Two-year Grant Will Help Expand Programs in Water and Sanitation, Childhood Nutrition and Education

WESTPORT, Conn. (July 7, 2009) — Save the Children today announced it will receive a two-year grant from the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nehayan Foundation to improve the health, nutrition and education of Afghan children living in extreme poverty. 

Save the Children promotes proper hygiene to reduce disease and malnutrition among young children.

In Afghanistan, almost 1-in-5 children dies before age 5, almost half the children are malnourished and only 10 percent of rural women are literate. To address these grim indicators and the obstacles to sustainable development they represent, the Foundation will support Save the Children in expanding programming in water and sanitation, childhood nutrition and education. 

"Afghan children face some of the most difficult circumstances on earth, but hygiene, nutrition and education can save lives and open doors," said Mohamed Haji Al Khoori, executive director of the Foundation. "When children have the opportunity to grow up strong, healthy and educated, they can transform their society. The children of Afghanistan deserve this opportunity now."

Access to clean water and hygienic practices are critical to preventing diseases that can be fatal for children. The Foundation grant will fund construction of wells, hand-washing stations and latrines, and ongoing education to support them.

Recent drought and rising food prices have exacerbated high rates of malnutrition in Afghanistan. Foundation support will allow Save the Children to greatly expand proven community-based initiatives to treat and prevent child malnutrition in Afghanistan. 

Helping to Rewrite the Future for Children in Afghanistan

Save the Children, as part of its Rewrite the Future campaign, has already improved the quality of education for more than 2.5 million Afghan children since 2005. Yet nearly 2 million children are still out of school in Afghanistan and 66 percent of those children are girls. The Khalifa Foundation will fund Save the Children programs to continue to improve education in Afghanistan. The agency will also increase the number of women teachers so that more girls can attend school. 

"The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nehayan Foundation is making a great investment in the children and the future of Afghanistan," said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children. "By reaching more children with proven interventions and strategic programming, we will save lives, reduce suffering and support the Afghan people in their quest for lasting development."

Additional Resources

Learn more about Save the Children's Afghanistan programs.

Learn more about the Rewrite the Future campaign.

The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation was established in Abu Dhabi in 2007 by the president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The foundation is an independent entity dedicated to delivering aid and services to the poor and students in all parts of the world. Areas of focus include support for education, health and social service programs as well as the construction of schools, hospitals, and orphanages.

Save the Children is the leading independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 27 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.