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About Us •
Make a Difference •
World Projects •
Newsletter •
Brochure
Issue No. 3, 2009
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Reaching Out to China
Dr. Tim Shi, a Child Health Foundation Board Member and the Executive Director of GlobalMD, along with Board Member, Dr. William Greenough,
organized a course for public health workers in China. This was sponsored by the Child Health Foundation.
With the purpose of acquainting them with the
current advances in diarrhea management and oral rehydration therapy, the course involved about 300 participants and was hosted by the regional
leading pediatrics hospital.
Pre-and post-surveys were done to assess the improvement and the activity was deemed a huge success.
The Country Director
of WHO China participated and is interested in collaborating the local Chinese health authorities to further the initiative.
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Alternate Energy
In Orissa, India, Sahara, receiving one of our 2008 Innovative Small Grants, has installed solar lighting for 100 households in 3 villages. The
venture is not yet finished, but it is expected that:
62 households will save Rs 80-100/month (not buying kerosene), More than 145 children will be able to study for longer periods, School attendance will increase, Health standard will improve (no CO2 from kerosene), and Accidental fires will be reduced.
We are pleased with this very successful project and look forward to the final report.
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Saving Children's Lives
To arouse your sympathy, we could show you pictures of malnourished and diseased children---there are certainly many of them in the world---but our
mission is keeping children from becoming malnourished and diseased. So we show you this healthy, smiling child.
Children in India, Bangladesh, and
Africa, as well as in Mexico and the United States are in better health because they are drinking cleaner water, combating worms and mosquitoes,
eating more nutritious foods, and learning sanitary habits.
If you want to know more about these activities and see other pictures of healthy children,
go to our website and click on the globe.
And if your sympathy is aroused by all this please use the enclosed envelope and send us a donation in any
amount. We are most grateful to all those who have remembered us with their contributions throughout the years. You can also give on our website.
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Addressing Malnutrition
The organization Wuqu’ Kawoq has undertaken a study to determine the cause of childhood malnutrition in Guatemala. They have enrolled 215
children under the age of 15 and have discovered a high rate of stunting, i.e., low height-for-age.
Their initial surveillance data has confirmed
their hypothesis that child malnutrition is routinely underestimated by reliance on weight-for-age measurement. They have also demonstrated high
rates of anemia in children younger than 5 years, and that , these data underscore the need to intervene much earlier in childhood that most
programs currently do.
The program has generated a high level of community interest and involvement in working toward providing better nutrition. The
program is ongoing.
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Cleaner Water with Filter
The Women Protection Society in Uganda, supported by an Innovative Small Grant in 2008, has been creating
bio-sand filters (pictured here) to help prevent children from becoming ill from water-borne diseases, such as typhoid and cholera.
They have trained 45
people in the construction of the filters and thus far have built 6, and these have greatly improved the quality of the water. Their interim report
describes a complicated building plan, but all the materials are available locally and are not expensive. We look forward to hearing that the health of
the children has greatly improved.
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Improving Health through Awareness
With the objectives of increasing the use of oral rehydration solution (ORS), better nutrition, breastfeeding, as well as providing reproductive
health services, the Integrated Rural Development Programme in Pakistan began a project financed by a 2008 Small Grant.
Awareness programs
have been held in seven locations serving about 900 uneducated, poor mothers. They were told the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the
first six months and Vitamin A, and taught how to make homemade ORS and how to use it to prevent dehydration in children with diarrhea.
Almost a
thousand children were enrolled and their growth is being monitored.
There are plans to have shows with prizes given to healthy babies, puppet shows to
emphasize breast-feeding, and quiz programs also with prizes.
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Mobile Malnutrition Program
Through the support of a Small Grant (2008), Nyaya Health in Nepal has developed an innovative program to address the significant morbidity and
mortality caused by chronic malnutrition. In the study area, which is extremely rural, Patients must walk between 1 an 8 hours to reach their
clinic, so they have now designed a mobile community-based program which uses community health workers. They have thus far trained four of these
workers, each overseeing 400 children, making home-visits to collect data and give nutritional advise. We look forward to hearing more.
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Emergency Relief
Between the first of January through August, Direct Relief received $22,759 in Ceralyte donated by Child Health Foundation that was distributed
to locally managed health facilities in 19 countries suffering from natural disasters. Later they dispatched a second round of aid for residents of Baja
California affected by Hurricane Jimena earlier this month. Oral rehydration solutions, manufactured and supplied by Cera Products Inc, are one of
the most requested items during emergencies, when water supplies are compromised and diarrhea is epidemic. Dehydration can become fatal if not treated.
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Reducing Stigma of HIV/AIDS
A.P. Medical Society in India, with one of our Humanitarian Grants, has provided medical expenses and adequate caloric intake to 40 HIV positive
children. Another 14 who lost their parents to AIDS have been given rehabilitation and psychological support as well.
They have also held
awareness campaigns on the signs and symptoms of HIV for 500 school children at all levels, and two workshops for Health Personnel and educators to try
to eradicate the stigma and discrimination of the disease. The program continues.
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A Forgotten Disease
Recently the New York Times reported that diarrhea, which still kills 1.5 million young children a year is not getting the attention it needs even
though that number is more than AIDS, Malaria, and measles combined. Only 4 in 10 children get the oral rehydration solution that they need.
Most of the
aid given by rich countries goes toward HIV/AIDS and that is saving millions of lives, but the disparity in spending on AIDS and the big child killers is
stark.
Mickey Chopra, chief of health at UNICEF, is trying to put diarrhea back on the global health agenda.
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Buy a Card, Save a Life
See our lovely holiday cards on our website (5 styles) and contribute to children’s health around the world.
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Download this issue (PDF format 1.1 MB)
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Phone (410) 992-5512 • Fax (410) 992-5641 • e-mail: contact@childhealthfoundation.org
childhealthfoundation.org
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