Knit One to Save One Newborn Life

April 29, 2009

Could something as simple as knitting a cap help save a newborn's life? In many resource poor countries like Nepal, the answer is yes. Keeping a baby warm with a knitted cap is one of the simplest steps for saving lives.

Four million newborns, worldwide, die every year within their first month of life: half of them within the first 24 hours. Nepal has one of the highest neonatal mortality rates in the world at 33 deaths per 1,000 live births. Approximately 25,000 newborns die every year which accounts for 2 to 3 newborn deaths every hour. Neonatal mortality contributes to 54 percent of under-five mortality, making its reduction a key for reaching Nepal's Millennium Development Goal of reducing child mortality.

Knit One Save One Campaign, initiated by Save the Children, has brought together thousands of volunteer knitters from United States like students, teachers, and celebrities to knit cap for newborns in developing countries like Nepal to help reduce neonatal mortality. Save the Children has collected over 100,000 caps from these committed knitters of which 50,000 are being distributed in Nepal through child clubs, mothers' groups and female community health volunteers. The remaining is being distributed to 8 different counties in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Save the Children, in collaboration with United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Nepal) launched the Knit One Save One advocacy event in Nepal today (29 April 2009) to raise awareness that most newborn deaths are preventable, and to highlight that low- tech, evidence based, cost effective solutions to reduce neonatal mortality already exist. This event was also meant to garner government commitment and resources to further extend appropriate health care to mothers and newborns, and encourage the government to prioritize newborn health in national plans.

At the event, the US Ambassador to Nepal, Nancy J. Powell, remarked, The ongoing commitment and support of the Government of Nepal, donor communities, development organizations and media for maternal and child health is critically important. We know there is an inextricable link between investments in improving a society's health status and a nation's economic and social development.

Save the Children, the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Health and Population and partners are implementing a Community Based Newborn Care program in eight districts of the country with a goal to address the high neonatal mortality rate in the country.