Growing up healthy

Ensuring children’s survival, protection and healthy development

Community health workers in Guinea Bissau monitor the health of 12,500 sponsored children and their families. This is significant in a country where more than 20 per cent of children die (from treatable illnesses) before they reach the age of five. Few people in rural areas have easy access to health care.

We have trained 22 health staff and helped them to purchase refrigerators (for vaccine storage), hospital beds, delivery tables and other medical equipment for 13 clinics. With malaria being responsible for the greatest number of deaths, particularly among children, we also supported the training of 123 community volunteers in treating mosquito nets.  As a result, 14,650 mosquito nets were treated.