When it comes to a child’s well-being, it’s survival of the richest, as Mark Shriver wrote in POLITICO Magazine. In some countries, the disparity in survival rates between rich and poor children is so large that poor children are almost twice as likely as rich children to die before their fifth birthday. Negative factors that affect mothers, like poverty, lack of resources and access to quality health care, can have a negative influence on the child as well.
Worldwide, trends show that mothers are moving to cities with the hope of creating a better life for their children. Although the global number of child deaths has been cut in half since 1990, from almost 35,000 deaths per day to about 16,000 deaths per day, there’s still much more work that needs to be done. We need to ensure mothers and children around the world are well-nourished and healthy.