Pacific Islands Child Mortality Update
‘The Rotary Give Every Child a Future project is now in full swing, but there is still much more to do and we need your help.’
by Chris Edwards
The 2021 Aussie Peace Walk was all the better thanks to the involvement of the Tongan community. Our hearts go out to our Pacific Island neighbours and their families and friends currently impacted by the volcanic eruption and tsunami that has devastated the islands.
Some of the Pacific Islands team in the 2021 Aussie Peace Walk. Our hearts are with you all.
“Last year the Aussie Peace Walk supported the Rotary Give Every Child a Future initiative to reduce child mortality in Tonga, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. In 2022 we will continue to support this life-saving project.”
In Australia, we don’t fear diarrhoea, meningitis or pneumonia but sadly, this is not the case in the Pacific Islands. Every year, hundreds of children under the age of five die from three easily preventable diseases.
Rotary believes this is a tragedy that just shouldn’t happen in modern times, and in partnership with Unicef, pledged to ‘Give Every Child a Future‘ in the Pacific Islands.
Progress Report on Rotary Give Every Child a Future
Since the Aussie Peace Walk in March 2021, the Rotary Give Every Child A Future (RGECAF) project is now well underway, with children being vaccinated in most of the Pacific countries.
This is despite the inevitable delays caused by COVID-19. We expect work to begin in early 2022 in those remaining countries.
In the last quarter of 2021, the project began vaccinations in more Pacific Island countries and the Australian Government confirmed an AU$1.4 million contribution to the project.
Health education is an important factor in slowing the spread of disease
Rotary & UNICEF Making Progress
The Australian Government’s $1.4m contribution will be channelled toward supporting Rotary and UNICEF delivering HPV vaccines to girls in Kiribati and it will help support the project in Nauru.
‘Over the first six months of 2022, we still need to fund the final year of the project in the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau, and the rotavirus program in Kiribati. This will require approximately US$200,000. Then, over the following couple of years, we will need to fund the balance of what we need for HPV in Kiribati, estimated to be a father US$600-700,000,’ stated James Allen, RGECAF Project Director.
Rotary International President-Elect, Jennifer Jones, recently announced that the Give Every Child a Future project has been selected to highlight the ‘Saving Mothers and Children’ Rotary Foundation Area of Focus on her global tour in 2022-2023.
If you have contributed already, THANK YOU.
Without the support of people like you, this could not happen. If you have yet to contribute, please consider doing so. We’d love to see you challenge yourself by taking on the Aussie Peace Walk challenge. If not, please consider taking part or sponsoring a friend.
The RGECAF program will save many lives amongst our near neighbours
