UNICEF: “Newborn survivability” Sierra Leone (2018)

BO City, SIERRA LEONE - December 12th, 2018: Scenes from the neonatal care unit at the regional hospital in the city of Bo, Southern province of Sierra Leone. The neonatal care has been fully furnished and equipped thanks to UNICEF support. Reducing maternal deaths and infant mortality is one of the priorities of the UNICEF operation in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone ranks very high with extremely high child and maternal mortality. Poeverty, disease outbreaks and devastating recent civil war are major contributors to the child and maternal mortality. ©Photo by Franco Pagetti/VII for UNICEF

the project

The VII Foundation collaborated with UNICEF to produce a communication package highlighting the crucial role of newborn and child health in the welfare and growth of communities across Central and Western Africa. This narrative illustrates the connections between child survival and broader developmental challenges, such as the importance of birth registration, by sharing the personal accounts of children, their families, and the healthcare workers on the ground.

Mother Masibiry Koné, 34, holds her daughter Malado Diarra, 16 days old, at the community health center of Koumatou, Mali on 8 March 2018. Malado was born without complications and is still in good health. Her youngest sibling contracted malaria as a toddler, but thanks to the clean water and hygiene trainings provided by UNICEF, she’s less at risk of getting this dangerous disease. In Mali, the neonatal mortality rate is 31 per 1,000 live births (2016, IGME data). Sikasso region has a neonatal mortality rate of 35 per 1,000 live births – slightly above the national average. Most newborns die from perinatal asphyxia, neonatal infections or prematurity. These deaths are largely preventable. UNICEF became active in Mali in 1986, but still faces steep challenges – specifically, the ratio of qualified health personnel per inhabitant is too low. In Koumantou, for example, there is only one doctor, trained by UNICEF, to serve the entire population. One midwife, one nurse, three health workers and two vaccination agents assist him. In addition, Mali has one of the world’s highest child marriage rates. Around one in seven girls marries before the age of 15, and 71 per cent by 18. Also, 91 per cent of women aged 15–49 is circumcised, increasing the risk of deadly infections – most of them before the girls reach the age of 5. Child mothers’ babies are more vulnerable: If a mother is under 18, her baby is more than twice as likely to die than an infant born to an adult mother (older than 19). But thanks to UNICEF interventions, most recently, many lives have been saved – in Koumantou and Bougouni, neonatal mortality numbers have gone down. © Ilvy Njiokiktjien / VII.

UNICEF: Child Survival Campaign "Newborn Project" (2018-2019)

In 2018, VII Photo collaborated with UNICEF on its Child Survival Campaign to raise awareness about the million babies who die on their very first day despite the existence of simple solutions that can save them.

It’s a morning reception of tablets in the children's ward of National center of Phthisiology on tuberculosis control in Bishkek.Taking pills is goes strictly under the supervision of a nurse. She prepares the right pills and makes sure that the children swallow them. © Mary Gelman / VII.

It's time to End Drug-Resistant TB in Children (2020)

A multimedia campaign, in partnership with Stop TB Partnership, designed to enhance global awareness and advocate for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis.