Infant mortality in Somalia “Objective 4.A: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the mortality rate of children under five” (http:/ /www.un.org/millenniumgoals/childhealth.shtml) This goal is the fourth of the eight United Nations Millennium Goals established in 2000. The UN and leading world figures established these goals to address some of the major problems affecting underdeveloped countries. Infant mortality rates must be fixed because it is necessary to maintain the population of a country or region for future growth. It is also important to reduce the infant mortality rate so that the cultures of different regions can continue into the future. It is sad to see a problem that is preventable and so difficult to solve. Somalia, like many other African countries, has a very high infant mortality rate. In fact, they have the third highest infant mortality rate in the world, behind Afghanistan and Mali. In Somalia, 10% of children die before the age of five and there are 4 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants. This means poor healthcare, which is a major cause of the high mortality rate. Another reason why this rate is so high in Somalia is poor sanitation, malnutrition and indoor air pollution. Additionally, illnesses such as diarrhea, malaria, complications from premature birth, and pneumonia all contribute to this high rate. Many children and adults do not receive adequate education to learn how to prevent disease. Leading organizations working to reduce infant mortality rates include Every Women Every Child, The Millennium Goals, and The Child Survival Call to Action. Some of these organizations have done a lot to help many countries like South Africa, but have not done the same for Somalia. Some money was given to Somalia, but most of it is paper......ogadishu. The courses will be free and volunteer doctors from developed countries will teach the courses. Organizing classes is the way to prevent these problems from returning and spreading. Although the organizations' efforts have helped Somalia, more will need to be done to further reduce the infant mortality rate. This plan is very likely to work because it provides education about the disease, provides medical help to affected children, and helps prevent the disease in the future through vaccination. If funding for schools and other public places, laws being passed and educational classes can be put in place, this plan is in Somalia's future. Such a plan has never been implemented in Somalia before and we hope that over the next year the infant mortality rate will decrease. This will help make UN Millennium Goal 4a easier to achieve..