Some parents in the U.S. choose not to vaccinate their children, and that’s a choice they make in an environment that has little potential for massive outbreaks of preventable diseases. However, in countries where clean water and food are scarce, having vaccinations are the difference between life and death.
While at the Type A Parent Conference, we learned about Shot@Life, part of the United Nations Foundation that helps to vaccinate children who have no access to healthcare.
More than 19 million children under the age of 5 remain unimmunized around the world. With vaccinations, those children have a chance of seeing the age of 5, of learning their ABCs and reaching other milestones.
To give kids a shot at life, remember the ABCs:
- A stands for Authority. You have the authority, the power, to make a real difference.
- B stands for Be aware. Be aware of the changes that you can make to save lives.
- C stands for Caring for Children. These children have very little resources, so with a little care, you can change their lives forever.
Vaccines make life possible. Without them, children are vulnerable to deadly and disabling diseases like measles, pneumonia, diarrhea and polio.
Unfortunately, around the world, one in five children still lack access to the life-saving immunizations that help keep children in the U.S. healthy. In fact, one child dies every 20 seconds from a disease that could be prevented with a vaccine. By expanding access to vaccines, we can prevent 1.5 million child deaths each year.
This little tyke from Honduras, along with countless others, is counting on you.
Tonja's Travels 
Glad that you connected with Shot@Life. What a great message!
😦 I’m just seeing this post for the first time. This semumr our school district put out a mandate to have all kids entering 7-12 grade vaccinated with the Tdap vaccine. It made me so mad b/c it wasn’t a choice that we were given. They won’t allow any student on campus without it. I would have loved to have participated on this chat.