NORTHERN PROVINCE

BURERA — Children from various schools in Burera district yesterday took to the street to raise their voice against the death of children due to preventable diseases.

The event was organised by a Non Governmental Organisation, Save the Children, as part of a wider campaign to remind the governments to get on track to meeting the fourth Millennium Development goal of cutting the number of children who die every year by two-thirds, by the year 2015.

 As part of the event, the children marched a distance of 1 km in Gahunga sector carrying banners with messages ‘protect children from death.’ They were later joined by area residents and staff of Save the Children.

The marchers called on local authorities, government and parents to take urgent action to stop millions of children who die from preventable diseases before reaching their fifth birthday.

Speaking during the event, Dr Binyam Woldetsadik Gebru, the Health Programme Manager, Save the Children, said that over 10m children die every year from preventable disease such as Pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, measles, AIDS and complications associated with birth.

He said that governments should invest in and strengthen basic systems with proper equipments and staffed to avert such death. 

He also appealed to governments to provide solutions to hunger and malnutrition by providing clean water and proper sanitation, particularly to the poorest communities.

Dr Claude Sekabaraga, the Director of Policy Planning and Capacity Building in the Ministry of Health, noted that the government has put in place many initiatives to prevent children’s death.

These include child immunisation, health insurance and instituting health counsellors in all sectors.  He noted that the initiatives have reduced child mortality rate by 40 percent.

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