Are You An “Action” Hero?

By Tara Fisher, Save the Children What is a call to action?  These days, that phrase seems to be used just as much by people on the street as it used to be by politicos, activists and advertisers.  Every day, people are encouraged to write, share, call, or donate.  So has it lost its meaning? USAID doesn’t think so and neither do we.  Sure, it may feel like a buzzword to some folks but in the right context, with the right message, delivered by the right group of people, it can be totally empowering. When USAID announced that they, alongside the governments of India and Ethiopia, were going to host an event focused on a Child Survival Call to Action, it gave some of us goose bumps.  Governments were not only rallying around the subject of child survival, they were gathering to discuss the various political and technical issues that contribute to the problem of under-5 mortality and the variety of solutions. For years, Save the Children, along with other members of the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, has been collecting evidence on the effectiveness of frontline health workers in contributing to increased health and survival of children under age 5 around the world.  As the tracking of the Millennium Development Goals has shown, countries which are able to implement strategic plans around the development and support of human resources for health are able to drastically reduce child mortality in some of the hardest to reach places.  In Bangladesh, for example, increased training and support for frontline health workers has proved crucial in helping that country reduce their child mortality rate by at least half and remain on track for achieving MDG 4. More importantly, evidence suggests that the world will ONLY be able to end preventable child deaths if governments commit to eliminating the biggest threats to children – newborn complications, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and malnutrition. It is obvious to people inside of the global development arena that frontline health workers are the key to delivering the education and interventions needed to eliminate these threats – and what’s encouraging about the Child Survival Call to Action is that it’s becoming obvious to governments too. So there are a couple calls to action at play here.  One – governments need to make child survival a priority and allocate the investments needed to make ending preventable child deaths a reality, including substantial investments in training and support for frontline health workers.   Two – the public needs to urge governments to commit to, and hold them accountable for, training and supporting frontline health workers to expand access to health care for children and families around the world. So here’s my call to action to you.  Take a moment to visit Save the Children’s Child Survival petition and show your support for the millions of existing health workers who are saving children’s lives and help put more of them on the frontlines. Written by: Tara Fisher, Director of Campaign Strategy for Save the Children’s Newborn and Child Survival campaign. Save the Children is a member of the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, a dynamic and influential coalition of 25+ NGOs working together to urge greater and more strategic U.S. investment in frontline health workers in the developing world as the most cost-effective way to save lives and foster a healthier, safer and more prosperous world.