By Athman Amran
The United Nations Children Fund ( Unicef) will continue to support Kenya to reduce child mortality rate to less than 20 per 1,000 births by 2015.
At the same time Unicef Kenya representative Kanyankore Marcel Rudasingwa commended the Government for reducing infant mortality rate by half over a five-year period.
Mr Rudasingwa said Unicef would continue to support programmes that focus on the health of the mother and the child.
“A safe environment for delivery for mothers contributes to the safety not only for mothers, but also for children,” he said
Unicef will be reaching out to the community to ensure they access services and interventions that would reduce infant mortality and deaths of mothers during childbirth.
“We will work hard to ensure service delivery to the people who require it,” he said, adding that the aim is to reach out to youth and the elderly and see how Unicef can contribute to the Millennium Development Goals.
Speaking when he visited the Standard Group Centre, Nairobi, on Thursday, Rudasingwa said Unicef will also seek ways to create awareness and bridge disparities between different communities and groups.
Standard Group Chief Operating Officer Sarvjeet Channa, Executive Director Value and Innovation Francis Munywoki, Assistant Director and Group Chief Editor John Bundotich, and Deputy Chief Editor Katua Nzile were present.
prevent malaria
Rudasingwa said some of the interventions to lower the mortality rate are use of mosquito nets to prevent malaria for mothers and children, provision of clean water, clean environment, education and vaccinations. The official stressed the importance of education, especially for girls, who would grow up to be mothers and increasing access to health services.
According to the latest World Bank survey, Kenya is among African countries that have seen a sharp decline in child mortality rates.
