Purpose: to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT).
MNT disease steals the lives of nearly 60,000 babies and a significant number of women each year. The effects of the disease are excruciating: tiny newborns suffer repeated, painful convulsions and extreme sensitivity to light and touch. In 39 countries around the world, maternal and neonatal tetanus can quickly turn the joy of childbirth into tragedy; MNT kills one baby every nine minutes. There is little hope of survival and tetanus kills mothers too. MNT is caused when tetanus spores, found in soil everywhere, come into contact with open cuts during childbirth. The disease strikes the poorest of the poor, the geographically hard to reach and those without health care. But, MNT is highly preventable. Just three doses of a 60-cent immunization protect mothers, who then pass on the immunity to their future babies.
UNICEF has helped to eliminate MNT in many countries. But in 39 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, it still strikes babies and mothers who have little or no access to health care — either because they are poor, live in remote areas or are caught in humanitarian emergencies. More funds and resources are needed to reach all babies and mothers at risk. In particular, 129 million mothers and their future babies must be immunized. This requires vaccines, syringes, safe storage, transportation, thousands of skilled staff and about $110 million. Together, Kiwanis and UNICEF plan to stop this disease.
The MNT elimination campaign is a proven success. UNICEF and partners have already eliminated the disease in 18 countries, but 39 countries remain at risk. Between 1999 and 2009, 90 million women in some of the most remote places were protected with the tetanus vaccine, saving thousands of newborns from death due to tetanus every year. MNT is easily prevented by a series of three vaccinations to women of childbearing age, costing roughly $1.80
The Eliminate Project will protect 129 million mothers and their future babies, so an estimated 387 million doses of the vaccine need to be administered. In order to eliminate the disease by 2015, Kiwanis has committed to closing the funding gap by raising $110 million. Together, Kiwanis and UNICEF have a proven history of delivering results for children around the world, evidenced by the groundbreaking Kiwanis/UNICEF iodine deficiency disorders campaign. During that campaign for children, the Worldwide Service Project for IDD, members worked to virtually eliminate iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), the world’s leading preventable cause of mental retardation, while raising more than US$100 million. Heralded as one of the most successful health initiatives in the world, today those dollars are at work in more than 103 nations—and the number of households consuming iodized salt has jumped from an estimated 20 percent in 1990 to more than 70 percent, saving developing nations and the world billions of IQ points.
Service is at the heart of every Kiwanis club, no matter where in the world it’s located. Kiwanis members stage nearly 150,000 service projects, devote more than 6 million hours of service and raise nearly US$107 million every year for communities, families and projects. In addition, associated K-Family members such as Key Club members (at High School level) pitch in 12 million hours of service each year, and CKI members (at college level) another 500,000 hours of service! Aktion club members (adults with disabilities) donate another 92,000 hours of service every year. Add it all up to more than 18 million hours of service every year. For further information, see: http://sites.kiwanis.org/kiwanis/en/home.aspx
Any of the readers who would like to donate some of their time to the Eliminate Project and/or other Kiwanis activities, please contact me at fhegyi1636@rogers.com and I would be happy to provide more information.
