"For every child, every right"
World's Children Day is the 20th of November! The UNICEF student teams throughout the Netherlands have collaborated to create a celebratory week in honour of children all across the world. This is in support of the unified promotion of awareness and child welfare and for the protection of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The most widely ratified human rights treaty in history!
BURUNDI
Not every child gets to enjoy their childhood. In Burundi, there are 1 million children in need. UNICEF is a key player in aiding these children through the protection of child's rights and promotion of their welfare, focusing on:
Child and maternal health
There is high child and maternal mortality rate in Burundi
More than 30,000 children will die before their 5th birthday
This is due to a lack of emergency obstetric care
And high rates of HIV infections, Cholera, and Malaria cases
There were 2 Cholera epidemics in 2019
Birth certificates are the only document guaranteeing access to free healthcare yet only 66.2% of children under the age of 5 receive their birth certificates
Lack of health insurance coverage: 78.25% of women and 77.6% of men aren't covered
Nutrition
Burundi has one of the highest stunting rates in the world
And in contrast the highest exclusive breastfeeding rates
Stunting -the lack of growth, affects more than 60% of children under 5 in rural areas
Main cause is malnutrition: 60, 000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM)
Education
Only 10% of students complete secondary school
1 in 5 women are illiterate
High levels of unemployment & underemployment: due to lack of opportunities and lack of relevant skills and competencies of youth
Due to high poverty rates: 65% of Burundians live below the national poverty line as well as 90% of rural-based populations
Also due to early pregnancy, teacher sexual abuse of student females, combined with low-quality education
Water sanitation and hygiene
Access to basic sanitation in urban areas is lower than in rural areas
In 2017, only 61% of the population could obtain safe drinking water within a 30-minute round-trip from their households
More than half of schools lack water points
This is due to low-quality sanitation infrastructure, and lack of maintenance of existing infrastructure
Lack of safe water sanitation increases prevalence of diseases such as Cholera
Humanitarian Response
Some 110, 000 people are displaced inside the country, primarily due to natural disasters
SOLUTIONS
Although the situation looks dark, there are solutions that can be reached through funding.
The strategies include:
Health system strengthening
Adequate training of health workers
Ensuring birth certificates are received for each child
Immunisation, treatment and prevention programs
Sexual education & prevention of adolescent pregnancies
Increase distribution of hand-washing stations and soap
Increase investments in sanitation infrastructure and maintenance through community-led mobilisation coverages
Community mobilisation to increase stakeholders for education programs
Increase investments in education and of protective environments
Strengthening of institutional capacity to deliver quality child protection services at provincial, communal, and community levels.
Create community-based savings funds in cases of emergencies
Increase prevention legislations preventing human trafficking, increasing safety
Provide off grid energy supplies to rural households to decrease poverty
FUNDING
UNICEF needs your help to provide this funding. Funding requirements for 2020 require 16.5 million U.S dollars in order to reach their program targets .
Source: UNICEF