Isabella Oliva

AP Human Geography
Ms. Pollin
June 3, 2016
Introduction
Throughout history, despite rapid advancements in our world and improving
development among less developed countries, we still have a significantly high infant mortality
rate. The measure of infant mortality rate refers to the number of deaths of infants within one
year of age per 1,000 live births in a specific area. One area that has suffered greatly from these
high infant mortality rates is Africa. Specifically, three African countries, Sierra Leone, Angola,
and the Central African Republic, yield the highest infant mortality rates in the world. Although
their infant mortality rates have generally decreased (such as Angolas decreasing from 107 per
1,000 to 96 per 1,000), with increased awareness and efforts to prevent these deaths, we can
further decrease these rates in less developed countries to reach those in developed countries
such as the country of Luxembourg which yields a steady rate of 2 deaths per 1,000. Due to the
lack of development and resources in Africa, the area is more prone to childbearing deaths or
deaths caused by preventable issues such as lack of vaccines, or resources for breastfeeding.
Also, children in Africa are greatly affected by diseases such as malaria which can be prevented
with proper use of bednets or protective clothing. Organizations like the United Nations
International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), are making great efforts to lower the child
mortality rates in these countries by providing better health-care and preventing these causes of
death through raising awareness across the world.

Proposal

In order to raise awareness about the issues of infant mortality in our world today, I plan
on creating a simulation in which students of Wootton High School will be impacted and have an
emotional connection to the problems in the developing world. Due to the fact that we live in a
wealthy area with a surplus of resources both technologically and naturally, it is at times hard to
comprehend the suffering that is inflicted by problems such as extremely high infant mortality
rates. In this simulation, students will be exposed to how it feels to have a child and be unsure
of the childs chance of survival. It has been noted that being a child in countries like Sierra
Leone, there is about a one in four chance that you will reach your fifth birthday.
This simulation will take place over a six week span. The first week entails the struggle
of the process of being pregnant in a developing country, students will be asked to hold
textbooks when walking from class to class representing the extra weight women must carry
when they are pregnant. On the monday of the second week, students will be gathered in the
auditorium. Under each seat, students will find either a blue or pink flashcard, indicating the
gender of their baby, and be distributed a baby doll to represent their baby. This process will
provide students with a glimpse of the sense of happiness and excitement that follows having a
child.
Each week of this simulation will represent a year of the babys life. As the weeks
unfold, parents (students) will be exposed to the leading factors of high infant mortality such as
tetanus, fevers, malaria, and poor breast-feeding practices. Being a school of about 2,000
students, about 500 babies will have to die to accurately represent these high infant mortality
rates. Over the next weeks, people will enter 500 students (picked at random) classes
representing these leading factors. For instance, due to lack of bed nets and protective
clothing, students babies will be taken by a person representing malaria. Students will have no
say in this process and will not be aware of when this happens in order to properly simulate how
parents are exposed to this tragedy in developing countries such as Sierra Leone.

By creating an emotional experience for students and the community as a whole, I hope
to instill a sense of awareness and concern for others, even when we may not be able to relate
to those specific others. At the end of this simulation, I hope to introduce a representative of
UNICEF as an advocate for the work that the organization is doing to improve this dire problem.
Preferably, this representative will have had first-hand witnesses and accounts of the terrible
conditions in these countries, and be able to portray an impactful message to our students.
Students will be encouraged to donate to the organization or aid in the process of making bednets or shipping out packages to help those living in less developed countries and remaining in
need of support.

Works Cited
"Young Child Survival and Development." UNICEF. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.

"Top Ten Countries With Highest Infant Mortality." Maps of the World. Compare Infobase Ltd.,
2015. Web. 6 June 2016.
"Infant Mortality: What Is CDC Doing?" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 06 June 2016.
"Mortality Rate, Infant (per 1,000 Live Births)." Data. The World Bank Group, 2016. Web. 06
June 2016.
"OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms - Infant Mortality Rate Definition." OECD Glossary of
Statistical Terms - Infant Mortality Rate Definition. N.p., 25 Sept. 2001. Web. 06 June 2016.
Reader, Nicholas. "Child and Maternal Mortality Worst in the World UNICEF." IRIN. N.p., 03
Mar. 2008. Web. 10 June 2016.