REFERRAL-versay

11.25.09

will mark the one-year anniversary of Micah's referral. The first day we saw his face. This will be a very special day...for the rest of our lives. This year we'll commemorate our one-year referral-versay by joining Compassion International's Child Survivor Program for Ethiopia:

Tragically, nearly 26,000 children under age 5 die every day, mostly from preventable diseases.

Child Survival Program
Care before and after birth

Since infant mortality is extremely high in some parts of the world, the first priority in promoting effective child development is to ensure that children survive the early years when they are most vulnerable to disease and malnutrition. That means educating the mother or primary caregiver, before and after her child is born, about providing critical care during the earliest years. They are provided education in these areas:

Growth Monitoring — steady growth is a good sign of adequate nutrition
Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) — restores fluids lost to diarrhea
Breast-feeding — promotes infant growth, facilitates bonding with the mother, and reduces incidence of illness
Immunization — an effective way to reduce or eliminate many diseases that cause childhood death and disability
Female Literacy — the mother's level of education is directly tied to child survival
Food — food or supplements fight off malnourishment
Family Planning — greater spacing between births allows the mother's body to be better prepared for the rigors of pregnancy and to provide greater attention to each child's needs
What's more, recent research in child development is clear: The first five years are a crucial period in the development of a child and this development directly affects the quality of adult life. Brain development is almost wholly completed by age 2 and malnutrition rates peak at around 24 months of age. This implies the need for early interventions concerning:

Health/nutrition
Fine/gross motor development
Cognitive stimulation
Socialization programs
Exposure to Christian teaching and the gospel
This research suggests that it is crucial for Compassion to affect the lives of younger children during this crucial two-year window of development. Our Child Survival Program works — and pays big dividends as a child grows older.