UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham returned this week from Sierra Leone, West Africa, where he travelled with UNICEF to draw attention to the issue of child survival.

Every day more than 26,000 children under the age of five die around the world mostly from preventable causes. Nearly all of them live in the developing world. In UNICEF’s flagship report published today - The State of the World’s Children 2008 - figures show that in Sierra Leone a staggering 27 per cent of children die before reaching their fifth birthday – the highest number in the world.  

Child Survival

Child Survival is a priority issue for UNICEF. The world’s leading children’s organisation is calling for child survival to be placed at the heart of the international development agenda and to make it a top priority at the G8 summit.

Arriving in the capital Freetown on Friday, 18 January, David Beckham travelled to Makeni, Bombali District in the northern province of Sierra Leone, which has the highest number of under-five child deaths in the country.

During his visit, Beckham spent time at a health clinic learning about the most common causes of these deaths, like malaria which accounts for 33 per cent of child deaths. Diarrhoea, malnutrition and vaccine preventable diseases like measles and tuberculosis are also major contributors.

UNICEF is working with health clinics in Sierra Leone, and across the developing world, to reduce the number of children under the age of five dying. Evidence shows that real progress has been made by providing ongoing health care for women throughout their pregnancy and ensuring immunisation and health check-ups for the baby from birth to early childhood.

Working with communities

Empowering communities to participate in health care has also proven to be an effective way to save lives. Beckham saw an example of this by joining two health workers as they travelled into a local community to vaccinate children who are unable to access the clinic.  At the same time the health workers teach the communities about the importance of good hygiene to prevent diseases. This is an important part of the clinic’s work - helping them reach hundreds more children who would otherwise miss out on these vital lifesaving measures.

At a feeding centre for severely malnourished children Beckham visited babies who had survived on water because their mothers were malnourished and unable to breastfeed. These children weigh less than 70 per cent of their recommended body weight. One seven-month-old baby weighed less than the recommended weight for a one-month-old. With supplies from UNICEF, the clinic provides the children with fortified milk and high protein biscuits. UNICEF also encourages women to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months - globally this has had a tremendous impact on the health of children. The clinic has been successful in curing over 90 per cent of the children admitted.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham said: “We can’t turn a blind eye to the tens of thousands of young children who die every day in the developing world mostly from causes that are preventable. In Sierra Leone, one in four children dies before reaching their fifth birthday – it’s shocking and tragic especially when the solutions are simple - things like vaccinations against measles or using a mosquito net to reduce the chance of getting malaria. Saving these children’s lives is a top priority for UNICEF and as an Ambassador I hope I can help to draw attention to this issue across the world.”

State of the World’s Children

UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children (SOWC) 2008 report highlights the 60 per cent drop in the rate of child mortality since 1960 and outlines what needs to be done to reduce child deaths further. There remains a long way to go to achieve the Millennium Development Goal on child survival – which would mean lowering the number of under-five deaths from 9.7 million to less than five million by 2015. Nowhere in the world is the need for lifesaving measures more apparent than in Sierra Leone and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.

UNICEF, however, maintains that attaining the goal is still possible but the challenge is formidable. UNICEF UK’s Executive Director David Bull said: “We are grateful to David Beckham for shining the spotlight on the unacceptable number of young children who are dying, often needlessly, in Sierra Leone and other developing countries. Everyone can play a role in changing this situation – governments, donors and the public.  All children have a right to survival but too many are dying needlessly. But this can be changed if there is sufficient collective will to act with determination and urgency. Surely there is no reward more precious than saving the life of a child? Their futures remain in our hands.”

UNICEF is calling on governments for urgent political will, long-term funding and improved health strategies – on an unprecedented scale - to reduce the number of children under the age of five that die every day around the world.

UNICEF is calling on the public for urgent funds to help prevent babies and young children dying before the age of five. A little can go a long way. £1.50 could immunise 50 children. Just a few pence for a vitamin A capsule would prevent and treat vitamin A deficiency, or pay for one sachet of rehydration salts which, when mixed with clean water, helps children combat dehydration and diarrhoea. 

Find out more:

• See the David Beckham in Sierra Leone photo gallery.
• See the Child survival in Sierra Leone photo gallery.
• View the video of David Beckham visiting UNICEF child survival programmes in Sierra Leone (see right-hand side link).
• Read the report State of the World’s Children: Child Survival.
• Find out more about our Child Survival appeal.
• Visit the UNICEF State of the World’s Children webpages.

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For further information, please contact the UNICEF UK Press Office, 020 7430 0162 or media@unicef.org.uk