Greetings 5150 Rotarians,
 
Rotary International's monthly theme for April is Maternal and Child Health. Every day mothers risk their lives giving birth, and millions of children die each year from treatable, preventable causes. At least 6 million children under the age of 5 die each year due to malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation—all of which can be prevented. To help reduce this rate, Rotary provides immunizations and antibiotics to babies, improves access to essential medical services, and supports trained health care providers for mothers and their children. Rotary’s projects ensure sustainability by empowering the local community to take ownership of health care training programs.
 
Although most of our efforts are focused in developing countries, these challenges exist right here in the United States, which has the highest mortality rate of any high resource country. The U.S. is the only country—outside of Afghanistan and Sudan—where the rate is rising.
 
 
Your club can address these issues by advocating for increased access to:
  • Support for working mothers
  • Pre-natal/postpartum education
  • Maternal Mental Health Services (the most common complication of birth)
  • Affordable childcare
Rotary makes high-quality health care available to vulnerable mothers and children, so they can live longer and grow stronger.
 
Thank you for being the change you wish to see in your communities!
 
Yours in Rotary, 
Gary Chow
Governor, 2022-2023
Rotary International
District 5150