Good health is the most important aspect of our lives.
It is much too easy to forget how vital good health is for communities to prosper. Being free from sickness and disease allows children to attend school, learn and grow into educated, healthy adults.
In 2019, 6.1 million children and young adolescents died, mostly from preventable causes. Children under the age of 5 accounted for 5.2 millions of these deaths – nearly half of whom were new-born babies.
What’s more, some 810 women die each day from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Many of these deaths can be avoided.
A fair chance in life begins with a strong, healthy start. Unfortunately, many children in Somalia are still deprived of this. 4 in 100 Somali children die during the first month of life, 8 in 100 before their first birthday, and 1 in 8 before they turn five.
This accounts for more than 60 per cent of the under-five deaths in the country. In addition to this, one in 12 women dies every year from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
Each of these deaths is a tragedy, mainly because a majority of them could have been prevented.