David Beckham mentioned Save the Children’s No Child Born to Die on his Facebook page, reaching over seven million people. Piers Morgan and Stephen Fry, Alexandra Burke and Emma Freud twittered about it. Simon Cowell has backed the campaign, so has Helena Bonham Carter. The UK’s biggest names in show business, sport and journalism lined up to back Save the Children’s new campaign today – No Child Born to Die – which aims to save millions of children’s lives.
At the launch event for Save the Children’s No Child Born to Die campaign this morning:
* Alexandra Burke revealed she was “Born to Believe” and told how she was so moved by her trip to Haiti with Save the Children in 2010, that: “It was really heartbreaking…it opened my eyes up to many things..seeing what was going in Haiti and how it can be stopped…even if you put in £1 or £10 , it can make a difference. ”
* Edith Bowman – whose passionate belief in the cause was sparked by speaking to mums and children in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo , told Save the Children she was “Born to Talk…but about serious issues.” She said: “It just seems a ridiculous the number of children to be losing their lives in this day and age.”
* Amanda Mealing – who was “Born to Perform” told the launch event in central London about a newborn baby in Bangladesh who had died of septicaemia because its umbilical cord had been cut with “a sharpened bamboo stick”. She added: “I know that if I forego my one takeaway coffee a day, and (donate the money), it can make a real difference.”
* Natasha Kaplinsky who visited the Delhi slums with Save the Children earlier this month to see our life-saving work said she was “Born to Love, Learn and eat Fudge”.
Quotes from other celebrities backing Save the Children’s campaign:
* Piers Morgan announced he was ‘Born to Irritate’
* Actress Brenda Blethyn was ‘Born to Sing’ but reveals she’s never got round it.
* England footballer, Frank Lampard, is ‘Born to Play Ball’.
* Hugh Dennis is ‘Born to see Life from a Funny Angle’
* TV Presenter Dr Hilary is ‘Born to tell bad medical jokes’
* TV presenter Sarah Beeney was ‘Born to Laugh’
* Spooks star Hermione Norris confesses to being ‘Born to eat sweets’.
* Dr Abhay Bang, whose pioneering community-based methods reduced child mortality by an astonishing three quarters in 39 villages in India told the launch that empowering village women was one of the keys to success: “If you open a window of knowledge, the skills are in her hands, the knowledge is in her head, the equipment is on her shoulder, and the compassion is in her heart, she literally becomes a mobile health clinic.”
* Justin Forsyth, Chief Executive of Save the Children, said at the launch event in central London :“It is shocking in this day and age that 4000 children a day are dying of something as simple as diarrhoea or pneumonia: what a senseless waste of young lives.” He added: “We know what works, the tragedy is that just when we are beginning to make progress we risk slowing down. Our rallying cry is No Child Born to Die. We can end this massive loss of life. That is why we need every family, up and down the country to get involved…In five year’s time, we want to look back on 2011 as a turning point in the battle against child deaths.”
To sign up and show your support for the campaign visit www.savethechildren.org.uk/bornto. There you will find more information about ‘No Child Born to Die’, ways to get involved and real life stories of hope. Or Text I WILL TO 64118 (standard rates apply).