Students at America's colleges and universities are some of the most energetic and effective voices on behalf of children and their families in the developing world. If you are a student and would like to engage more actively with this issue, check out the following organizations:

Student Campaign for Child Survival

Through campus chapters across the United States, SCCS passionately raises awareness and advocates, calling on the U.S. government, corporations, and civil society to take a greater role in promoting and supporting child survival programs around the world.

ONE Campus Challenge

Organizated by the ONE Campaign, this competition among American college students provides and opportunity to prove creativity and effectiveness at fighting poverty.

Americans for Informed Democracy

With a network of more than 20,000 student leaders, AID seeks to build a new generation of globally conscious leaders who can shape an American foreign policy appropriate for our increasingly interdependent world.

University Coalitions for Global Health

Hosted by the Global Health Council, UCGH brings together young people to harmonize efforts and collaborate on projects.

The Resources of Academia

Academic and research institutions specializing in public and international health provide much of the research, technological development, and application that has been the underpinning for the progress made in child survival and health. They serve as important partners to governments, foundations, and NGOs, equipping them with important data and technology that can be put to work in developing countries.

Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, a member of the US Coalition for Child Survival, is a leading international authority on public health. The School offers a wide variety of resources for public health professionals and other interested individuals. Academic publications and global institutions also provide exceptional opportunities for advanced learning:

The Women's and Children's Health Policy Center

Emphasis on maternal and child health research for application in the field

Center for Global Health

Collaborative focus on global health challenges, particularly in developing countries

The Lancet Series: Child Survival

Series of 2003 articles, courtesy of WHO

WHO Child Health Links

Links to factsheets, publications, and other sites or documents by the World Health Organization

The Role of NGOs, PVOs, Civic Groups, and Foundations

Private voluntary organizations (PVOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), both in the U.S. and abroad, play a pivotal role in developing and carrying out child survival programs. With close connections to staff and partners in developing countries, these groups have the knowledge and experience to deliver services to the world's most underserved women and children, facilitate research efforts, and help local and national governments implement programs.

The activities of civic organizations, such as Rotary International's polio eradication program, Kiwanis International's iodine deficiency program, and the Lion's Club guineaworm program, have also had an important impact on global child survival efforts through the generosity and involvement of their members.

The foundation community also has a long history of supporting initiatives to improve the health of children and mothers in developing countries. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and many others, have served as catalysts in child survival efforts, especially over the past decade. Their financial and organizational resources, combined with their media visibility, make foundations a driving force for bringing together coalitions and placing child survival on the global agenda.

Partnerships with Corporations

In an effort to improve the health of the world's children, U.S. corporations play a role that goes well beyond monetary donations. Many companies, across a broad range of industries, have joined the global child survival effort as active partners. Recognizing both the urgency of child survival and the enormous impact that the private sector can have on global child health, American and foreign companies in the U.S. are engaging in important public-private partnerships with other key organizations to support child survival.