As many of my followers know I am a supporter and Champion of Shot@Life-a United Nations Foundation Campaign that educates, connects, and empowers individuals to champion global vaccines as a way to save lives of children in developing countries. Thru the work of those at Shot@Life, over 2.5 million lives are saved every year.
Did you know that 1 in 5 children around the world do not have access to the vaccines that they need to survive? This leads to a child dying every 20 seconds from a preventable disease. Let that sink in for a moment. A child dies every 20 seconds because they lack access to vaccinations that many of us take for granted.
Me at the age of 1.5 years old
When I was two years old, my mother had many concerns for us and our future. She was a young mother ,and as many others do, struggled to make ends meet. One thing she didn’t need to worry about was whether I’d suffer from severe illness from something that was preventable.
Harlow and I when she was 1.5 years old
My daughter Harlow is six years old and just started the 1st grade. She has the biggest heart and said if she was President she’d make sure every person has a bed to sleep in. She loves to dance and says when she grows up she wants to be a Vet. She’s never been sick past the common cold. We are fortunate to live where we have easy access to medical care for her. There’s never been a time where I have had the feeling of helplessness wondering if she’d make it past elementary.
Harlow at the age of 6
Thousands of mothers in other countries are not so lucky which is why they need our help. They shouldn’t fear what will happen to their children from sickness. Deadly diseases such as measles, polio, pneumonia and diarrhea CAN be prevented. It’s important they know there are those of us out there who will join together with the desire to help them save their children. It’s important we get the proper healthcare to them. They deserve access to a simple vaccination. Their children deserve to have the opportunity to live past the age of five. They deserve to have a future. Their mothers deserve to watch them grow into beautiful young men and women.
How can you help? During the month of August, participants will share baby photos of themselves or their own children experiencing a milestone. Every tweet, Facebook share, and comment under the blog posts of Blogust participants will trigger a donation by MAM which will help provide a vaccine to a child in need. The goal- 30,000 vaccines. The Shot@Life bloggers and Champions have reached over 18,000 vaccines thus far so the goal IS possible. Help Shot@Life reach this goal of saving thousands more lives.
You can find the Blogust participants at http://blogust.org and also by searching through the hashtag #Blogust . It’s so easy for us to share a funny photo or video on social media.
It will take only a few seconds to help save a life.
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Blogust is a month-long digital dialogue, bringing together many of the most beloved online writers, photo and video bloggers and Shot@Life Champions to change the world through inspirational imagery and storytelling. This year marks the fifth year of Blogust helping kids around the world reach their fifth birthday thanks to the power of global vaccines.
The Blogust 2016 digital relay participants will be sharing the story behind #TBT baby photos or videos of themselves, their kid(s) or a side-by-side comparison at important milestones – from first steps or first smile to fifth birthday. Every parent everywhere should be able to experience these milestones, which is why every like, comment and social media share their posts receive (up to 30,000 throughout the month of August 2016) will trigger a donation by MAM to help provide a vaccine for a child in need around the world.
For more information, visit shotatlife.org or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
1 comment
This is an awesome thing to get behind and I appreciate you sharing your experiences with it, Amelia. While I don’t have kids yet, I know Christina and I will be sure to get on board the vaccination train when we do have kids. Those numbers you shared are really staggering. 1 every 20 seconds is just too sad and crazy to imagine. Hopefully spreading the word can change people’s thoughts on vaccinations. Thank you for sharing this and I’ll be sure to pass your post on.