Aryf MOUDACHIROU

Message

JOINT STATEMENT ON U.S. FUNDING FOR GLOBAL CHILD SURVIVAL AND MATERNAL HEALTH

Dear [Decision Maker],

As executives of U.S.-based nonprofit organizations that work in
child survival and development, we are writing to urge you to support and defend
global child survival and maternal health funding. This is essential funding
that saves and improves children's lives.

Reducing the federal debt is in
our nation's best interest. Yet proposed cuts to life-saving global health
programs are excessive. We ask you to oppose cuts to critical child health
programs.

U.S. federal funding for global health makes up less than
one-half of one percent of the total federal budget. Yet for people in poor
countries who benefit from U.S. health programs, funding cuts could mean
children go without polio and measles vaccines; babies forego nutritious
supplements that keep them alive in humanitarian disasters; mothers deliver
their newborns without the assistance of skilled health workers; and children
die from diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia because they lack access to low-cost
treatment that could save their lives.

Our organizations receive private
support from millions of Americans. They believe, as we do, that efforts by our
organizations and the United States Government to save the lives of children and
help families reflect America's deepest values, and support America's strongest
interests. They understand that health is a foundation for peace, security, and
development: where families lack basic health services, children suffer,
breadwinners die, and communities unravel.

With support from the U.S.
Agency for International Development, in particular its Child Survival and
Maternal Health account, and from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, our organizations work with host country partners to make a huge
difference for children around the world:

- The Rotary Foundation's
partnership with the U.S. Government, UNICEF, and other organizations has led
the world to the brink of eliminating polio;

- The American Red Cross and
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control led the international Measles Initiative,
that cut measles deaths worldwide by 78 percent between 2000 and 2008;

-
Kiwanis International's campaign to eliminate iodine deficiency helped implement
salt iodization programs in 89 countries with support from the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), which will protect 80 million children this
year alone from mental retardation;

- World Vision combines private
funding from more than one million donors with U.S. Government programs to
implement child-focused humanitarian, health, and nutrition programs in nearly
100 countries around the world;

- Save the Children implements both
privately and publicly funded programs in 120 countries to guarantee child
survival, protection, and development.

We know that our joint investments
in high-impact health and nutrition interventions save lives and transform
entire communities. According to UNICEF, the world has seen child mortality
rates drop by a third since 1990. That is an amazing accomplishment but we are
far from meeting our goals. Every year, more than 8 million children under five
perish from preventable causes.

We believe it is imperative that the
United States maintain its commitment to supporting humanitarian and development
programs, and continue the progress that we are making in improving the health
of mothers and children globally. We are committed to working with you to
support global child survival and maternal health accounts, and to maintain the
critical public-private partnership that saves lives every day.

Caryl M.
Stern
President/CEO
United States Fund for UNICEF

Richard
Stern
President/CEO
World Vision USA

David Meltzer
Senior Vice
President for International Services
American Red Cross

Charles
MacCormack
President/CEO
Save the Children USA

and
Mohamed MOUDACHIROU

1427 Grandview ave # 13

Papillion, NE 68046