Health
Increasing survival and improving the health of the world’s children
The challenge
Across the world, children continue to suffer and die from deadly yet preventable diseases. While health outcomes have generally improved for children, 15,000 children still die every day.
Infant and child mortality rates are the highest in low-income countries. In these areas, disasters such as extreme weather events, conflict or epidemics exacerbate the most common causes of childhood illness and death including diarrhoea, pneumonia, malaria, malnutrition, as they disrupt already fragile health systems and essential services.
The solution
The European Union (EU) is one of UNICEF’s key partners in ensuring that every child survives and thrives. The partnership has enabled UNICEF to improve the health of millions of children worldwide, especially children living in low-income countries as well as those caught in the midst of conflict or natural disasters.
Reaching children with life-saving health assistance in emergencies
UNICEF works closely with the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (DG ECHO) to support the delivery of primary health services and provide essential medical supplies to children affected by humanitarian crises. These include restoring and building capacity of disrupted health systems, providing vaccines against deadly disease to prevent epidemics, and delivering life-saving therapeutic food to treat children suffering from severe malnutrition.
Improving children’s health worldwide
Over the past few years, UNICEF’s partnership with the EU to deliver health for children in developing countries has evolved. From 2014 - 2019, together with the EU and governments, we have delivered nineteen projects in developing countries worldwide, aimed at improving children’s health and strengthening local health systems.
For example:
- UNICEF and the EU have implemented the Health Transition Fund in Zimbabwe between 2014 and 2018, aimed at improving equitable access and quality of health care in Zimbabwe, with special attention for women, newborns, children, and adolescents.
- In Yemen, we are supporting the health facilities with medical and technical equipment and training of community health workers to make sure children can have access to quality healthcare and be treated in the best conditions possible.
