Since 1954, US agencies have been involved in activities to improve child health in the developing countries, with Congress enacting legislation requiring a program designed to address child survival in 1984. Criticism of development aid has come from throughout the political spectrum, from all parts of the world, and from both long-time supporters as well as opponents. Opponents aften point to limited impact and cite graft, waste, and misuse as frequent problems, while supporters defend aid on the merit that it is the right and moral thing to do. Even for those supporting aid in principle, it is often difficult to justify in practice. Part of this debate on foreign aid focuses on its effectiveness. Effectiveness of child health funding involves two aspects: money going to the right places/people and money being managed and applied in an effective manner. This paper will begin addressing the effectiveness issue by examining USAID child health resource allocation. The magnitude, pattern, and trend of funding for child health will be outlined and followed by an exploration of associations between funding levels and selected child health indicators such as IMR, CMR, TFR, and MMR. Other non-need, non-health factors (such as US mission placement, geographic location, strategic political position, etc.) will also be examined for their contribution to variations and patterns. Given the overall slower pace and recent data showing stagnation or reversal in a number of child survival indicators, particular focus will be placed on Sub-Saharan Africa.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participants in this session will be able to: 1) Describe the major and regional trends in USAID child health funding from 1985 to 2000 2) Discuss the relationships between funding levels and the selected child health indicators of IMR and CMR
Keywords: Child Health, Developing Countries
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: USAID
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.