The Progress of Nations 2000

THE IRC1E S O A I N

A cliiil is u i~ieg '( l (I ii N/lu ('Il(' ini(Ia rumIl(/Iliipost ini Kenya7(. LowU
birth rii'(itd /is (I uII(i//(i'fIi' lli iii (' (1ths ('((11 1(1' iiiilion ii ils
'ur/i i'ihli'iai/iheir f irst lioil/li (f li/f?'.

t he~ sai('(A(')iilI I II t111t1 ('5have
bad tit w( axinl tog't her health,
e"at'l e( Itcatii 1s(1t'vi('es for_
grailine aims 1t) (ut itifant an(I
l) y h a lf. Th e se at' (r ii(ru ia l l v so b j c u l rv W e e e -
vi e t h ir il fi (' 1111 4 ix ' \ aVli ('t' 1diei -x
xx'~igh 1 01 stute) 1, 111(1the iiidei'I ix'e motai1'lity' late is 14' (eaths
('hildl-(arle (('itles, like the (cues ill
lihe Piib1pp-iu1e village oif (;apagilo,
play with11well-wyoriilox's and! wVith1
tistal instrun e ts t1iU' iSedl
1) slats, leaf, 11)1011gbl oofs
aitd learn from lhriglht l eoloui'e(h
loslel's aboc:ut animials, the1('alphlabet atnd hvgienlie hatid-washing
prtaetilees. IHealthIiati( I nutritioti
xwortket's in the villag' are trainled
1(o ('0t115('l Vparents ()i1 better earix'
('hil(lll0O(l eare, inc(lutdling eXelli51 xe hreastfeediiig atil oral rehvti
ti'atioti therapy ((U)l{). Children
reeeive their routine imuniitzatiotis at the health station. I Iealt~h
workers maintain a mnap of' all
houses in the eoinmunilit y in whieh
ts t'ec'orded every chl'hs gr-owth,
aeeess to iodized salt aiid other
iiiierotiutrients and~ the availalbility of (lean water anid salutationl.
"Tbese are simptjle steps; they
are also life-saving aiid lifetraiisforiiiing ones. More itulpor--
tatit lN" tihe serviees are aeeessib~le
wxithiti (' tlllltliies atid are loc'ally ritl. They inelude health
t ion andl parenlt-effeetiveness
traitiig. In typ icl villages, day(are woirker s, idwives, health
workersand c(1111( (evelolilnent
wxorkers focus on umltipile areas,
5)) that health and nutritioti workers tiow u nderstand lhow ehildlreni
best begin to learn, anid (lay-eare
workers are norw aware of' health
lssll(s.
UJFNICEI' is sulihporting the(se
efforts with loeal governments in
20~ pirovinc~es aino five (ities by
bolstering hasie soeial setrviees in

rural eounities through the
establishment of eommutinitv
health anid nutrition posts. III
Capiz Provinee alone, 200 suc(1
posts are to lbe in place byN the
endl of 2000. These health and
nutritioln posts provide /1o01hers
with a vene to meet, oisetss
health n utrition andh Jsxolhosoeial nleeols of their babies, to be
eouniselledl ly the village health
worker and to have acceess to
basie serviees sueh as vitain tiA
and~ iron supplemlents.
In tlhe tinyv island provinee of'
Cuinaraswhere ehild1 povertyv
rates exeeed 70 per eent, a ('hi1)1 -r-mmndin cenre eists fot'oo
fam~ilies, allowing both lparen(t to
xwork.lDax'-eare (entres are' beitg
built village by villae. Nat iore
wiche, the number of acceeielited
new ceetres tiecreasedl liv1 1 per
eent in 1 998, to more than 20,(0).
UNICEF is helping Iniprove the
health of' tothes and the c'apa(ity of lparents andh other (aregiver's
to provide a loving and stimnulating home etivironmnttf1r' vounlg
ehildren. Fhirough a eommnuitylbasedl paretit-effeetiveness serviee ()1r)ogr'ammue, organize)dIIpat'(ent
groups learn albout ehild health,
pSyeliosocial (ar'e, tntritiotn pro)tection atid even gender' lr(lation~s.
UNICEF also supports trainitig
of' day-eare aiid loeal health
workers and{ (istribu/tes p are(ntteoutiselIinrg ear'(ds and (ithei' information niaterials to grass-loots
servicepoies
In thrt(e legions ill the Philipptsaii integrated early ehildl1100(1 eare an ll(evelopllettpro-)
jeet i bi1funded by thl( World

all seetors of' eivil society, religious

nmedia ani l ittrtiatioltal (ilgallizationis at'e )'ruc(ial in helping niake
ehiliel'ns rghtIs thle priori Iv.
Putting cild(renl first
There eatineexr'tble a sin'gle liioidel
of early-ehilhood ('ale. 1nor'15 isiin
dlesirale). Ex rie iee shtoxws t hat
there aroe ahol1tIas imany eoffeo'tix'o
approaceos as Itlure are 11e)Is.
W\e (ho kiioxx', howxever. that Ille
best pr1ogrammel~os ai'e thoise eoncerel'tehwxithlit heovixelapintg phy'nteeds5 Of if reiioi. Ihey'vahplproahel
c'hil(dh (evelopineit as a hiolist ie
poesandI the chlild's neeods its
in'ter'r'elatedl. We allsoikntio'Ihat
ea('h )')liiillt nitx htas to hiave tho'
freedoiiitandIthle resoutrces Io
ec'eate, refitie and himiprove its oxx'ti
biest prt'ite'(sI io'oause 1)0)11(ieieS
atid prt'iceti)s that relate toithe'
way pleio lix')'their lives arttlo
oties c'hildlreniandolpr'ents need.
The xxot'lol (antitake great11)1iolo
iii til e'')ssioli (f extralorditiary sIteps miaole over thieIpast
dleoaodo in adoiptinig thue( oinllx -
tion (oittho' IRighlts if thuChiblI
noxw tat ifio'olvirtuallx utuxo rsally atnd xworking to achieveO
tihe goals agree'o oln~i~t at thte 1990
Wor'lldSumtmiit for Children.
Nowx, as xxe look ahead toi thio
UN (;ene(ral Assoemblv's Speo'ial
Session on Clihi'orenitext v eal'ott
thos" roals, it seenis a verv go))
ti/li) toireedooIicate olirsolvxeos toi
keepingrip thililoietilill. \\e
muttst 'ouit in ne argtuing foit'. tego)tiatilng f'oi n r ~)Ioteatitlg thie Ieost
f'oir ehiiloio'i. Theit'-iieeohs slohold
lie rivenl l)rioil'itv in the alboa
thlreatelts toi engulf us all.

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