Despite progress, far too many children in our world today still do not live past the age of five, and die of preventable causes. How can we ensure that all children grow up healthy, free from poverty and able to fulfil their potential? Answer: Education for all. That’s why the replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education is so crucial, and why your action matters.
THE ISSUE
According to UNICEF, about 19,000 children under the age of five – 13 each minute – die every day, mainly from preventable causes.
Progress is being made thanks to global initiatives and overseas aid from the UK and other countries, and numbers are reducing, but in 2011, nearly 7 million children died before age five, as compared to 1990 when nearly 12 million did.
And the worst part is that so many of the global under-five deaths are preventable. Two-thirds of the deaths occur from infectious diseases like pneumonia, diarrhoea, and malaria. About 40% of under-five deaths occur within the first month of life. Meanwhile, malnutrition is the underlying cause of more than a third of global child deaths. But deaths from disease and under-nutrition aren’t inevitable. With vaccines, adequate nutrition and basic medical and maternal care, most of these young lives could be saved. Education has a vital role to play.
EDUCATION IS THE SOLUTION
Education is one of the most powerful ways to improve children’s health. There a few better illustrations of this than UNESCO’s estimate that 2.1 million children under-five were saved between 1990 and 2009 because of improvements in girls’ education. Educated mothers are much more likely to have healthy children. If all women had secondary education, it is estimated that there would be 49% fewer child deaths worldwide, saving 3 million lives a year. A child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to live past age five.
How does education have this life-saving impact? Educated mothers are better informed about dangerous diseases like malaria or diarrhoea, and know what to do to prevent them or get them treated. A literate mother is 23% more likely to seek support from a midwife, dramatically reducing the chance of life-threatening birth complications. Educated mothers are more likely to know how to properly purify water. UNESCO estimate that if all mothers had secondary education, there would be a 43% increase in the number of children vaccinated for diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, and the number of children stunted from malnutrition would be reduced by 26%, saving 12.2 million children from stunting.
HOW INVESTING IN THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION WILL HELP
The Global Partnership for Education, with strong support from the UK Government, has already helped to get nearly 22 million more children in school since 2003. By bringing together all partners at the international and national levels to coordinate funding and technical support to national education plans in the poorest countries, GPE aims to get all children into school and learning. The Global Partnership especially prioritises girls’ education, knowing the dramatic impact educating mothers can have on the health of their children.
TAKE ACTION
If the GPE gets the pledges it needs from donors like the UK in June, they will be able to support 29 million children over the next four years, and increase the number of girls completing primary and secondary education substantially. That’s why it is so vital that the UK Government continues its strong support for the Global Partnership for Education.
Write to Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, and call on her to support the Global Partnership for Education today.