The Challenges
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© UNICEF/CEE/CIS/ 2004/00031/Pirozzi |
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Newborn baby in Chisinau, Moldova. |
THE BEST START IN LIFE FOR EVERY CHILD
- Infant mortality. An infant death rate in the Caucasus and Central Asia that is 12 times greater than in western industrialised countries.
- Disability. At least 10% of children in the region have some kind of disability, often caused by poor care and nutrition in their earliest days.
- Poor nutrition. The region has the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates worldwide. Only 14% of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months.
- The collapse of pre-schooling. Around 58,000 pre-schools closed in CIS countries in the 1990s.
- Institutionalisation. A growing proportion of infants are in institutions.
- Birth registration. About 10% of births in poor parts of the region go unregistered each year – most of them in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
- Child care. Many childhood illnesses and deaths can be averted if families have the right information and skills to care for their children.
- Rearing skills. Something as simple as loving interaction with infants and young children can give them the foundations for emotional security, social skills and the desire to learn.
