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House of Representatives, Quezon City, Philippines. 31 July 2012— World Vision Development Foundation,

Inc. launched the Child Health Now (CHN) Campaign at the House of Representatives here to

call on policymakers and administrators to prioritize the improvement of support systems that

will help reduce preventable child deaths.

World Vision Executive Director Elnora Bailen-Avarientos mentioned that the Child Health Now Campaign

in the Philippines ―draws upon multi-sectoral partnerships to influence policies, programming, and implementation of

health initiatives that prioritize maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition (MNCHN).‖

Avarientos adds that the campaign ―calls on the national government to increase the budget allocation

especially for child health, and similarly asks congressmen of the Child Health Now pilot sites to allot 10 percent of

their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to programs, projects, and advocacy work that support and

invest on child health.‖

It is a paramount concern of the campaign to pursue and strengthen participatory budgeting process, as well

as development planning for child health support at the national and local levels. Child Health Now Campaign further

calls on Local Government Units, initially in its six project sites, to prioritize and include programs and projects on

maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition in their Local Development Plan and Budget.

In response to the call of the Child Health Now Campaign here in the Philippines, two members of the

House of Representatives and the CHN celebrity ambassador vowed their support to World Vision’s campaign

stance for the promotion of child health.

Congressman Anthony Rolando T. Golez, Jr. of the Lone District of Bacolod and Vice Chair of the House

Committee on Health notes the ―commitment of World Vision to bring to public attention the rights and needs of

one of the vulnerable sectors of our society– our Filipino children and their rights to health.‖

Golez also briefly discussed the various health bills which his committee pushed, including those that tackled

expanded immunization and breastfeeding support, and assured World Vision that the Committee is a partner in its

child health advocacy.

Continued on page 2

POLICYMAKERS urged to

support measures to

reduce child deaths

Child Health Now Campaign

Calebrity Ambassador Chris-

tine Bersola-Babao shared her

advocacy on breastfeeding

and child health (left photo);

House Health Committee

Vice Chair and Bacolod City

Representative Anthony Go-

lez (left-most, right photo)

enters the launching cere-

mony venue and greets

WVDF Board of Trustees

Chair Liwayway Vinzons-

Chato (right-most) and Ex-

ecutive Director Elnora Bailen

-Avarientos (center).

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WVDF Executive Director Elnora Bailen-Avarientos

(left photo) is interviewed by a major television

network at the photo gallery put up for the CHN

launch. This footage was then shown the following

day on the morning show where CHN Ambassador

Christine Bersola-Babao (below) is a regular host.

Ms Bersola on the other hand, talked of her advo-

cacy on breastfeeding and motherhood, as well as

her commitment to advocate for child health

through the CHN campaign.

Child Health Now Celebrity

Ambassador Christine Bersola-Babao have put a

face to the advocacy for mothers and children,

notably on the importance of breastfeeding.

Babao extensively shared her

experience as a mother and her concern that

―no kid must be underfed, undernourished or

malnourished– if only the Filipino is taught well

the wisdom of proper nutrition.‖

Babao added that she was touched with

an AVP about child deaths that World Vision

showed her when she visited the National Office, which made her realize that as a celebrity, there was something she

can do to save children’s lives.

In 2009, UNICEF reported that nearly nine million children died each year, equivalent to one child dying

every three seconds, before their fifth birthday, and majority of these deaths are due to preventable causes.

Philippine figures from the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey puts child mortality rate to 34 out

of 1,000 children born or children under five years who die of easily preventable causes like pneumonia, diarrhea,

malnutrition and lack of access to quality health care.

Many of these conditions are preventable either with affordable technologies such as immunization and early

antimicrobial treatment, or with access to better health care and nutrition.

Department of Health’s Dr. Honorata Catibog said

that maternal deaths have also increased from 162 to

221 per 100,000 live births between 2006 and 2010

according to the 2011 Family Health Survey. This

means that an estimated 11 women die each day

from highly preventable complications arising from

pregnancy and childbirth.

The global campaign launch in 2010 signaled the

organization’s five-year commitment as part of its

contribution to the attainment of Millennium

Development Goal (MDG) 4, to reduce by two-thirds

the mortality rate among children under five, and

MDG 5, which aims to reduce by three quarters the

maternal mortality ratio.

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House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo R. Tanada

III (left photo) supported World Vision in

holding the Child Health Now Launch in

Congress on July 31, 2012. Apart from

the two congressmen who represented

policymakers, the Department of Health,

other child-focused NGOs, local govern-

ment unit, media, and staff of health and

child-related house committees, as well as

World Vision officials and staff attended

the launching ceremony, followed by a

ribbon cutting ceremony of the photo and

painting gallery at the North Wing Lobby

of the House of Representatives.