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They face a thousand ways to die.

Let’s give them a solid chance for…life.

For children in the developing world, the first five years are the most deadly. Thanks to friends like you, we've already helped more than 156,000 children through the Survive to Five Challenge. This year, World Vision's goal to help save the lives of 93,000 more children. Together, we can help put an end to the tragedy of preventable deaths like malaria.

Don't let another child be lost.
Your gift triples in power to help save lives through the Survive to Five Challenge.
Save children's lives with Survive to Five™

Battle number one: survive to 5th birthday

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Every day, nearly 19,000 children die before their 5th birthday. Today, there is hope. "I know that there is hope for this broken world every time a child smiles at you," says World Vision supporter, Kathy Williams. Witness the struggle — and experience the hope in the smiles of the children in Swaziland.

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Under the Net: One night in Mozambique

Potipher

Take a closer look at how malaria affects children and communities. And learn how you can help prevent it.

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What is the Survive to Five Challenge?

For children in the developing world, the first five years are the most deadly, and if a child lives past five, their chances of survival increase dramatically. There are a few basic reasons why children die of preventable causes, and there are simple solutions to prevent those causes. The Survive to Five Challenge is World Vision's focused, high-impact way to give children every chance for survival. Because of World Vision's long history of expertise in helping to save children's lives, we've been awarded grants that will triple the power of all donations to this crucial challenge.

Last year, thanks to generous friends like you, we were able to help more than 156,000 children. Join the Challenge this year in the effort to save 93,000 more children from preventable deaths.

There are a few basic reasons why children die of preventable causes, and there are simple solutions to prevent those causes. We want to focus our efforts to save kids early so they can be healthy for life. To that end, World Vision has committed to supporting the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.

By 2015, World Vision will contribute towards a two-thirds reduction in under-five mortality rates by revitalizing efforts among common childhood illness.

In the parable of the sheep and goats, Jesus speaks to God’s view of selfless compassion when he says, "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40, NIV)

His love for the "least of these" has always motivated World Vision’s work and now inspires this important new challenge to help save the lives of 156,000 children under five in the next year.

The main causes of preventable deaths for children under five in developing countries include:

  • Severe malnutrition
  • Pneumonia
  • Diarrhea
  • Malaria
  • Neonatal Infections
  • Cholera
  • Tetanus

Thanks to government grants, gifts to the Survive to Five Challenge will triple in power to help provide:

  • Vaccinations against childhood diseases
  • Vitamin A
  • Neonatal care for safe birth
  • Ready-to-use therapeutic foods, such as Plumpy'Nut® and other peanut based emergency foods
  • Clean water
  • Bed Nets to prevent malaria
  • Skilled birth attendants
  • Education about exclusive breastfeeding
  • Oral rehydration solution and more

Because of World Vision's long history of expertise in saving children's lives, we've been awarded government grants that will triple the power of all donations to this crucial Challenge. Any gift will multiply 3x to help save lives in many ways.

Your gift to the Survive to Five Challenge supports World Vision programs around the world that improve the health of young children and mothers. You'll help save lives in places where the need is greatest like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Kenya, Niger, Afghanistan, and more.

Make it personal. By sponsoring a child under five in the developing world, you'll have a personal connection to one girl or boy as your gifts help provide food, healthcare, an education, and more. Sponsoring a child today is a wonderful way to help end preventable child deaths and make a lasting difference. Choose a child to sponsor.

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, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax-deductible in full or in part.

© 2012 World Vision, Inc.

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Twenty-month-old Potipher is alive. When she was born, there was so much uncertainty surrounding her survival and future. Her mother, grandmother and other community members describe her as a “miracle child”.

“This is a miracle child; Even me as a mother never expected to see her alive today,” Bwalya Mondo, Potipher’s mother declares. “Even now, I can’t believe it considering what I have gone through. This child was nowhere near to surviving.”

“I give all glory to God,” Bwalya adores. “Because of this child, God has not only shown His greatness to me alone but to most people in the community where I live. I am very grateful to Him. I say so because since you came to write her story at the health centre built by World Vision, I have visited the centre again and again — I think more than 30 times because her health condition continued to worsen with time.”

Bwalya, Potipher’s mother, took her to a clinic located in the Bangweulu swamps of the northern province of Zambia, 120 km from the nearest tarred road. This clinic provides services to more than 5,000 people and before it was established, the people of this community used to walk about 30 km to get to the nearest health centre. Bwalya was inside the clinic standing right next to the entrance leading to the clinical officer’s screening room. Looking gloomy, she tightly held a blanketed bundle in her arms. She looked like she was holding a parcel of clothing, the blanket wrapped so small that it looked like it was a package.

But inside the old blanket was Potipher, clothed in oversized, worn out yet light clothes, looking very small and pale. The clothes were the only available materials at the time to provide warmth for the baby’s body, her mother confirmed.

“I am carrying a baby; my own baby. She is three weeks old but not feeling too well so I have brought her to the clinic,” Bwalya said in a low and weak tone. “This is the first time I am bringing her to clinic because she was born from home.”

When Bwalya and her baby were seen for that first time, it was by Webster Chandamali, the health centre officer in charge.

Webster gently uncovered Potipher from the blanket and quickly realized the child needed urgent attention. He carefully moved the child’s hands and legs and then turned baby Potipher around, screening her to understand the health condition of the child. Webster confirmed that Potipher was suffering from respiratory infections and also needed antibiotic medicines.

Baby Potipher got the antibiotics she needed through grinding solid medicine into powder and mixing it with water for her to drink. She has also been monitored regularly for treatment. All these efforts are how Potipher, the baby who is now known as a ‘miracle child’, was given another chance at life.

“I had very little hope that I would ever see my daughter walk or play with me,” Bwalya says. “I confess that if it were not for the clinic which World Vision opened, my daughter would not be here today. God has saved my daughter through that clinic. Where else could I have gone, all these times I have visited the clinic, to access treatment if it was not there?” Bwalya asks softly as she picks some unwanted substances from a heap of dried pieces of cassava.

It has taken about 18 months for Potipher to recover fully, ending her mother’s long time anguish and unproductivity.

“My daughter would have died by now and I would not be the happy mother you are seeing today. This is my first child; she brings a lot of joy to me. My wish is to educate her so that one day she can become a person she wants to be and look after me,” she adds.

“When Potipher grows up, I’ll tell her that there was World Vision in our community. They constructed Mapoma health centre which saved your life,” the joyful mother says.