Student Campaign for Child Survival

The Student Campaign for Child Survival (SCCS), a project of Global Justice, is a national organization that brings students together to support the improvement of children's well-being in the developing world. With local chapters in 20 states, SCCS has become a growing sign of hope for the world's children and mothers in the establishing justice. Each chapter, led and run by college students, works hard on campus to raise awareness of global issues through advocacy, education and publicity. Additionally, the chapters work towards increasing funding for global children's programs in the national budget. In just over one year of existence, SCCS has accomplished major strides: they have written over 1,000 letters to congressmen about child survival, convinced 4 congressmen to write letters in support of the $100 million increase in child survival funding, published dozens of articles relating to global children's health, formed partnerships with U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Global Health Council, and Save the Children, and held two national conferences.

"Students are the missing ingredient in the global child survival effort. Through the Student Campaign for Child Survival, the talent, intelligence, and energy of students now is mobilized to generate the political will needed to make children a priority in international assistance and development."
-Chip Lyons, President of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Facts About Child Survival Facts About Child Survival

• 11 million children under the age of five die annually in the world. Ten million of these children live in developing countries.
• 96% of childhood deaths are preventable (WHO).
• 50% of childhood deaths are related to malnutrition (US Coalition for Child Survival).
• There are an estimated 250 million children, between the ages of 5 and 14, who are working…Half of them are working full-time (International Labor Organization).
• 125 million primary-school aged children are not in school; most of them are girls (Free The Children).
• The commercial sexual exploitation of children is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar industry, drawing in over 1 million children each year worldwide (Free The Children).
• The US only spends about 0.1% of its GNP on development assistance that would aid children, less than any other developed country per capita.
• The World Bank estimates that an annual increase in foreign aid of $8 per American could save 8 million lives per year, many of them children's lives.

It is statistics like these that motivate students to get involved in the cause for child health improvement. "As students, we are in a unique position to mobilize on college campuses and educate those around us. If we wish to create a healthier and safer world for generations to come then we must bare the responsibility of speaking up for those who do not have the opportunity to speak for themselves."

In just a short time, SCCS has made some remarkable progress in working toward more just situations for millions of children around the world. Chapters all over the country are working hard on their own initiatives and projects that are inspired by the SCCS mission. Each chapter of the SCCS plans and executes events that help educate, advocate and eliminate child deaths.

 

• The Georgetown Chapter—the SCCS chapter held a World Children's Day Discussion Dinner. Presentations were given by USAID, UNA-USA and InterAction and followed by discussion and debate among students and local residents. You can read the article featured in the Georgetown school newspaper, The Hoya.
• The Harvard Chapter—Students from that Harvard chapter met with Representative Jim Kolbe, who promised he would get the House requested $54.5 million in child survival funding over the Senate's smaller request. Additionally, the students men with Senator Kerry and Representative Capuano and requested that they write the Appropriations Committee to support the $54.5 million budget for child aid.
• The University of Illinois Chapter—These hard working students worked on Project Nepal, their own Global/local project.  They hoped to raise enough money to build a school and library in a village in rural Nepal. In addition to the school and library, they also focused on raising money to fund an education for young girls who do not usually get to attend school. The students are working towards a long-term bond with the village in Nepal. The SCCS chapter at U of I will continually work with this project for years to come. You can learn more about this project or help the students of U of I by visiting their web site.