Addis Ababa — Save the Children USA, and the Ministry of Health on Friday jointly urged donors, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and the public at large to join hands in reducing "staggering number of needless deaths of children under age 5." Launching the "Survive to 5" initiative in Ethiopia on Friday, Save the Children said Survive to 5 will seek to reduce the number of deaths of children fewer than five years of age worldwide where over 10 million children die each year.

Some 376,000 of these deaths occur in Ethiopia.

Health experts estimate that as many as 6 million children could be saved if a package of low-cost health interventions were made more readily available to children and their families.

The Ethiopia launch of the initiative was graced by the presence of actress Jessica Lange, State Minister of Health Dr. Shiferaw Teklemariam, President and CEO of Save the Children USA, Dr. Charles MacCormack.

Speaking on the occasion, the state minister said Ethiopia was moving forward in reducing Under Five mortality rates but there was a long way to go to stamp out the problem from its roots.

"Today we still have newborns and children dying from diseases that we know how to treat and cure - neonatal infections, pneumonia, diarrhea diseases and malaria are claiming the lives of too many of our children," he said According to the state minister, the Government of Ethiopia launched, in September 2007, a program to build health centers and employ 30,000 health extension workers by 2010- in an effort to address the health care needs of the 85% of the population receiving services in rural areas "I am proud to say that thus far, we have hired over 18,000 health extension workers and we are in the process of hiring 3,200 supervisors to manage and continue to build the capacity of these community workers," Dr. Shiferaw added.

Apart from preventable and curative health care that will dramatically increase their chances of surviving to 5, Save the Children said community health workers can deliver life saving advice and care to the women and children in the remote area.

Dr. Charles MacCormack on his part said over seven billion dollar was expected from the donors for the initiative, Survive to 5, to succeed.

He urged the donors to support the initiative achieve its goals.

He said he was impressed by the country's endeavors to reduce under five mortality rate which he said he witnessed when he first visited the country four years ago.

But he said that was far from achieving the best results.

"We must move beyond acceptance of the daily tragedy that more than 1,000 children under 5 die in Ethiopia and recognize that only with action from all levels of society - governments, corporations, humanitarian organizations and individuals providing resources and good policies - will we reduce these needless deaths," Dr. Charles urged.

Two time academy award winning actress Jessica Lange, mother of three, visiting Ethiopia for the first time to support the "Survive to 5" campaign said that she was there as a voice for all mothers who want to experience the joy "I've had in seeing my children grow p into adulthood." "I believe that once people are aware of this needless silent tragedy, they will be moved to act - and that is what inspired me to join with Save the Children in their Survive to 5 Initiative," she said.