Village project a success in curbing child deaths

Villages taking part in a project aimed at helping Kenya achieve Millennium Development Goals on Tuesday reported a decline in the number of child deaths.

According to a new report published in medical journal The Lancet, the child mortality reduction in the Millennium Villages shows an improvement in health indicators.

Integrated approach

It says the death of children below five years declined faster than the national rural trend.

“Mortality among children under five has dropped 22 per cent in just three years, and 32 per cent compared to villages not participating in the programme.”

The improvement was attributed to the integrated approach to rural development adopted in the areas participating in the project that seeks to hasten achievement of MDGs.

The report says the progress is important in the achievement of MDG number four, which calls for the reduction of child mortality by 2015.

Continued progress will be vital to achieve the MDGs, the report adds.

Sauri in Siaya District, Nyanza Province, is one of the Millennium Villages that participated in the study.

Other participating countries include Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria and Mali.