Canada’s Deerhurst Resort turns triage center for the world’s poorest

• Summit backdrop “not a fake lake” but a real struggle for survival for mothers and children in developing world
  
• A single day of deliberation will decide the fate of millions

June 24, 2010, TORONTO—World Vision is at the G8 and G20 summits in Huntsville and Toronto, Canada, making a final plea to eight of the world’s most powerful leaders to meet pledges to end needless childhood deaths.

After two years of engaging with G8 governments to convince them to provide adequate support for global maternal and child health, and inform their plans with data and insight from existing programs, World Vision staff from Africa and the G8 countries are in the summit waiting room, hoping for an announcement that will meet urgent funding needs and show concerted political will.

Quotes:

"The G8 backdrop is not a fake lake, it’s four million African children dying each year before reaching their fifth birthdays. More African representation is encouraging, but will it result in a new deal for Africa’s mothers and children?"
- Sue Mbaya, Advocacy Director, World Vision Africa

"If funding for the Muskoka Initiative on maternal and child health comes in too low, or at the expense of existing commitments on hunger, AIDS and malaria, it will be less a victory to celebrate than a cynical shell game."
- Robert Zachritz , Advocacy Director, World Vision U.S.

Facts:

• Nearly 9 million babies and children die each year. Two-thirds of them could be saved through simple interventions like better nutrition and skilled birth attendants
  
• Aid for maternal, newborn and child health currently accounts for only 3 percent of global aid, and meeting set goals—known as MDG 4 and MDG 5--for maternal and child survival, are off-track
  
• Achieving those MDGs by 2015 will require doubling maternal and child health spending to $16 billion, as part of filling a global health funding gap of $37.5 billion by 2012 and $42.5 billion by 2015
  
• The 30 worst countries for child mortality account for four out of every five child deaths, but they get less than half of all health aid
  
• World Vision will invest $1.5 billion on child and maternal health programs over the next five years
  
• Both wealthy and developing nations have a role in prioritizing resources to make basic health services accessible to the poorest families and save lives

For more on Child Health Now and World Vision’s public actions around the summit, see http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/about/emergency-presskit-G8-poverty

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please visit www.worldvision.org/press.