Millions of people living in developing countries face an anguishing dilemma: How can they protect the lives of their children if they don't have access to medical care? Most often they just live too far away from health facilities. Sometimes they do live within a day’s walk, but cannot afford to lose a day’s labor. Or maybe they simply don't recognize how sick their child is until it is too late, and a long walk carrying a dying child seems pointless.

Whatever the reasons, the consequences are tragic. Almost all of the 10.1 million deaths each year among children under age 5 occur in developing countries. More than half of these children could be saved through low-cost health solutions. The problem is making them available to families living in poor, remote communities.

Save the Children is bringing health care directly to those in need through its innovative, 5-year initiative called Community Case Management, which builds on our decades of experience providing health care to children in developing countries.

Watch video of a child who was saved through Community Case Management

We are combating the main threats to the lives of young children under the age of 5 — pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea, and newborn sepsis. These infections are not expensive to treat. An oral rehydration solution packet to treat diarrhea costs 14 cents. An antibiotic treatment for pneumonia costs 58 cents.

Watch video on oral rehydration therapy.

The challenge is making them available.

To address that challenge, we're training local health workers and educating families so health care can be part of their community, with links to local health facilities. Specifically, we're working in ten countries to:

• Train community health workers to diagnose and treat common childhood infections, using guides and check-lists and, in severe cases, to refer children for additional treatment if feasible.
• Educate families so they can recognize danger signs of illness, seek treatment promptly when children are sick and complete the recommended course of treatment.
• Work with our partners in the Ministry of Health in each country to support, supervise, and supply community health workers so they "own" this strategy.

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