Zambia slips in global state of the world’s mothers rankings

Zambia has been ranked 150th out of 165 countries according to Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers Report of 2012, making Zambia the 15th country from the bottom in the world. In 2011, Zambia occupied the 149th place out of the 165 countries in the report. In determining the ranking of the worst and best places in the world to be a mother, the report looked at factors such as mother's health, education and economic status, as well as critical child indicators such as health and nutrition. In Zambia, children under five years and women of reproductive age are the most vulnerable to malnutrition. This is an ongoing crisis as. 45 per cent of children (under 5 years) in the country are chronically malnourished and there has been no significant improvement in reducing the rate in the last few years. Economic evidence also suggests that life expectancy is directly related to poverty and nutrition (Sachs, 1999). The quality and quantity of food that mothers consume influences their health and that of their children, especially the health of breastfeeding children Malnutrition is the underlying cause of more than 2.6 million children’s deaths each year, globally, and impacts negatively on children’s mental and physical growth. Norway has been ranked as the best country in the world to be a mother, while Niger is now ranked as worst country.Afghanistan was ranked the worst country for two years running in 2009 and 2010. Marc Nosbach, Save the Children Country Director said: "The report shows clearly that this crisis of chronic malnutrition has devastating effects on both mothers and their children. The time to act is now, as there is a growing concern about the situation and political will to act.” In new research for the report, Save the Children found that the simple measure of supporting mums to breastfeed could save one million children's lives a year. Yet the report also shows that less than 40% of all infants in developing countries receive the full benefits of exclusive breastfeeding. This is due, in part, to countries lacking strong commitment and complimentary programmes that enable mothers to breastfeed. When the two do combine, the report shows that it can have success even in low-income countries as it has done in other African nations such as Malawi and Madagascar. Mr. Nosbach says “Breastfeeding is the best single solution for saving children’s lives from malnutrition and ensuring a healthy start in life. Our report shows that a mother’s breast milk - one single nutrition intervention - can save a million children’s lives each year. Policies and programs must be put in place in all countries to ensure all mothers have the support they need to choose to breastfeed if they want to. Acting now not only saves lives, but saves money as well.” Currently 63% - a mere 2/3rds of a targeted 90% - of Zambian mothers breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of the child’s life. Another critical factor hindering child health is that of pre-term births, classified as a child born before 37 weeks. According to Save the Children’s Born Too Soon report Zambia’s out of every 100 babies born, 12.9 of them are born premature. Premature birth can lead to death soon after birth, and children born prematurely may suffer from life-long physical disorders and learning disabilities. Prematurity is now the second-leading cause of death after pneumonia in children under the age of five and the leading cause of newborn deaths (babies in the first four weeks of life). Global progress for child survival and health cannot be achieved without addressing preterm birth. Investment in maternal health and care at birth will reduce stillbirth rates and improve outcomes for women and newborn babies Save the Children Zambia is pleased to note that at the 2012 Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting held in Kampala, Uganda in April 2012, Parliaments from countries, including Zambia passed a resolution to commit their countries to advancing maternal and child health. We call upon our Parliamentarians to take seriously the commitments made at the IPU meeting. Zambia’s ranking in the State of the World’s Mothers report underlines the need for Government to take serious measures to reduce child and maternal deaths. Save the Children further calls upon Governments and donors to do the following: 1) Invest in basic, low-cost solutions to save children’s lives and prevent stunting. Malnutrition and child mortality can be fought with relatively simple and inexpensive solutions such as iron supplements which strengthen children’s resistance to disease, lower women’s risk of dying in childbirth and may help prevent premature births and low birthweight. Six months of exclusive breastfeeding increases a child’s chance of survival at least six-fold. 2) Invest in frontline health workers to reach the most vulnerable mothers and children. There is a critical shortage of at least 1 million frontline health workers globally who are key to delivering the nutrition solutions that can save lives and prevent stunting. Governments and donors should work together to fill this health worker gap by recruiting, training and supporting new and existing health workers, and deploying them where they are needed most. 3) Help more girls go to school and stay in school. One of the most effective ways to fight child malnutrition is to focus on girls’ education. Educated girls tend to have fewer, healthier and better-nourished children. 4) Increase government support for proven solutions to fight malnutrition and save lives. Developing countries should commit to and fund national nutrition plans that are integrated with plans for maternal and child health. Donor countries should demonstrate leadership toward these goals by keeping their funding commitments to achieving Millennium Development goals 4 and 5. Resources for malnutrition programs should not come at the expense of other programs critical to the survival and well-being of children, such as family planning, basic education and AIDS. Save the Children Zambia works to save children’s rights, helps them fulfill their potential and fight for their rights.