Despite our high tech gadgets, jaw dropping skyscrapers, and speedy bullet trains, the fact still remains that more than 7 million children under the age of 5 are dying each year.
The truth is that children die by the thousands each day because of malnutrition, pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria. What’s even more devastating is that these untimely deaths could have easily been prevented or treated with very simple cures, medications, and interventions.
Here we take a look at the most solvable problems and how you can help.
1. Malnutrition
Commonly referred to as the “silent killer”, malnutrition is most common in underdeveloped countries where food sources are scarce. Recent statistics also reveal that roughly 40% of all deaths in children are directly or indirectly triggered by hunger and starvation. Malnutrition is also the leading cause of physical and mental retardation in children.
While babies and toddlers slowly dying of hunger may seem uncommon in our modern world, the fact that it exists and continues to claim lives of helpless children should be impetus enough for us to act.
Help by:
Donating a Dollar
Food rations in impoverished countries cost roughly 29 cents and a dollar donation can go a long way to feeding these children who are unable to get enough sustenance to keep their body healthy.
2. Malaria
As per recent reports by the World Health Organization (WHO), the figures for young lives claimed by malaria still averages roughly 3,000 daily in Africa alone. That’s roughly 1 child per minute.
Help by:
Donating Mosquito Nets
Millions of families in Africa still lack access to protective mosquito nets which can help stop malaria. By donating insecticide-treated mosquito nets or 10 dollars, you can help reduce the death toll for malaria.
3. Diarrhea
Lack of clean water sources, proper sanitation, and access to medical care are three of the most basic reasons on why diarrhea still ranks as one of the leading killers in children.
Help by:
Donating Oral Rehydration Salts
Diarrhea and dehydration comes hand in hand and more often than not it is the latter that claims the life of a child. By providing these children with a supply of oral rehydration salts, you can help give these babies and tots a better fighting chance at winning this battle.
Donating Water Purification Tablets
Providing these little ones with access to clean water will help prevent diarrhea in the first place. One of the simplest and most effective ways to do so is through the use water purification tablets. With just one small tablet, you can help give a child a gallon of potable and safe drinking water.
None of these actions take much time or money, but they will have a huge impact on the life and health of children around the world. Take a moment to be thankful of the life situation that you’ve been given, and consider sharing some of that goodness with child who is less fortunate.
Mandy is a writer for http://www.onlinenursingdegrees.org/ and passionate advocate for global child health.
7 Million Children are born Needlessly Each Year.
When Norman Borlaug spearheaded the Green Revolution, he claimed that it would end hunger.
Cynics predicted people would just have so many kids that in just a few generations they’d be back to starving.
The curse of the cynics is to be right.
Little Doggie, thank you for your comment but your point doesn’t make sense to me in light of the fact that world hunger isn’t caused by overpopulation. Poverty isn’t caused by overpopulation. In terms of world hunger and poverty, the world simply isn’t overpopulated. There is more than enough food to feed everyone. There is more than enough resources to provide food, clothes, shelter, clean water, education and healthcare to everyone.
This is a great, simple post detailing how we in developed countries can act to help prevent the deaths of so many helpless children. A little goes a long way in this case because a small act on our behalf can have a huge impact on the lives of these children.
This is a great post about the simple steps we can take to end childhood hunger in developing countries! I completely agree that one small act on our part can make so much of a difference to someone in need.