Children Caring for Children—a Review of Programmes

Millions of infants and young children in Third World countries die every year. For those children under the age of six who manage to survive, the world is a threatening place. Infant death and problems in growth and development in the early years have many causes. Famine, war, and unemployment all take their toll. Lack of potable water and poor sanitary conditions are common. Childhood and tropical diseases continue to kill because health and social services fail to reach many places with preventive and curative services that could save lives. These conditions are exacerbated by the recent decline in economic development in many countries and by the associated need for major adjustments in government budgets and programmes.