Maternal and child health
Concern’s approach to child survival has shifted dramatically. It has gone from directly providing services to designing programmes that encourage use of existing local health services.
This is best represented by the Child Survival Programme. Since its inception 10 years ago, the programme has helped more than three million people in Bangladesh, Haiti and Rwanda.
Addressing poverty
Maintaining good health is critical to the fight against poverty. Taking time off from work to care for sick family members, borrowing money for health care or the loss of a mother or a child can be devastating.
Young children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to disease and death in developing countries. The tragedy is that there are ways to help them, but they are not available to large numbers of poor people. Today’s challenge is to make sure that these services are accessible to all.
Concern’s work with communities, local health services and policy makers has successfully promoted reproductive and child health. This entails:
- Working with communities, analysing their situations and developing effective solutions
- Publicising preventive health care as well as early detection
- Improving knowledge and access to health care
- Building up the charitable support of wealthier community members
- Strengthening management of local health departments
- Advocating for appropriate policy change
Child Survival
The Child Survival Programme is leading the way by also promoting health services for women and children that are low-cost, lasting and can be used in many different areas. Concern has successfully mobilised communities and local health departments. This has resulted in an increase in maternal care, vaccinations and oral re-hydration supplies for poor populations.
Concern runs Child Survival Programmes in Bangladesh; Haiti and Rwanda
