The most viewed post on Saude e Vida so far has been a fascinating video on cholera. Yesterday I found this other video which is just as brilliant. It talks about a better future for girls in poor countries. A future without aids, without early marriage, without unwanted pregnancies. A future of education, good health, freedom and happiness. Have a look at the video and be inspired: let us build a more just world, one girl at a time!
Happy meal...for free! © UNICEF Mozambique
The last post focused on Mozambique’s renewed efforts to tackle undernutrition and particularly stunting. The country is committed to intervene in the first 1,000 days of life, from conception to two years, in order to reduce the stunting rate among children under 5 from 44% to 20% by 2020.
In the comments section, Barbara from Save the Children rightly pointed at breastfeeding as one of the most effective weapons to reduce undernutrition in children. Breastfeeding is indeed one of the simplest interventions to save children’s lives. Yet, many women and children in Mozambique seem to miss out on such a simple, powerful intervention.
The mothers of the "mae para mae" group in Beira
Every year, on December 1st, the world stops and remembers the tragedy of HIV/AIDS, the millions of people lost to the disease, and the many who are fighting HIV/AIDS along with their families. In Mozambique HIV prevalence is 11.5%, which translates in approximately 1.4 million people living with HIV across the country. The disease hits predominantly young women living in cities and has a big toll on children too: 130,000 children age 0-14 suffer from the disease and four times as many are orphans due to AIDS. Data don’t tell a story of hope, but within the communities there are signs that a better future is possible: the HIV Positive Mothers Support Groups are one of these signs.