If It Bleeds Does It Lede?
Toronto, Ontario (Oct. 27, 2009) – Every year 9 million children die from preventable causes. That means every 3 seconds somewhere in the world a child dies who didn’t have to.
So why is this not in the news more often? Why is it not at the very top of the agendas of every government around the world?Cynicism is often blamed. Perhaps it is simply that too many of us believe the problem is unsolvable.
“The biggest barrier to saving the lives of millions of children is the public’s belief, that the problem is simply too big. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria are the biggest killers of children under the age of five around the world and we have simple, proven, inexpensive ways to prevent these deaths” said David Morley, President and CEO of Save the Children Canada.
The United Nations, Millennium Development Goals (4) set a target to reduce infant and child mortality by 2/3 by 2015. Some of the world’s poorest countries, like Eritrea, Bangladesh, and Haiti, have succeeded in dramatically reducing preventable child deaths. Unfortunately, their success is not global and we need to do more.
At the coming G8/G20 we have a chance to get back on track if we demand that world governments take a lead on this issue. That is why Save the Children Canada and its international partners are launching a global movement to:
. mobilize citizens and ask them to speak for the voiceless
. challenge the media to pay attention
. demand that world governments fulfill their commitments
. call on the Canadian government to commit more resources
“This is new territory for Save the Children Canada”, said Morley. “We have not previously done a public mobilization campaign and we are pulling no punches. We have created a campaign that asks Canadians why it is okay to let a child die just because of where they live. In the Canadian context, that question applies to Canadians turning a blind eye to the considerably higher infant mortality rate in First Nations communities.”
Save the Children Canada will launch its biggest ever outreach campaign.
. A national ad campaign in Metro News that asks Canadians why some children are allowed to die. Commuters will be able to scan a bar code or use an SMS feature to sign the petition on their way to work.
. Features in the Toronto Star that confront the myths, discuss the problem and the solutions
. Advocacy and online organizing will happen via the EVERY ONE website/Facebook page
. Blogger Outreach – the message will get out whether through the mainstream media or new online avenues
To view the accompanying images, please visit the following links:
http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Savecover1.pdf
http://file.marketwire.com/release/saveinsidecover1.pdf
http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/savestar.pdf
For more information, please contact
Save the Children Canada
Cicely McWilliam
Campaign Coordinator
416-218-1888 or Cell: 416-705-7578
cmcwilliam@savethechildren.ca
www.everyonecanada.ca
