I am the Research and Policy Adviser for Newborn and Child Survival in Save the Children's Advocacy Division. I am an economist but have also studied development and am very interested in how these two disciplines interact. My work looks at how global and national economic issues--growth, inequality and social protection--affect children in developing countries. Lately I have focussed on issues that affect child survival, particularly around the social determinants of access to healthcare and health outcomes. The view of an economist can be very dismal at times, but I am trying to influence policy changes that could bring about better outcomes for the poorest and most marginalised children (now that’s a positive thought!).
I flew to Ranchi which is the capital of Jharkhand state in the eastern part of the country which is rich in natural resources and mineral reserves, and economic activity is visible everywhere but health outcomes in Jharkhand are some of the worst in India
The recent momentum on tackling undernutrition is heartening. Indeed we have seen good improvement in some countries. Data from Rwanda’s 2010 DHS, which was finalised in the first quarter of this year, shows that the country has seen considerable progress in children’s nutrition.
Hunger in childhood has long and lasting consequences, for individuals and for their countries’ economies. Yet the solutions to malnutrition are well known. The world does not need a medical breakthrough to address the crisis of stunting; what we need are strong leadership and political will.
Driving around parts of Delhi gives one of the clearest impressions that India is a big booming economy. The expanded metro, hordes of cars in the road, busy shops and big houses all point to rising affluence. From one of the main roads, a quick turn into Sanjay Colony gives a view of very different world. There is no road to speak of, make-shift structures abound and a proper sanitation system is obviously absent.
The plot is simple. A 13-year old girl is asked by her father to collect water. On the way, she meets a man who offers her free water and food. This sounds too good to be true, and it is.
While child survival has tremendously improved in the past decades — the global under-five mortality rate has fallen by 32% between 1990 and 2009 — many children still live without the most basic healthcare services. Some 40 million children in 25 developing countries with high levels of child mortality are living in healthcare deserts.
The next head of the IMF must be appointed on merit through an open, transparent process, if we are to build on the lessons learnt from the recent economic crisis.
I recently attended the conference Social Protection for Social Justice at the Institute of Development Studies. The conference explored the potential of social protection to go beyond its usual goals of providing safety nets, and move to address broader concerns.
‘No child is born to die’ is the message Save the Children sends across the country today. This is a call to action. While there has been extraordinary progress in reducing child mortality worldwide, about 8.1 million children below five years still died in 2009. A disproportionate number of these children died of preventable and treatable diseases. Many live in ‘healthcare desert’…
It was rainy when I visited Abuja, the capital of Nigeria six months ago to do some research and data analysis for a report we were supporting. Now it’s warm and sunny. It’s not only the sun that’s reason to be happy about this visit though. I’m launching the revised edition of our report, “Saving newborn lives in Nigeria: newborn health in the context of Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Strategy”, with colleagues.