It will take you only about three minutes to read this blog post. Three minutes may seem short, but it is long enough for lives to change.
In the next three minutes:
- Six babies will die from failing to take their first breath.
- More than 60 children under five years of age will die from largely preventable diseases.
- Seven more refugees will flee across the Syrian border.
The good news though is that three minutes is all it can take to change a life for the better.
- In three minutes a nurse can be enrolled in our Helping Babies Breathe program in Uganda, Malawi or Ethiopia. This program is a key component of our $10 million, three year partnership with Save the Children (STC). Focused on the first ‘golden minute’ of a baby’s life, the program has to date helped save more than 15,000 newborn lives.
- It also only takes three minutes to show a new mother how to make bath time a pivotal brain-building moment for her newborn. This is just one of many skills under-served mothers in the U.S. can learn through another of our programs with STC – the Early Steps to School success program.
At last night’s third Illumination Gala, these were just two of the many projects recognized as a result of Johnson & Johnson’s long-term partnership with Save the Children. The event brought together a vast array of incredibly passionate and engaged STC supporters from across business, entertainment, government and charity sectors.
The evening also provided a fitting opportunity to announce a further expansion of our partnership with STC. I had the honor of announcing that Johnson & Johnson will provide an additional $1.75 million over the next two years to directly address the ongoing refugee crisis in Syria. The first element of this program will focus on meeting the short term needs of the millions of families affected by this crisis from food to hygiene products.
However, perhaps even more critical is the need to address the long-term challenges and help provide a sustainable path to recovery for these communities. A large portion of the funding will be directed towards resilience programs specifically designed to address the trauma these communities are facing.
This additional suite of programs represents a continuing evolution of our partnership with Save the Children. From supporting Border Children to advocacy work through Moms+SocialGood, our partnership with Save the Children has always sought to help children in need wherever they are in the world. Even with such a broad range of programs there is still much to be done.
This is where you can help. Last year people just like you helped an additional 10,000 babies to breathe by using the ‘Donate a Photo App’ to donate more than 60,000 photos. For every photo you donate to Save the Children, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to help them support children around the world.
Right now, just by donating a photo, you could help ensure one child safely takes their first breath.
So you will you make your next three minutes count and donate a photo?
Joaquin Duato is Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, a position he assumed in January 2011. A member of the Johnson & Johnson Management Committee, he is responsible for the global pharmaceutical commercial businesses of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. In this role, Joaquin also oversees the Operations, Quality, and Compliance functional groups supporting the Pharmaceutical commercial and research and development organizations.