The Child Survival Action initiative calls for renewed efforts to address inequities in child survival, particularly in the 54 countries that are off track to reach Sustainable Development Goal 3. The action plan includes a theory of change and results framework, which were presented in an online conference in June 2023.
The Child Health Task Force organized the event, Accelerating progress towards the 2030 SDGs – Reducing inequities in child health, which is archived on the organization’s YouTube channel. One presentation included Dr. Jennifer Requejo, a Countdown researcher from Johns Hopkins University and the Global Financing Facility, and was titled Child Survival Action: A results framework for advocacy and action.
With an introduction to child survival action (CSA) by Dr. Lara Vaz of the USAID MOMENTUM project and Dr. Dyness Kasungami of the Child Health Task Force, the presentation reviewed strategies that can be taken to reduce child mortality between ages 1-59 months. The presentation was divided into 3 parts, 1) the overall CSA results framework and an overview which was led by Dr. Kate Gilroy of JSI and MOMENTUM, 2) CSA outcomes and indicators which was led by Dr. Requejo, 3) and implementation milestones and indicators which was led by Dr. Shane Khan of MOMENTUM.
Key aspects of the initiative include:
- Focusing on quality primary health care with a people-centered approach
- Calling for accountability at all levels
- Designing multisectoral responses
- Engaging meaningfully with communities
- Applying an equity-sensitive approach
The results framework employs a theory of change with clear strategies, outputs and outcomes moving toward the goal of achieving child mortality reductions specified in the Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative is in the process of finalizing the impact and outcome indicators and the implementation milestones.
To learn more, see Child Survival Action: A Renewed Call to End Preventable Child Deaths.