Child Survival Technologies and Demographic Trends

Dr. Rasori talks about HopeCore’s Child Survival Technologies at a Global Medicine Seminar this past weekend.

“How we improve the health of the child maternal unit today - will give us huge benefits for the years to come” Dr. Rasori, HopeCore Medical Director shared at a Global Medicine Conference this past weekend in Ashland, Oregon.

Dr. Rasori was giving a 1-hour lecture on Advances in Global Health in the 21st Century. While mentioning technological advances, such as telecommunication and smartphones, Dr. Rasori continued to place importance on the basic principles of child-maternal health in achieving improved outcomes. 

This lecture by Dr. Rasori was timely considering that today, May 15th, is the International Day of Families, with a theme on “Demographic Trends and Families”. Demographic trends are significantly important to address when discussing the health challenges in Africa. Projections indicate that by 2050, around 40 percent of all births, and about 40% of all children, will be in Africa, up from about 10% in 1950 (UNICEF)

Demographic changes are among the most crucial megatrends affecting families across the globe. These trends, primarily driven by shifts in fertility and mortality rates, have profound implications for the daily lives and futures of families everywhere, particularly in areas such as rural Kenya. Dr. Rasori shared that to effectively take care of this younger population that will be exploding over the next 3 decades, we need to “front load” our interventions, focusing on the health of mothers and their children. Emphasizing fertility rates and the health of mothers has notable benefits. With fewer children per family, parents are often able to invest more in each child’s health and education. This investment is crucial, contributing significantly to poverty reduction and socio-economic development. Moreover, lower fertility rates have been linked to increased labor participation among women, enhancing economic stability and promoting gender equality.

Additionally, the World Health Organization reports that 2/3rds of childhood deaths could be prevented by using simple and affordable interventions. These interventions are critical and are called “Child Survival Technologies” in our HopeCore program, a term Dr. Rasori initiated several years ago. 

These Child Survival Technologies are basic health interventions for children and their mothers including vitamin A supplementation, deworming, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, breastfeeding, family planning, oral rehydration therapy, basic antibiotics, and immunizations. 

Every day, HopeCore delivers these critical Child Survival Technologies to our public health services. To learn more about our programs click here.

Your support and involvement are crucial as we advocate for and implement solutions that nurture the health, education, and economic stability of families in our communities. Let's unite in our efforts to ensure that every family, regardless of size or structure, can look forward to a prosperous future.