In 2020, five million children died before the age of five, mainly from preventable or treatable causes. A woman in sub-Saharan Africa is 130 times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than a woman in Europe or North America.  

Alongside our rapid response initiatives for health emergencies, UNICEF works with countries and communities to address these inequalities by supporting health systems strengthening initiatives.   

Improving health systems requires multiple interventions like the construction of health-related facilities. UNICEF initiatives include building warehouses with cold storage to support early childhood vaccination programmes and constructing government health offices and rural health infrastructure, such as primary health facilities delivering essential maternal and newborn care.