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International
Initiatives
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Worldwide
Service Project - IDD |
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IDD is the leading preventable
cause of mental and physical retardation in the
world today. The easiest way to prevent IDD is
by iodization of salt, and Iodine has been routinely
added to commercially produced salt in the industrialized
world since the 1920's. However, in other parts
of the world, there are as many as 1.5 billion
people at risk, especially young children.
First
launched in 1994, Kiwanis International's Worldwide
Service Project's goal is to virtually eliminate
iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) by raising $75
million. Through the dedication and hard work
of the Kiwanis family, not only in raising money
but also in raising awareness of the problem,
motivating governments and industry to act, testing
and monitoring, millions of children have been
protected against the invisible but devastating
effects of iodine deficiency. Kiwanians around
the world work to sustain progress through advocacy,
technical expertise, and education about the benefits
of iodized salt.
Due to a $75 million Kiwanis campaign in partnership
with UNICEF, future generations of children no
longer face the threat of mental retardation,
cretinism, and a host of disabilities caused by
IDD.
Members of the Kiwanis family can take great pride
in
their accomplishments. Today,
about 70 percent of the people in the developing
world have access to iodized salt, and UNICEF
has hailed this project as one of the greatest
public health triumphs of the 20th century.
Though Kiwanis exceeded its
original goal of raising $75 million, there
is still work to be done. UNICEF
reports there still are 113,000 children born
each day
vulnerable
to IDD. World leaders meeting at the United Nations
General Assembly Special Session on Children
in May 2002 - among them leaders of the Kiwanis
family - agreed on a goal of achieving the sustainable
elimination of iodine deficiency disorders by
2005. Kiwanis International and the Kiwanis
International Foundation have set a Kiwanis
family goal to raise at least an additional
US $3 million.
Working with the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the U.S. Fund for
UNICEF, the entire Kiwanis family are integral
to the world leaders' vision of a world without
iodine deficiency. With the powerful partnership
in place, the objective of Universal Salt Iodization
(USI) could be achieved as early as 2005. Today's
twin challenges are to introduce salt iodization
in all communities where it is not yet available
and to ensure that people continue to use iodized
salt where it is already available. The benefits
for children and their families worldwide are
clear: improved health, productivity, and hope.
Contributions are needed. For more information,
please
click
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Read Around the World
Today, there are 90 million Americans lacking basic literacy skills, and
25% of parents cannot read a book to their children, according to the US
Department of Education. An analysis of national data on nearly 100,000
US school children found that access to printed materials-and not
poverty-is the "critical variable" affecting reading acquisition. |
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Members of the Kiwanis family hold this annual event to encourage
children-and their parents-to appreciate reading. Kiwanis, Circle K, and
Key Club sponsor Read Around the World internationally, with more than
600,000 members in some 13,000 clubs. Club members donate books, hold
book parties, and read to children to provide children a source of
inspiration.
As the honor chair for Kiwanis Read Around the
World, First Lady Laura Bush remarks, "When
parents take time to sit with their arm around
their child everyday and read daily to them,
it's really a wonderful message, and it's a
great change for parents to have some intimacy
with their child while they read to them."
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The 6th Read around the World event is scheduled from
February 1st to
March 3rd, 2007
For
more information, please
click
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About
ASPAC
