Academy for Educational Development

MEDIA ADVISORY New Book, “Opportunities for Africa’s Newborns,” Offers Ways to Save Newborn Lives in Africa

Launch and Discussion at AED Jan. 12

Washington, D.C., January 8, 2007 — Each year more than one million African babies die in their first month of life and another million babies are stillborn.

AED and Save the Children are hosting a panel discussion to launch Opportunities for Africa’s Newborns, a new book published by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health that addresses ways to save 800,000 newborn lives each year.

WHO: Moderator: John Donnelly, global health correspondent for The Boston Globe

Speakers:

• Dr. Doyin Oluwole, Project Director, Africa’s Health in 2010, AED
• Anne Tinker, Director of Saving Newborn Lives, Save the Children
• Peter Salama, Chief of Immunization & Child Survival, UNICEF
• Richard Greene, Director, Office of Health, Infectious Diseases, and
  Nutrition, USAID
• Khama Rogo, Lead Health Specialist, Africa, World Bank
• Joseph de Graft-Johnson, Specialist Community Interventions, Save the
  Children and ACCESS

WHAT: Participants will discuss the book’s findings, their implications for Africa, and their impact on child survival programs. Copies of the book and light refreshments will be available.

WHEN: January 12, 2007, 9:00-11:00 a.m.

WHERE: Greeley Hall, Academy for Educational Development, 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C

WHY: Simple low-cost interventions such as drying the baby immediately after birth, warmth, cleanliness, early exclusive breastfeeding, two doses of tetanus toxoid vaccination and preventive treatment of malaria coupled, with use of ITN during pregnancy, will significantly enhance the survival of Africa’s newborns.

AED is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to improving health, education, and economic opportunities for the least advantaged in the United States and developing countries throughout the world.

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