S.C.F. project in Bangladesh

Press, 11 June 1977, Page 8

S.C.F. project in Bangladesh

The plight of children in Bangladesh has become a special concern of the North Canterbury branch of the Save the Children Fund. It already supports three out of 40 beds in the John Hopkins Research unit’s hospital, which provides intensive care for malnourished children in Dacca.

The branch is now launch-n ing a membership drive so[< that it can support more'l beds by asking all members (1 to contribute $2 a year. i Bangladesh is one of the]: poorest countries in the ' i world; its total gross national |j product is equivalent to the 11 amount spent by the British' [public on alcohol in one ) ■month, according to the < director-general of the Save 1 [the Children Fund in London, ] i Mr John Cumber. ‘ The population of Bangla-ji I desh is about 75M. I< ■ In Dacca, the capital of: i Bangladesh, thousands of I: (citizens die daily, mainly of! (malnutrition, he said in a 1 I statement released after a] visit to Bangladesh. About] 40 per cent of those are; children. “To see the absolute de-1

pravity and horror to which children can be reduced, a trip to Dacca is the answer,” he said. “Most of the children die of simple, preventable diseases, such as measles, whooping cough, pneumonia and tuberculosis,” he said. The international S.C.F. nutrition unit feeds 5000 children two meals a day in Dacca. It treats 350 outpatients a day and maintains 40 beds for severelymalnourished and very sick children. The John Hopkins (Research Unit is also making (a study of malnutrition, pre- ■ ventive medicine and education. “It costs so very little to {save the life of a child,” Mrs .Betty Pearson, publicity ! officer of the branch, said I yesterday.

> A measles vaccine for one i child in Bangladesh costs 53 ’ cents; a triple antigent ■ against diphtheria, tetanus ■ and whooping cough costs 46 > cents; an injection to protect , a child from tuberculosis ’ j costs 66 cents and a smallpox vaccination costs 37 .‘cents. ) “Surely members of the i; public can afford $2 a year to ■(help these, children,” she ; added. ■i The money given to the : S.C.F. is all used for the; > purpose specified, as the ; organisation is entirely] • voluntary, she said. “The branch supports; ; many other projects through>lout the world both long-term >; and emergency situations H brought about by such crises] ijas earthquakes and floods,”; (Mrs Pearson said.