More efforts needed to ensure right of every child to life, protection — Princess Basma

AMMAN – HRH Princess Basma on Thursday called for more efforts to realise the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that seek to ensure the right of every child to life, protection and well-being.

She made her marks during the “Race for Survival Challenge”, an annual event in which Jordan takes part within a global marathon that seeks to raise awareness on the need to reduce child mortality. 

Princess Basma, Save the Children Jordan (SCJ) chairperson, also called for more awareness about anaemia and its impact on mothers and children. 

She underlined the importance of rallying world efforts to reduce the number of children dying before five due to preventable diseases. 

A total of 40 students from across the Kingdom between the ages of 11 and 15 joined their peers from 60 countries in the race, running a 24km marathon in a relay.

The event was organised by SCJ in cooperation with other stakeholders.

The theme of this year focused on the need to eliminate child mortality due to preventable disease, such as malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia and reduce the number of children and women in their childbearing age who suffer from anaemia.

International figures indicate that the number of children dying before their fifth year has almost halved in a generation, from 12 million to 6.9 million in the last decade.

However, the global decline is still too slow to achieve the fourth MDG of reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015, according to international agencies.

The Second National Millennium Development Goals Report said the Kingdom has made tangible progress in child growth and development.

The mortality rate among children aged under five went down from 39 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 28 per 1,000 births in 2009, an annual decline of 0.55 deaths per 1,000 births.

As part of SCJ’s efforts to reduce child mortality in Jordan and accelerate the process towards 2015, the organisation has launched a children nutrition programme, which includes raising awareness on the importance of breastfeeding and adequate complementary feeding.

SCJ CEO Manal Wazani noted that that the organisation has managed to reach out to around 20,000 women and children across Jordan during the past few years, and those who were diagnosed as suffering from anaemia were provided with supplements.   

She added that the SCJ cooperates with the health and education ministries and a number of national institutions to implement its programmes. 

During the ceremony, Princess Basma presented plaques and cups to marathon participants.