With the G8 Summit taking place in Canada this month, the issue of child and maternal health is receiving renewed attention around the world and in the media. (Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said that child and maternal health will be a priority at the summit.)

This is good news to Ventura Mazula, World Vision’s national director in Mozambique, who speaks out about a top child killer in his country — malaria. Below, Mazula explains a bit about the malaria situation in Mozambique.

Mazula’s report

Life expectancy in Mozambique is now 40 or 41. It used to be 50 or 52. Malaria represents a major problem, and is the biggest killer. It’s still the major cause of death, especially for children.

Mozambique is the next target country in Operation Safety Net, our multi-year effort to distribute millions of anti-malarial bed nets throughout several African nations. 2010 Photo by Lucia Rodrigues/World Vision

Poverty, lack of education and lack of access to health care makes the population of Mozambique especially vulnerable. More than 50 percent of the people live in conditions of absolute poverty with an income of less than a dollar per day.

Children under age 5 are especially vulnerable because their bodies have not yet built up resistance to the malaria parasite. Malnutrition also makes children more vulnerable. The levels of malnutrition are still high and when the body is weak, it becomes vulnerable to any kind of disease, especially malaria that hits so hard and weakens the body.

In rural Mozambique, World Vision works to educate and protect families against malaria. World Vision trains mothers about proper nutrition and basic health care for their children.

World Vision also trains and equips health councils, made of community volunteers, to use drama and home visits to educate and sensitize communities to the risk, prevention, and treatment of malaria. In cooperation with the government, we are also building health centers in rural areas.

G8 Summit addresses maternal and child health issues

Poor child and maternal health is a leading health crisis around the world as it is in Mozambique. Each day, more than 24,000 children die of preventable causes — including malaria.

This month, President Obama will attend the G8 Summit with country leaders from seven other wealthy nations. The decision they make can save lives.

Take action

To keep these programs and life-saving interventions moving ahead, it is critical that we encourage our government leaders to increase the level of funding for health programs so that we meet the Millennium Development Goals and  put child and maternal health and nutrition services in the countries where they are most needed.

Send your own message to President Obama today. Ask him to take concrete steps to stop the preventable deaths of 8.8 million children.