For some parents, the journey is simply too difficult. In Laos, poor access means that 37 per cent of children miss out on their second dose of the measles vaccine, drastically reducing their protection against this dangerous disease.
It is these experiences that make me particularly grateful for my effortless and uncomplicated five-minute drive with William, and all the more inspired at how far UNICEF will travel for children.
In Timor-Leste, UNICEF teams are working with health workers to support mothers like Lize by improving the quality of care, opening the health centres for longer hours, and ensuring that there is clean water when they get there. Why clean water? Because this is essential to make sure that mothers receive the care they need when they’ve travelled such long distances to get there.
“They’re kind and gentle and never rude,”, Lize says of the health workers who have received UNICEF-supported training. “They always explain the medicines and dosages clearly.”