Kiwanis in Cambodia to observe UNICEF tetanus programs
UNICEF USA
© UNICEF Video
A three part tetanus campaign offers free tetanus vaccinations to women of childbearing age, aiming to immunize over 5 million women in the Ivory Coast.
NEW YORK (April 3, 2011)—President-elect of Kiwanis International Alan Penn will join three other Kiwanis members on a special trip to Cambodia this week to observe a vaccination campaign targeting maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT). This lethal, ancient disease is highly preventable, yet it continues to steal the lives of babies and mothers in 38 countries, including Cambodia.
Last year, Kiwanis International and UNICEF joined forces to combat MNT worldwide. This historic initiative, called "The Eliminate Project: Kiwanis eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus," will save the lives of babies and mothers all over the globe and aims to put an end to this cruel, centuries-old disease. The global effort will require $110 million and the dedicated work of UNICEF and every member of the Kiwanis family.
Joining Penn on the trip is The Eliminate Project Campaign Chairman Randy DeLay; Tsai Sheng Ping, Lieutenant Governor-elect of Taiwan District of Kiwanis International; Avanti Kollaram, President of Circle K International at Virginia Commonwealth University; and U.S. Fund for UNICEF staff members.
As they witness lifesaving immunization activities and meet with UNICEF staff, health workers, mothers, and children in Cambodia, they will see The Eliminate Project in action, allowing them to generate awareness about this urgent health crisis.
Eliminating an agonizing death by tetanus
MNT strikes when tetanus spores, found in soil everywhere, enter the body during the birthing process and attack the central nervous system. Newborns who contract MNT suffer excruciating pain and convulsions — and right now, MNT kills 59,000 babies each year; a significant number of women also die from MNT.
The disease preys upon newborns and mothers who have little or no access to health care — either because they are poor, live in remote areas, or are caught in humanitarian emergencies. More funds and resources are needed to reach all those at risk.
There is a readily available solution: just three doses of a 60-cent immunization protect mothers, who then pass on the immunity to their future babies.
130 million women at risk of MNT
Kiwanis' global efforts will build upon those of UNICEF and other pivotal partners which have resulted in significant strides against MNT. As of February 2011, the disease has been eliminated in 20 countries. The Eliminate Project will mobilize 600,000 Kiwanis members to help raise resources and awareness about MNT. The initiative will support UNICEF's efforts to immunize 130 million women who are at the greatest risk and will also hew a path for providing other desperately needed health services.
UNICEF works with the Government of Cambodia to immunize pregnant women and women of childbearing age against tetanus. It also helps provide prenatal care and promotes the use of skilled birth attendants and hygienic birthing practices. There has been significant progress in Cambodia, as more women are immunized and more give birth with the help of skilled health workers. Still, MNT remains a quiet but deadly threat in Cambodia, particularly in the country's poorest and most remote communities.
Kiwanis is committed to helping UNICEF protect babies and mothers in Cambodia, and all throughout the world, from the scourge of MNT.
