What are the health issues facing children?
About one in ten Sudanese children dies before the age of five. Malaria, acute respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases kill more than 100,000 children annually. Conditions for women and children are dire in Southern Sudan. The region’s maternal mortality rate is estimated to be about three times as high as in the rest of the country. More than 20 million people lack access to sanitation; 17 million have no source of safe drinking water. Thousands of children who were once recruited as soldiers or were otherwise associated with armed groups now need assistance in reintegrating with society. More than 2 million people rely on food assistance. Less than 1 per cent of households use iodized salt, contributing to a goiter rate of 22 per cent.
