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DR CONGO / CHILD SURVIVAL AGREEMENT
STORY: DR CONGO / CHILD SURVIVAL AGREEMENT
TRT: 1:49
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 17 MARCH 2010, KINSHASHA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO / RECENT
RECENT – KINSASHA, DR CONGO
1. Wide shot, children playing in water
2. Various shots, health clinic and children being tested for malnutrition
17 MARCH 2010, KINSHASA, DR CONGO
3. Various shots, signing ceremony
RECENT – KINSASHA, DR CONGO
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Pierrette Vu Thi, UNICEF Representative, Democratic Republic of the Congo:
“The religious groups in a country like DRC which is so vast have an outreach that neither we nor the government nor anyone else has, because they have the networks in place to reach very isolated communities and this is the goal of the partnership.”
RECENT – KINSASHA, DR CONGO
5. Various shots, religious services
6. Med shot, women breastfeeding
7. Various shots, child being vaccinated
8. Med shot, child washing hands
9. Close-up, child being fed porridge
10. Wide shot, family under an insecticide-treated bed net
17 MARCH 2010, KINSHASA, DR CONGO
11. Various shots, leaders speaking at signing ceremony
RECENT – KINSASHA, DR CONGO
12. Various shots, people listening to health messages
17 MARCH 2010, KINSHASA, DR CONGO
13. SOUNDBITE (French) Reverend Kankienza, Charismatic Church National Representative:
“This partnership is an opportunity for us. We cannot remain indifferent to what affects our people.”
RECENT – KINSASHA, DR CONGO
14. Med shot, woman breastfeeding
15. Various shot, people listening to health messages
One child out of seven dies in the Democratic Republic of Congo before the age of five.
This is mainly due to measles, malaria, acute respiratory infections and malnutrition. Most deaths occur at home or before the patient reaches a health centre, sometimes minutes after getting there.
Traditionally some believe that the illnesses result from evil spells cast by members of their community and not necessarily by illness. To hasten the reduction of infant mortality in the country, UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Health signed an agreement this month with the five major faith based organizations.
SOUNDBITE (English) Pierrette Vu Thi, UNICEF Representative, Democratic Republic of the Congo:
“The religious groups in a country like DRC which is so vast have an outreach that neither we nor the government nor anyone else has, because they have the networks in place to reach very isolated communities and this is the goal of the partnership.”
The agreement is part of efforts to implement the African Strategy for Child Survival and Development which is an initiative to improve the chances of survival for African children. Together the five religious groups have the potential to reach more than half of the estimated 65 million people in this country.
The religious groups will use their nationwide channels and networks to promote five key family practices within households: exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, complete vaccination of pregnant women and children before the age of one year, hand washing with clean water and soap, correct treatment of diarrhea and correct use of insecticide treated bed nets.
SOUNDBITE (French) Reverend Kankienza, Charismatic Church National Representative:
“This partnership is an opportunity for us. We cannot remain indifferent to what affects our people.”
At the signing ceremony religious groups, UNICEF and the Ministry of Health all affirmed that the high rates of deaths among children can be avoided for the most part if households and families adopt these simple practices.
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