’ added Aïssata Bal, coordinator of the sectorial coordination unit for the acceleration of the MDGs on health, whose aim is specifically the reduction of maternal and child mortality. "A further 37 billion ouguiyas is needed to sustainably impact, in an effective way, infant health in Mauritania. As for the deaths of the women, 80 % of them are avoidable; they are due to bleeding, complications due to high blood pressure, infections caused by bad hygienic conditions during childbirth" elaborated the gynecologist and obstetrician, who also insisted on the involvement of religious leaders in helping to raise awareness on these issues.  .

The involvement of local religious leaders, and more globally the communities themselves, is at the heart of WV Mauritania’s activities, indicates Haby Seck, WV Mauritania CHN coordinator: " It is a question of sustainably reducing infant mortality by emphasizing the issue of family health; this community approach which underlies all of World Vision Mauritania’s interventions is aimed at ensuring the sustainable development of populations ".

A commitment and objectives embraced by Members of Parliament, during the launch. "There is still so much to be done on health in Mauritania, but with structures such as the MDGs Unit, and engaged partners such as World Vision Mauritania, the burden is lighter. They are doing a considerable job in this country," added Baba Ahmed Ould Babou, President of the Health & Reproduction Network of the members of Parliament.