Christian Children’s Fund was one of 20 organizations that discussed maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) with a president-elect transition team Dec. 17.
Senior Program Health Specialist David Shanklin represented CCF at the meeting to discuss MNCH facts and to urge President-elect Barack Obama to increase funding for MNCH.
The group presented statistics to show that child mortality rates have continued to drop over the past 25 years, but 6.6 million child deaths each year can be prevented. The countries with the highest mortality rates are in Africa, where many families are torn apart by war.
The group also expressed concerned that USAID funding for MNCH has flat-lined in the past 10 years and has even decreased when adjusted for inflation.
The group called for Obama to reassert U.S. global leadership with MNCH issues, including increasing funding for family health to $3.9 billion a year: $1.6 billion for child health; $1.3 billion for maternal health; and $1 billion for family planning.