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Clinton Global Initiative: PSI Commits to Improving the Health of Malagasy Children NEW YORK, NY, September 25, 2008 — Sally Cowal, PSI’s Senior Vice President and Chief Liaison Officer, joined former president Bill Clinton, world leaders and prominent CEOs at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting. The Meeting brings together a diverse group of the world’s most distinguished leaders from government, business, and civil society to examine today's most pressing global challenges and transform that awareness into tangible action. During a session with leaders from 13 other prominent NGOs and companies, Cowal committed PSI to improving the health of half a million children in Madagascar through the provision of integrated health packages over the next four years. PSI and its partners will provide the tools to combat and treat malaria and diarrhea and ultimately save young lives on the Red Island. This is an important effort as over 75% of people in Madagascar lack access to potable water, which puts them at significant risk of diarrheal diseases, including cholera. The leading causes of mortality among children under five in Madagascar are diarrheal disease with severe dehydration (19%) and severe malaria (29%). In order to protect children under five from these life-threatening diseases, PSI has developed an integrated health care package that equips community health workers and community-based distributors with pre-packaged prevention and treatment products for malaria and diarrheal disease as well as communication tools to offer quality care to children under five. The health care package includes:
The elements of this integrated health care package will be offered to caregivers and children by community health workers and community-based distributors. These people often work on foot so they are able to reach communities that are not accessible by road. This distribution system
ensures that PSI reaches the poorest communities most vulnerable
to diarrhea and malaria, providing income for the distributors and
health
workers who sell the highly-subsidized products with a small margin
that they keep as commission. The distributors are selected, trained
and supervised by their sponsoring NGO. Because of their placement
in rural communities and their local knowledge and experience, community-based
distributors are an excellent way to reach rural populations at risk.
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