Ann Veneman: getting UNICEF back to basics. numerical data

摘要

Ann M Veneman, a farmer's daughter who was the first female US Agriculture Secretary and is now Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has made child mortality public enemy number one for the agency, which had broadened its agenda under former head Carol Bellamy. Under Veneman, UNICEF is returning to an earlier mission of tackling diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, and malaria that, together with other factors, claim the lives of 10.5 million children each year.The attainment of Millennium Development Goal 4-to reduce under-5 child mortality by two-thirds by 2015-is a key part of this strategy, said Veneman. "In order to do that we really have to figure out what works and how to measure the results", she told The Lancet. Veneman cited the example of Ghana, which is benefiting from the Accelerated Child Survival and Development programme that aims to strengthen community-based health systems aritt implement cheap, evidence-based health and nutrition measures. Initial surveys indicate that child mortality has been cut by up to 50% in a region where this programme was implemented, whereas in other regions rates have stagnated or even increased. "It's not just getting immunisation to kids, it's getting the mother good nutrition early on, it's being sure that the children then get the nutrition as well as the immunisation, it's making sure you get clean water", she commented. "One of the most important things I saw in Ghana was the importance of community-based training, of engaging women in the programmes to train them to deal with children's diseases." Veneman stresses the need for integrated packages, including child survival, immunisation, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, rather than the more vertical approach that has been adopted by international agencies.