Newborns Vietnam and VNG IT Company on July 26 launched a charity run called UPRACE to raise funds to prevent neonatal mortality and promote the health of newborns and their mothers. — Photo Courtesy of VNG Company |
HCM CITY — NGO Newborns Vietnam and VNG IT Company on Thursday launched an annual charity run to raise funds to combat neonatal mortality, promoting the health of newborns and their mothers in Southeast Asia with a focus on Việt Nam.
This year the run, UPRACE, is expected to attract 10,000 runners. But they will not gather at one place for a face-to-face competition, and instead will run wherever they want with mobile devices recording the distance they run and the time they take.
For every kilometre participants run, the company and others will contribute VNĐ1,000 (US$0.04) to Newborns Vietnam.
The number of participants is expected to increase to 100,000 in the next five years.
According to Newborns Việt Nam, in 2015 neonatal mortality accounted for 75 per cent of all infant deaths in Việt Nam and more than half of all deaths of children aged under five.
Strengthening the existing hospital-based care is the most effective way to save the lives of the most vulnerable newborns.
More neonatal deaths could be prevented with greater availability of hospital neonatal intensive care.
In high-income settings, access to this care is nearly universal while in middle-income and poor countries, coverage, access and quality of care are highly inconsistent.
Suzanna Lubran, executive director of Newborns Việt Nam, said: “A world of safe newborns starts with each of us, we all have a role to play in supporting Việt Nam in developing first-world care and reducing the number of newborn deaths.” —VNS