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Once again, Kiwanis is poised to make history—and change the
world for millions of women and children.

 

Our global campaign for children is called The Eliminate
Project: Kiwanis eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus. The goal is to save
and protect the lives of millions of mothers and newborns. In partnership with
UNICEF, Kiwanis will help eliminate MNT and pave the way for other
interventions that will boost maternal health and child survival. Hand-in-hand,
Kiwanis and UNICEF will again change the world.

Think of it this way: Sometimes, a mother’s touch requires a group effort.In
clubs, districts and as a worldwide family, what Kiwanians do through The
Eliminate Project will help protect babies from the clutches of a deadly,
painful disease—and keep them in their mothers’ embrace.Obviously,
it’s a major endeavor. It’s also the kind of thing we’ve done before.

During our first global campaign for children, the Kiwanis family raised awareness for
iodine deficiency disorders, the leading preventable cause of mental disability,
and nearly US$100 million for salt iodization, testing and monitoring, and
community outreach and education in developing nations. These funds are now at
work in more than 103 nations and about 80 million children in the developing
world will be born free of IDD this year.
This project has been hailed as one of the greatest public health triumphs
of the 20th century.

 

Now we have another opportunity to change the world. Each
year, thousands of mothers and newborns are needlessly dying from maternal and
neonatal tetanus. This horrifying but easily preventable disease kills one baby
every nine minutes. It targets the poorest, most underserved women and children
on Earth. But it can be eliminated.

The leading causes of maternal and neonatal tetanus deaths
are:

• lack of or limited access to immunization and
  pre and post-natal care services;
• limited or absent clean delivery services; and
• improper postpartum cord care.

 

Once the disease is contracted, the fatality rate can be as
high as 100 percent in underserved areas. The effects of the disease are
excruciating—tiny newborns suffer repeated, painful convulsions and extreme
sensitivity to light and touch.There are many reasons why Kiwanis chose to focus on
eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus.

 

Of course, it’s partly because MNT is a heart-wrenching,
preventable tragedy. But there’s also a proven action plan in place to
eliminate this disease. And the results are measurable.MNT has already been
eliminated in 20 countries. More attention is needed to achieve the goal of eliminating MNT in
countries where tetanus is a public health problem . Positioning itself as a
leader and global health advocate on this issue, Kiwanis has joined a select
group of leading organizations and global health organizations. Kiwanis will
help provide the last needed push to eliminate MNT from the 38 countries where
it remains a threat.  In addition, no other organization is paying significant
attention to MNT, thus allowing Kiwanis to be a leader and global health
advocate on this issue. Kiwanis will provide the last needed push to eliminate
MNT from the 38 countries where it remains a threat.

Maternal and neonatal tetanus is easily prevented by a series
of three vaccinations to women of childbearing age, costing roughly US$1.80. If
a woman is properly vaccinated with the tetanus vaccine, she will have immunity
through the majority of her childbearing years, passing on her protection to
her future children. Babies born to mothers who have been vaccinated will be
protected through the first two months of life.

Not only will The Eliminate Project protect women and babies
from tetanus, the project also will create a path for other services, such as
clean water, nutrition and other vaccines, to reach the world’s most vulnerable
people.

By choosing to serve them, we’re sending a loud signal:

• These women matter.
• They deserve to give birth to healthy babies.
• And their babies deserve the chance to achieve
  their full human potential.

 

Become a part of our most ambitious
project yet. Together,
we’ll accomplish what one cannot accomplish alone. Together, we’ll eliminate MNT.