The following opinion pieces address child survival and “Acting on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths,” a meeting taking place today in Washington, D.C., to mark the two-year anniversary of the “Child Survival Call to Action” and the launch of “Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed” — a global effort to accelerate declines in preventable newborn, child, and maternal deaths.

The Hill: Bipartisanship saves lives
Former Sens. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Bill Frist (R-Tenn.)

“…[T]his week, businesses, NGO, faith, civic, and philanthropic leaders are increasing their own investments, coming together to affirm their commitments of more than $2 billion of private resources to invest in ensuring children survive and thrive beyond their fifth birthday. The world knows what works to increase child survival rates, and we can do this. But doing it will require continue bipartisan cooperation and the energetic grassroots efforts that made the last 25 years of progress possible” (6/24).

Huffington Post: Preventing Malnutrition, One Child at a Time
Nan Dale, CEO of Action Against Hunger | ACF International

“…Often, it’s basic information and instruction that make the biggest difference between whether a child will become malnourished, or thrive and grow up healthy. … Because whether we’re showing one father how to best care for his daughter, or strengthening a whole community’s resistance to malnutrition, we’re helping more children reach their second birthday and beyond” (6/24).

Huffington Post: The Strive for Five: In Support of Maintaining Foreign Assistance to Help Children Survive and Thrive
Anne Goddard, president and CEO of ChildFund International

“…Thanks to the support of the American people, the U.S. government has been able to make huge investments in child survival, joining with other governments — including those in developing countries — in a global effort to reduce child mortality rates. … While the United States has taken a leading role in helping children living in poverty reach their fifth birthdays, a sustained commitment to foreign assistance is needed to ensure that we continue to move in the right direction…” (6/24).