Meet the 2015 Children’s Prize Finalists
We are proud to announce that from 43 second round submissions, seven were selected as potential candidates for the $250,000 award this year. We invite you to take a moment to review a brief summary of each finalist. From October 23-25, our esteemed panel of judges will convene to deliberate and select the winner of the 2015 Prize. Please stay tuned to Facebook and Twitter in the coming weeks to learn more about the potential impact these life-saving projects propose for children around the world.
Maternova Research: The Omugwo Project
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Country: Nigeria
Under 5 mortality rate in country: 117/1000 live births
Estimated number of lives saved: 2,205
Project Length: 34 months
Highlighting the importance of maternal health in child survival, Maternova Research aims to utilize its partnership with local organization the Traffina Foundation to administer proven rapid tests to pregnant women to assess 10 key diseases, infections and blood disorders that most greatly impact child mortality in Nigeria. They would also implement newborn health interventions to include immediate and exclusive breastfeeding.
Peter Meaney: Saving Children’s Lives
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Country: Botswana
Under 5 mortality rate in country: 47/1000 live births
Estimated number of lives saved: 1,247
Project length: 24 months
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia partnered with the American Heart Association to create the child survival program, Saving Children’s Lives. Saving Children’s Lives engages community healthcare providers, physicians and nurses through continuous training and competency monitoring to best treat pneumonia and diarrhea, two major contributors to child mortality in Botswana.
Physicians for Social Justice: Yaara Mobile2Mobile Health Project
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Country: Nigeria
Under 5 mortality rate in country: 117/1000 live births
Estimated number of lives saved: 3,702
Project length: 24 months
Physicians for Justice proposes the Yaara Mobile2Mobile Health Project which would increase healthcare access in Mashegu, Nigeria. A three-pronged approach is proposed: 1) using integrated outreach-based Mobile Clinics (MC); 2) deployment of telemedicine (mHealth tools); and 3) establishment of robust Community-based Rapid Response Health Extension Services. To date, Physicians for Justice has implemented 12 health projects in Mashegu.
Project Peanut Butter: Improved Care of Malnutrition
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Country: Sierra Leone
Under 5 mortality rate in country: 156/1,000 live births annually
Estimated number of lives saved: 4,500
Project length: 36 months
Project Peanut Butter (PPB) seeks to treat severe malnutrition in children 6 months to 5 years old by providing affected children with effective, locally produced ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RTUF). Mothers would be given the RUTF to take home and assigned in-clinic visits. PPB will educate the community on how to recognize the signs of malnutrition and how to treat the debilitating condition.
University of British Columbia: Interventions to Radically Reduce Infant Mortality from Sepsis
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Country: Malawi
Under 5 mortality rate in country: 67/1,000 annually
Estimated number of lives saved: 840
Project length: 24 months
UBC would prevent, diagnose and treat neonatal sepsis with a 4-step bundle to include: 1) an educational training program; 2) a tool-kit with chlorhexidine swabs to clean the umbilicus and topical emollient for low birth weight infants to reduce the risk of infection; 3) BCG vaccination at birth; and 4) a mobile diagnostic device to non-invasively and promptly assess a patient’s condition.
University of Miami Department of Pediatrics: Newborn Screening for Hemoglobinopathies
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Country: Haiti
Under 5 mortality rate in country: infant-54.7/1000 and 5 year- 77/1000 live births
Estimated number of lives saved: 60
Project length: 24 months
This project will implement newborn screening for hemoglobinopathies, which can detect sickle cell disease, as a life-saving intervention that is not yet available in Haiti. Newborns would be screened prior to leaving the hospital after birth by trained nurses, and the samples would be assessed in Port-au-Prince.
World Hope International: Saving Lives at Birth
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Country: Sierra Leone
Under 5 mortality rate in country: 156/1000 live births
Estimated number of lives saved: 5,336
Project length: 16 months
World Hope International aims to save children’s lives in Sierra Leone by training 43 chiefdoms in the Helping Babies Breathe curriculum. Developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Helping Babies Breathe teaches birth attendants in developing countries critical skills in newborn resuscitation.