Segment 1

VOICEOVER

New hope has arrived for the children of Afghanistan. An immunization campaign supported by UNICEF has been recently launched to reduce child mortality.

MARIAM [mother]

Vaccination is useful for children, it saves their lives.

VOICEOVER

Over 4 million children under five years of age will be inoculated against two preventable diseases: measles and tetanus. And over 4 million women of childbearing age will receive tetanus immunization. It is a complex campaign that will reach into remote and mountainous provinces, such Bamyan. Located in the central highlands, the scattered population has been displaced by decades of war. Bamyan has an alarmingly high infant mortality rate of 27 percent; 35,000 children die of measles every year on Afghanistan.

DR. FAIZULLAH KAKAL [Deputy Minister of Public Health, Afghanistan]

The overreaching objective of this campaign is of course to reduce child and infant mortality. And our objective is to increase the coverage of measles and also TT [tetanus].

VOICEOVER

Diseases such as measles and tetanus can be easily prevented. UNICEF and partners are supplying vaccinations, and training health workers to administer immunizations in village centers as well as in homes. This immunization campaign will ensure a healthier future for the women and children of Afghanistan. This is Nina Martinek reporting for UNICEF. Unite for children.