Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 25: The global partnership between RB and ‘Save the Children’ today launched a unique and ground-breaking programme to help eradicate child deaths from diarrhoea in India.
The innovative and sustainable ‘Stop Diarrhoea’ programme launched by ‘Save the Children’ in India, Pakistan and Nigeria is aimed at preventing, controlling and treating the killer disease.
Funded by RB, the ‘Stop Diarrhoea’ programme will for the first time fully implement the World Health Organisation and UNICEF 7-point plan to ensure comprehensive diarrhoea control. The partnership also unveiled two innovative new hygiene and sanitation products by RB (formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser) alongside the programme.
Each year 567,000 children under-five die needlessly from diarrhoea around the world, equivalent to 64 children every hour. In India 123, 668 children alone die every year due to the illness, the highest death rate in the world and it is estimated that 48% of Indian children below the age of five years are stunted, with diarrhoea being one of the main causes.
In an ambitious drive to help end this, ‘Save the Children’ and RB have committed to work with the Indian Government and other partners to implement the 7-point plan.
Thomas Chandy, Chief Executive of Save the Children India said, “Save the Children is delighted to continue its work with RB India. The partnership aims to develop and sustain hygiene behaviours in Indian communities, will which help reduce the devastating number of children dying each year in India due to diarrhoea.”
Nitish Kapoor, Chief Executive of RB India said, “We believe that together RB and Save the Children can make a critical step towards a better understanding of water, hygiene and sanitation, which in turn will help reduce the number of children dying from diarrhoea in India.”
Justin Forsyth, Chief Executive of Save the Children UK said, “This ground breaking innovative partnership between Save the Children and RB will harness the research and expertise of RB with Save the Children’s on the ground experience to stop children dying of diarrhoea.”
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