Shot At Life is a movement to protect children worldwide by providing life-saving vaccines where they are most needed. Did you know that one child dies every 20 seconds from a disease that could be prevented with a vaccine?
We are lucky here in America, where vaccines are readily available. It isn’t like that in other parts of the world. Believe me, I know. I grew up in the Philippines, where poverty is a critical issue. Over there, those who live in remote areas do not have access to modern amenities, clean water, let alone, life-saving vaccines. I know of many who have died from preventable diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and polio.
According to the World Health Organization:
“About 22.4 million infants did not receive the recommended three doses of diphtheriatetanus-pertussis vaccine in 2011. More than 70% of these children live in ten countries: Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa.”
So when Ciaran of Momfluential.net and Tracey of Shuttersisters.com invited me over to discuss Shot at Life, I was all ears. Personally, my children have received all their vaccines. And I know there are those who choose not to vaccinate. But regardless of one’s personal beliefs about whether to vaccinate or not, the fact remains: vaccines save lives. According to ShotAtLife.org : “Many children in developing countries lack access to vaccines — often because they live in hard-to-reach communities. The good news is access to vaccines has grown significantly in the last decade. Vaccines currently help save 2.5 million children from preventable diseases every year.”
By spreading the word about Shot@Life, we are advocating for continued support for global vaccines programs. Together, we can help bring vaccines to children in developing countries, so that these children can get a shot at life – literally! A chance to grow up, be somebody, change the world!
Not the letter-writing-to congress-type? You can help spread the word about Shot@Life by by taking your own #snapshots of life including milestones of your kids and tagging them #snapshotatlife on Instragam, Facebook and Twitter.
Visit shotatlife.org and follow @snapshotatlife on Instagram.
