Core Group

“Health is the very foundation of productivity and prosperity. Balanced health within a population contributes to social cohesion and stability. These are assets for every country, and they must be preserved, no matter what the crisis.”
-Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization

Today, there are over nine million children under the age of five dying each year (25,000 children every day) from largely preventable causes—such as newborn infection, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and vaccine preventable diseases such as measles. In addition, over half a million women die each year due to complications during pregnancy and birth. For every woman who dies, approximately 30 more suffer injuries, infection and disabilities that affect the health and well-being of their children and families.

These deaths and disabilities devastate families and communities. The social, economic and environmental cost of poor maternal and child health is very high, compromising a family's ability to break out of the cycle of poverty.

Global health experts estimate that we can save nearly 6 million children and women each year with proven, low‐cost interventions that save lives.  Simple vaccinations, basic medicines like antibiotics and Vitamin A supplements, and other cost‐effective measures could avert these silent tragedies that unfold every day.  We have the tools to make this happen.

Progress

While progress has been made in reducing the deaths of children (the rate has decreased by half since 1970), some countries have done better than others. Most countries still have not made progress in reducing maternal deaths.

World leaders recognized that global partnerships were an effective way to keep progress moving. In 2000 they came together to adopt the United Nations Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce poverty, hunger, and ill health. They set out a series of time-bound targets - with a deadline of 2015 - that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Eight MDGs have been adopted by the international community as a framework for development activities in over 190 countries. CORE Group specifically addresses three of the MDGs:
·    Reducing child mortality
·    Improving maternal health
·    Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

We support efforts of the other 5 MDGs to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, ensure environmental sustainability, develop a global partnership for development.

Our challenge is to improve the health and well being of traditionally underserved populations globally who are not making progress towards the MDGs.

Our Niche

CORE Group is uniquely positioned to bridge this gap by helping governments and NGOs effectively reach the community level, integrate community strategies into the national health plan, and respond to new and emerging health issues that arise.  Since 1997, we have fostered partnerships around the world to provide mothers, fathers and community leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to improve the health of children. 

Our goal is to ensure that health practitioners have the latest information, most practical tools, shared lessons learned, up-to-date skills, and synergistic partnerships in order to keep mothers healthy during pregnancy, deliver babies safely, have access to medicines that treat pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, receive vaccines against life-threatening diseases, and have access to nutritious foods for growing children.  We also harvest knowledge from the field, transforming it into new, innovative tools and practices that in turn, enhance women and children survival and well-being.