FIRST INSTALLMENT
OF $255,648 FOR
THE CHILDREN OF JAMAICA
Dear Fellow Kiwanians,
I am pleased to announce that as of November 30, 2010 the Kiwanians of E.C. and C. have raised $538,707 in cash and pledges for our District Children’s Project in partnership with UNICEF.
Our contribution to date of $145,824.00 for programming in Guyana is helping to provide crucial support towards the national Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Program (PMTCT.)
UNICEF has utilized our funds towards a range of activities that are currently benefiting hundreds of children throughout several regions of the country. This includes the establishment of PMTCT sites in hinterland communities, mobile outreach to remote communities, and support to strengthen the Ministry of Health’s national PMTCT activities.
UNICEF has advised us that it is now time to move on - move on to Jamaica to support the children there who desperately need our help.
I am pleased to advise that on November 2, 2010 the Kiwanis Foundation of Canada forwarded $255,648 in District Project funds as the first installment of our $399,000 commitment to the children of Jamaica. .
Once our obligation is honoured in Jamaica, we will then move on to help the Children of Trinidad and Tobago.
In order to keep our promises however, we must complete the job by putting further plans in place to reach our $1,000,000 goal. We must ensure that pledges previously made by clubs are honoured and we must encourage those clubs that have yet to make a contribution, to do so as quickly as possible.
We will keep the promise we all made. We will change the world one child and one community at a time. We will finish the job.
Thank you for all that you have done and thank you for all that you will do to keep our promise.
Yours in Kiwanis,
Governor Paul
Why do the Children of Jamaica Need our Help?
With a population of over 2.6 million, 37% of which are children, Jamaica is experiencing ageneralized HIV epidemic. The estimated HIV prevalence rate is currently 1.5 to 2%. While all the parishes of the country are affected by the epidemic, the island’s most urbanized parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew and St. James, have consistently recorded the highest number of AIDS cases at 737 cases per 100,000 persons. Tourism, which is the island’s main source of income, is believed to be a significant contributing factor.
The good news is that in 2006, the rate of transmission of HIV from a mother living with HIV to her child was 10% compared to 25% in 2002. This was at a time prior to the introduction of services to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child.
By 2007, the HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women had been reduced to 1.6% and it has remained in the 1.5 to 2% range for the past several years.
In 2008, the National HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Programme reported that 90% of pregnant women who accessed antenatal care in public health facilities received voluntary confidential counselling and testing for HIV. Of those who tested positive, 84% received anti-retroviral (ARV) medication for the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. Among the HIV exposed babies born in the public sector, 98% received ARV medication to further guard against HIV transmission from their mothers.
In 2008, Jamaica’s rate of mother to child transmission of HIV fell below 5%. When compared to the mother to child transmission baseline of 25% established in 2003, prior to the advent of the PMTCT programme, the difference is significant. However, efforts must now be accelerated achieve the ultimate goal of reducing transmission to under 2%.
Many challenges still exist in delivering services to children like our Kayla and their mothers. The Government of Jamaica has been working to reduce its heavy debt burden and navigate through the global economic crisis. This process has negatively affected the health system’s ability to deliver PMTCT services to HIV positive pregnant women, their children and partners and threatens to see a reversal in the progress made to date. The contributions of The Eastern Canada and Caribbean District of Kiwanis International will help to support this critical situation.
BECOME a Champion for Children
A very special District Project announcement was made at the Saint John convention this past August. Past Governor Chuck McIlravey and Past Lieutenant Governor Kim Conrad presented the details of the new “Champions for Children” program to recognize individuals who donate $500 or more to the District Children’s Project.
You are invited to join the many generous Kiwanians of our District who have already made their own personal donation to our District Project.
Champion donors will receive the coveted and stylish “Champions for Children” ball cap!
Cheques should be made payable to:
Kiwanis Foundation of Canada,
P O Box 5034, Brantford ON N3T 6J7
IMPORTANT REMINDER TO ALL CLUBS
When submitting a donation for the District Children’s Project to the Kiwanis Foundation of Canada, please be sure that you mark the donation DISTRICT CHILDREN’S PROJECT. Without this note of direction, the Kiwanis Foundation of Canada will assume it is a donation being made to their general fund.
Merry Christmas
from the District Children’s Project Committee!
