Family Planning for Healthy Children: Every Child Deserves a 5th Birthday
May 23, 2012
More than 7 million children will die this year before they reach the age of five, mostly from preventable causes. The Every Child Deserves a 5th Birthday campaign, led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), brings attention to these 7 million children and the progress toward ending preventable child deaths. This week of the campaign focuses on the importance of family planning, as the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT works to ensure that families receive the products they need to have safe, timely pregnancies and healthy babies.
In 2011, the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT shipped over 1 billion male condoms, 78 million oral contraceptives, and 11 million female condoms—among other contraceptive methods—to support family planning programs. The total number of contraceptives shipped in just one year translates to nearly 14 million unintended pregnancies potentially averted—meaning fewer pregnancy-related and infant deaths. Access to contraceptives empowers couples to make important decisions about the timing and spacing of their children. By choosing the healthiest times to bear children, mothers can give themselves and their children a better chance to live long, healthy lives.
Read a brief on how contraceptive security indicators can improve family planning programs.
