Why press for change?

The facts

• 8.1 million children die before their fifth birthday every year
• Six million children under five die every year as a result of hunger
• Worldwide, a woman dies every minute due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth
• Over half of infant mortality and a third of maternal mortality are the result of poor quality maternal and child health service

The campaign

63,569 of you gave us your thumbprints and we presented these to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg before he headed off to the summit in New York to show him that we wanted the UK to take a leadership and help end the scandal of 9 million child deaths a year.

This figure contributed to an overall Save the Children global figure of 3 million, a result of all our MDG campaign actions collected worldwide.

So did he listen, and how did he respond on the global stage?

What happened next?

• The UK government did show a leadership role on ensuring that the 0.7% of the budget is spent on international aid by 2013; and reiterated the need to support the poorest children around the world even in a time of Britain’s deficit
• Nick Clegg announced plans to double the number of women and children's lives saved and said at the MDG Summit: “The MDGs are not just optimistic targets for  far away lands, they are not simply charity, nor are they pure altruism. They are also the key to lasting safety and future prosperity for the people of the UK”

Keep up to date with all of our campaigns activity as we continue to ensure that promises are kept and commitment to some of the poorest children across the world is made a priority.