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320 children die every day in Mozambique from preventable disease

MAPUTO, 28 February 2012 – Whilst health indicators in Mozambique have improved substantially over the years, child survival continues to be a key concern, with 320 children under 5 dying every day from preventable disease, according to the UNICEF Annual Report for 2012 released today. The report also highlights improvement in enrolment and dropout rates, progress which contrasts with the lagging quality of infrastructure and teaching-learning practices.

"As we enter the final stretch towards the Millennium Development Goals of 2015, continued support from our partners, international as well as national, is crucial if we are to maintain the good momentum we have achieved so far," says UNICEF Representative Jesper Morch.

In 2012, UNICEF played a key role in coordinating a United Nations strategy for engaging the Government toward long term sustainable management of its extractive industries, focusing on children and equity through a dual policy of minimising social harm and maximising social investments. Mozambique's vast natural resources represent one of the most important development opportunities for the country today, and UNICEF is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that the wealth generated is equitably distributed and used.

Other UNICEF achievements for 2012 include 4 million children provided with a health intervention package during the national Child Health Week; 60,000 people reached with water, sanitation and hygiene emergency response in the wake of Cyclone Funso; 1.6 million children given life skills education, of whom 46.5 per cent were girls; close to one million people reached with Communication for Development interventions linked to the prevention of HIV, violence, and discrimination, and over 500,000 people received birth certificates, including approximately 475,000 children.

The UNICEF Mozambique Annual Report is now available in English in a web-based format. Downloadable PDF versions are also available for off-line reference.

For more information, please contact:

Patricia Nakell, UNICEF Mozambique
Tel: +258 82 312 1820; Email: pnakell@unicef.org

Gabriel Pereira, UNICEF Mozambique, tel. (+258) 21 481 100;
email: maputo@unicef.org