Help Save Women and Children from Preventable Death
When Prime Minister Harper announced that Canada would provide $2.85 billion for maternal and child health over five years, Canada became a global leader in saving the lives of women and children the world over.
It was badly needed help. Of the 8 United Nations Millennium Development goals set forth in 2000, maternal and child health has seen the least progress.
But we have seen what our dedication can make possible. In the past few years, more women across 7 developing countries, including Zimbabwe and Ghana, have been able to access vital health care while pregnant. More mothers have received post-natal care. 640,000 infants and children received vaccinations, medications and treatments to keep them alive.
More help is needed. In 2015, the five year distribution of financial support from Canada will end. We're calling on the government of Canada to renew their commitment to some of the world's most vulnerable people. Take action today: the health and happiness of women and children the world over depends on it!
Dear Minister Harper,
We are making a difference in the lives of women and children in the developing world.
Programs made possible through funding from the Canadian government have shown promising results in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Mali. Pregnant women are seeing the doctor more frequently. More mothers are receiving post-natal care. More children are vaccinated against measles.
It’s a good start, but there is still much work to be done. Much of the progress that has been made has focused on the easiest to reach -- not just in terms of geography, but social status and wealth. What’s needed now is an expanded effort to reach the most vulnerable.
We’ll need a renewed focus on the strategies that have been working, as well as an expanded effort to demand accountability not just for the dollars we’ve spent, but for impacted individuals and communities themselves.
The continued support of the Canadian government is essential to the ongoing success of these efforts. I urge you to approve additional funding to safeguard the health of women and children around the world.
[Your comments here]
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
