BWI: Weeks of Action to ‘WALL OF FAME’ Demanding better Healthcare for Children in India

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: Save the Children
Saturday, November 26, 2011 02:29 PM IST (08:59 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Social issues; Business: Healthcare, biotechnology & pharmaceutical; Healthcare
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Weeks of Action to 'WALL OF FAME' Demanding better Healthcare for Children in India


New Delhi, Delhi, India, Saturday, November 26, 2011 -- (Business Wire India) -- Save the Children campaign 'No Child Born to Die' reached 10 premiere colleges in the capital where thousands pledged support to Save the Children's campaign demanding an increase in the health budget to 5% of the GDP. The weeks of action across several states culminated in Delhi this Friday showcasing the campaign action: from Shabana Azmi joining Save the Children's call asking government to up the health budget to Lushin Dubey's powerful solo play on the issue, youth engagement, to communities and public action including signature campaign, health workers convention across villages and cities all demanding better healthcare for India's children.

To give the mass action a wider visibility among the public and media in the capital, Save the Children showcased people's support on a huge screen, 60 feet by 50 feet, mounted at the Statesman House a landmark building in the centre of the city. Music bands and theatre groups from colleges came up with acts to mark the evening of celebration joining in support of the cause.

This stunt was a first by an NGO in India and provided huge public visibility for the issue. It helped establish a link between Save the Children ongoing online campaign with offline activities. The combined action reached 6000 young people at colleges and nearly 3 lakh people who were exposed to the 'spectacular' Stunt.

The campaign reached several states including Delhi, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

'No Child Born to Die' is Save the Children's campaign to build a people's movement and mass support so that children dying due to easily preventable causes - pneumonia and diarrhoea - is no longer acceptable. India has the highest number of children dying anywhere in the world. We lose 1.73 million children every year in our country.

Earlier this week Shabana Azmi, Save the Children's campaign ambassador said, "The issue of maternal and child health must become a political agenda. Every political party ought to include health of mothers and children in their party manifesto. Human development index must become a yardstick to assess the real growth of the nation and society," She was addressing the press at the launch of the Save the Children newest online campaign to influence the budget.

Kunal Kapoor actor and Campaign ambassador said "It is indeed shocking that children in our country are still dying due to easily preventable illnesses. There's no time to waste. We know the solutions. We have the means to do it. Every one of us has a part to play. Let us together build a movement for change."

Through the campaign 'No Child Born to Die' Save the Children is urging citizens to get actively involved and demand the right to healthcare for children who are excluded and marginalized. Members of the public can showcase their support by signing up at the web portal (www.savethechildren.in) which is also a gateway to information about the issue.

Save the Children is world's leading, independent child rights organisation present in 120 countries across the world. In India, our work spans across 12 states. Our core areas of work include Child Survival, Inclusive Education, Child Protection and responding to emergencies for immediate and lasting change in the lives of children.

No Child Born to Die is a part of both national and global campaign currently running in more that 50 countries that aims to reduce child mortality and help accelerate progress on UN Millennium Development Goal 4 i.e. reduce under five mortality by two thirds by 2015.

To view the photographs, please click on the links given below;

Wall of Fame 1: A panoramic view of Save the Children's Wall of Fame at Statesman House in New Delhi

Wall of Fame 4: Music bands performed to mark the celebration of the support joining Save the Children's cause
For picture(s)/data to illustrate this release click below:

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Rumjhum Gupta, 20:20 MSL, +91 9871749492, rumjhum.gupta@2020msl.com
Madhurjya Kotoky, 20:20 MSL, +91 9873609144, madhur.kotoky@2020msl.com

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, SOCIAL, HEALTHCARE, HEALTHCARE

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