World Vision launches child health campaign in the Solomon Islands

On Thursday 15 November, World Vision Solomon Islands (WVSI) launched its Child Health Now advocacy campaign. Child Health Now  is a global campaign that advocates for governments and individuals to take action to help end the unnecessary deaths of children under five. 

Every year, nearly 7 million children die before their fifth birthday - and many of those causes are easily prevented or treatable, such as pneumonia,  neonatal causes,  malnutrition and diarrhoea. 

WVSI held an event to launch the campaign and raise awareness about the issues that need to be addressed in the Solomon Islands. We presented a report on the state of maternal and child health in the country to support the need for immediate action.  Representatives from the National Referral Hospital, Unicef, UNFPA, The Ministry of Health, the Police, Save the Children and ADRA  attended the event. 

Dr Divinol Ogaoga the Director of Women and Children’s health at the Ministry of Health was the keynote speaker and thanked World Vision for their work and dedication to maternal and child health. He voiced the Ministry’s commitment to working with World Vision to help tackle the problems facing mothers and young children in the Solomon Islands. The event ended with attendees signing a commitment to helping prevent maternal and child deaths in the Solomon Islands and to the Child Health Now campaign.

As well as creating change through the Child Health Now campaign, World Vision also works with communities on the ground to reduce maternal and child deaths. We work with children and their mothers to increase the intake of nutritious food and to improve access to health care services. WVSI also helps to protect children and their families from waterborne infections and diseases in 40 communities through hygiene training and the construction of toilets, hand basins, latrines and school water systems.