Kiwanis Clubs join forces to save lives of children around the world

Posted 9/11/13

Maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) is a painful disease that kills one baby every nine minutes, or about 160 newborns each day. The Kiwanis Clubs of East Texas are joining forces with Kiwanians across the globe in an effort to eliminate the disease.

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Kiwanis Clubs join forces to save lives of children around the world

Posted

Maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) is a painful disease that kills one baby every nine minutes, or about 160 newborns each day. The Kiwanis Clubs of East Texas are joining forces with Kiwanians across the globe in an effort to eliminate the disease.

“Kiwanis Clubs throughout the world are planning a variety of fundraisers over the next two years,” said Francine Eikner, Texas-Oklahoma District Coordinator for The Eliminate Project, “and our Student Leadership Programs, Circle K International, Key Club, Builders Club, and K-Kids have joined with us in this fundraising effort.”

The Eliminate Project is a global campaign intended to save or protect millions of women and babies. The disease is typically contracted through unhygienic childbirth practices. The goal of the project is to eliminate this swift, painful and highly preventable disease by immunizing women of childbearing age, which will not only protect the mothers, but also their future babies.

Kiwanis International plans to raise US $110 million by 2015 for the project, which could ultimately protect more than 61 million women and their future babies, and make Kiwanis the world’s largest single donor to MNT elimination efforts.

The funding supports UNICEF and its partners, which have already eliminated MNT in 30 countries. With Kiwanis’ global volunteer network, along with UNICEF’s field staff and technical expertise, The Eliminate Project will serve those who live in some of the most remote and underserved areas of developing countries where healthcare is limited.

“For $1.80, we can protect a woman and her future babies from this deadly but preventable disease,” said Stan Soderstrom, Executive Director of Kiwanis International. “We can only do this with the support from our local clubs, and with their participation, we will eliminate MNT.”

The Eliminate Project will do more than protect women and babies from tetanus; it also will help create a path for additional services, such as health education, clean water, nutrition and other vaccines.

For more information about The Eliminate Project, visit or contact the Quitman Lake Fork Kiwanis Club.