Advocate for Children: Health Workers Campaign

 

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Today 350 000 midwives and 1 million community health workers are "missing" from countries and communities that need them the most. Watch this video and learn about Flo and the communities she should be serving:

Save the Children along with our partners in Canada and around the world are calling on governments to increase their funding for the training, support, and deployment of health workers and in particular community health workers and midwives.

That is why we are asking our supporters to participate in this non-partisan campaign to raise awareness and determine the policy positions of all the parties on key issues.

With your help we can ensure that every MP in all 308 ridings understands that Canadians care about the policies that affect the poorest children in Canada and around the world.

Three Simple Steps

 

1. Send your MP an email to ask them how they will address the global health worker shortfall
2. Visit your MP to discuss the issue and share your concerns
3. Write a letter to your local media raising key issues to inform others in your community

Oops... One More Step!

 

Please let us know what your MP said. We need to know what MPs are saying so that we can hold the parties accountable. Below is a link to the email address for Cicely, who leads our advocacy efforts. Cicely would love your feedback and copies of any letters or emails you sent or received from candidates or letters you sent to the media.

Click here to send your comments.

What are the key issues?

This year Save the Children is focusing our advocacy efforts on the health of the poorest children both here at home and around the world.

Access to health care close to home is an issue not only in the developing world but also for aboriginal communities here in Canada.

CANADA	GLOBALLY
The child mortality rate is 8 per 1000 among First Nations people compared to 5 per 1000 for non-aboriginal children.	Every 4 seconds a child under 5 years dies. That's 24 000 children every day who die from entirely preventable or treatable causes.
1 in 4 First Nations children live in poverty compared to 1 in 9 other Canadian children.	2/3 of these children could be saved with simple, cost effective solutions like vaccines and antibiotics.
Only 63% of First Nations children on select reserves and only 46% of Inuit children accessed a doctor in 2001 compared to 85% of non-aboriginal children.	As many as 24 million babies are not vaccinated against common diseases.
On-reserve First Nations child immunization rates are 20% lower than in the general population, leading to higher rates of vaccine-preventable diseases.	1 billion people around the world will never see a health worker. In part because there is a shortage of 4.25 million health workers (doctors, nurses, local health workers) globally.

 

Click below for questions you can ask your MP:

From Nunavut to Nairobi—EVERY child deserves a health worker within reach. 

Child poverty is a health issue—end child poverty in Canada.

Pneumonia and Diarrhea kill in the developing world—millions can be saved.

Pearson proposed a rise in foreign aid to 0.7% Gross National Income—today Canada spends 0.3%. 

Click below for sample letters to the editor:

Hook into the media’s national and international coverage. This is a perfect way to inform others in your area to think critically about Canada’s global responsibilities. Write a letter to the editor about Canada’s return to global leadership on aid:

A health worker within reach—international & domestic.

A health worker within reach—domestic.

Pneumonia and Diarrhea the unnecessary killers.

Fulfill Canada’s 0.7% promise—do you have 50 cents a day?

With your help we can make sure that the voices of the poorest children are heard. Thank you for your efforts!