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ETHIOPIA / CHILD MORTALITY
STORY: ETHIOPIA / CHILD MORTALITY
TRT: 3.25
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: NUER / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 26 AUGUST – 31 AUGUST 2013, OKURA, ETHIOPIA
1. Tracking shot, river
2. Wide shot, boy in canoe on Baro River Ethiopia
3. Wide shot, women washing
4. Med shot, woman washing clothes
5. Close up, woman washing clothes
6. Wide shot, UNICEF boat on river
7. Med shot, boat driver
8. Close up, baby at health post Okura village
9. Wide shot, women at health post Okura village
10. Wide shot, Health Extension Worker talking to patient
11. Wide shot, Health Extension Workers putting at mosquito net community demonstration
12. Wide shot, Health Extension Workers putting at mosquito net community demonstration
13. Med shot, Health Extension Workers putting at mosquito net community demonstration
14. Med shot, pregnant women under net at demonstration
15. Wide shot, Health Extension Worker checking vaccine card at model home
16. Close up, breastfeeding baby at model home
17. SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Ariet Nyignio, 22 years old:
“The reason why the sons of my father died is because at the time there was no health facility but now there is a healthcentre, a health post and heath extension workers they are more caring so for each person who goes there they will get attention, they will get medicine.”
18. Wide shot, Health Extension Worker talking to mother
19. Close up, baby breastfeeding
20. Close up, Health Extension Workers in canoe
21. Wide shot, Health Extension Workers in canoe
22. SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Abang Obyo, Health Extension Worker, 28 years old:
“Before a lot of under five children used to die because of lack of knowledge about health. Now I need to educate and change this community to reduce the deaths and sickness of children under five years.”
23. Wide shot, Doctor Dereje Belew talking to Health Extension Worker examining charts at Jimma Health Post
24. Close up, chart of child mortality at Jimma Health Post
25. Wide shot, Doctor Dereje Belew talking to Health Extension in Jimma Health Post
26. Tilt down, numbers of cases of diseases
27. SOUNDBITE (English) Doctor Dereje Belew, UNICEF Health Officer:
“Ten years ago we used to see five under five kids per household. Now after five years, a lot of people are using family planning. I tell you the attitude of the male has been radical. I never thought this change would come five years ago. Now I tell you. If one works with perseverance you can make change even if we are very poor we can still bring radical change.”
28. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Kesetebirhan Admasu, Minister of Health Ethiopia:
“I believe it is the work of these amazing community health workers who have really put the country to achieve these results. The key factor is political commitment. With that commitment and with the commitment of the government in putting actual money, real money beyond setting the policy of the programme has helped to attract more donors to the programme. And for a country to grow and prosper you need healthy people and you need to invest in the health and education of children.”
29. Wide shot, UNICEF Boat
30. Med shot, boat driver
31. Wide of boat at dusk
It’s a country once known for famine, poverty and war, but for Ethiopia’s children a brighter dawn is now emerging.
Even in this remote western corner of the vast country, more children are thriving beyond their fifth birthday and their parents are having fewer and fewer children.
In the rainy season the river is the highway to the village of Okura. Once, whatever the season, they were cut-off. Now people here can get help and health from one of their own.
Health extension workers have helped slash child mortality rates by half here in less than ten years.
They can check and treat for the biggest child killers like diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria.
They know what people need and they know how to get the message across starting with pregnant women.
The health workers’ job is to check immunization records and hygiene in homes too like in this model home. The younger generation is reaping the rewards:
SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Ariet Nyignio, 22 years old:
“The reason why the sons of my father died is because at the time there was no health facility but now there is a health centre, a health post and heath extension workers, they are more caring so for each person who goes there they will get attention, they will get medicine.”
Throughout Ethiopia, there are 38,000 health extension workers doing just the same – paid for by government, trained, equipped and supported by UNICEF. And more is to come.
SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Abang Obyo, Health Extension Worker, 28 years old:
“Before a lot of under five children used to die because of lack of knowledge about health. Now I need to educate and change this community to reduce the deaths and sickness of children under five years.”
Ethiopia looks set to reach this Millennium Development Goal. This steady but rapid decline in child deaths and smaller healthier families comes as a surprise to many.
SOUNDBITE (English) Doctor Dereje Belew, Health Officer, UNICEF:
“Ten years ago we used to see five under five kids per household. Now after five years, a lot of people are using family planning. I tell you the attitude of the male has been radical. I never thought this change would come five years ago. Now I tell you. If one works with perseverance you can make change even if we are very poor we can still bring radical change.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Kesetebirhan Admasu, Minister of Health, Ethiopia:
“I believe it is the work of these amazing community health workers who have really put the country to achieve these results. The key factor is political commitment. With that commitment and with the commitment of the government in putting actual money, real money beyond setting the policy of the programme has helped to attract more donors to the programme. And for a country to grow and prosper you need healthy people and you need to invest in the health and education of children.”
The country will need to keep full steam ahead to meet new goals. But for now the tide is turning for Ethiopia’s children.
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