English information 3FM Serious Request 2016

3FM Serious Request 2015

3FM Serious Request (Glass House Project) in general

3FM Serious Request was created as a means of raising money for charity and meeting audience expectations of public service values. Three 3FM DJs lock themselves up in a glass studio for six days. During those days, they eat nothing, broadcast live radio and television 24 hours a day and can be followed online. The concept has grown each consecutive year and has spread beyond the Netherlands.

3FM Serious Request 2016: pneumonia

This year 3FM Serious Request is seeking attention for a silent emergency taking a child's life every 35 seconds: pneumonia. Each year more than 900,000 young children die of pneumonia. Children who could easily be saved with proper treatment and adequate information.

A silent disaster

Worldwide pneunomia is the deadliest infectious disease affecting children under the age of 15. It is deadlier than HIV/AIDS, malaria and measles combined. Each year more than 900,000 young children are dying of pneunomia. Almost 2,500 children per day. Pneunomia is dangerous, but does not have to be fatal. With simple interventions and knowledge pneunomia is easily prevented and treated. Though this care is available in The Neterherlands, this is lacking in most countries.

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Causes of pneunomia

Fatal pneumonia particularly affects young children living in poverty in poor areas. These children are more prone to diseases, because of underlying undernutrition and poor sanitary conditions. Clean drinking water and adequate sanitation are often lacking. Children become ill more quickly; other infections may lead to pneumonia.

Prevention and treatment are essential. Parents often have insufficient knowledge how to care for their children and have poor access to medical care. Both in Asia and Africa pneumonia is taking many lives. Problems are greatest in the Horn and Sub-Saharan Africa, where in many areas hunger and poverty prevail.

If pneumonia is not recognised in time and children are not treated appropriately, their situation can rapidly deteriorate, often with a fatal outcome. Figures show that treatment is not always available. For example in Sub-Saharan Africa only 2 out of 5 children4 suffering from pneumonia receive adequate medical care and treatment.

Facts and figures

• Pneumonia is killing more children than HIV/AIDS, malaria and measles combined.
• Worldwide pneumonia is responsible for 1 out of 6 childhood deaths under the age of 5.
• Every hour 100 children die of pneumonia: almost 2,500 per day and approximately 922,000 per year.
• 2% of children dying of pneumonia are new-borns.
• Pneumonia is the deadliest among all infectious diseases.
• Worldwide half of the number of childhood deaths under the age of 5 caused by pneumonia occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• In Ethiopia yearly 1 out of 6 children under the age of 5 die of pneumonia13. Of all deaths in the same age group in The Netherlands 1 out of 220 die of a pulmonary affection
• In Sub-Saharan Africa only 2 out of 5 children with pneumonia receive proper care and treatment.
• In Ivory Coast almost 1 out of 7 childhood deaths under the age of 5 are attributable to acute pneumonia. On a yearly basis this concerns over 10,000 children.

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Where does the Red Cross come in?

With a number of effective solutions the Red Cross can prevent and treat pneumonia. Vaccination campaigns, access to safe drinking water and sanitation and improvement of health care are supported. Furthermore parents and healthcare workers learn how to prevent, recognise and timely treat pneumonia. Red Cross volunteers inform the parents on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, nutrition, vaccination, hygiene and a smoke-free house.

In this way survival of many young children in developing countries is improved, allowing them a fair chance to grow up and develop.

Prevention

• Food: Red Cross volunteers arrange home visits, campaigns and information sessions to raise awareness within the community of exclusive breastfeeding and good nutrition.
• Vaccinations: The Red Cross volunteers inform communities about the importance of vaccinations and ensure that children are vaccinated. The government provides vaccinations, the Red Cross supports with manpower and transport.
• Drinking water and hygiene: The Red Cross discusses with parents how to improve their home and personal hygiene, such as handwashing with soap and water. The Red Cross also repairs water points or constructs new water points for clean drinking water.
• Cleaner indoor air: The Red Cross provides information about the consequences of an unhealthy indoor environment and offers solutions to reduce indoor air pollution. Thus cooking stoves are promoted that use 80% less wood and hence produce much less harmful smoke. The Red Cross helps families make their own stoves or buy one on credit.

Treatment

Knowledge

The Red Cross is teaching the community how to prevent and timely recognise pneumonia and how to obtain treatment for children.

Training

Health care workers within communities are trained to diagnose, treat or refer one of the most common paediatric diseases: pneumonia. Manageable but effective medical equipment, like breathing counters are helpful. Well trained Red Cross volunteers play an important role in communities, teaching parents and local health care workers to prevent pneumonia, timely recognise signs and refer to a clinic.

3FM Serious Request

Each year in the week before Christmas NPO 3FM DJs lock themselves in a glass radio studio in the centre of a large city somewhere in The Netherlands. These 3FM-DJs will not eat for six days while broadcasting live radio and television 24/7. They can be followed non-stop online from the Glass House and call on as many people as possible to take action for a silent emergency. The public is paying for record requests, takes action and raises funding.

For a compilation of the week in 2015 see:

What can you do for 3FM Serious Request?

The Glass House will be in Breda from 18 to 24 December 2016. Take action for 3FM Serious Request. You can help in many different ways. Alone or together with your association, school or company. Make a record request, donate directly a sum of money or invent your own fundraising action. You may want to organise a sponsored run, bake cookies or invent an activity with your entire school.

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Want to know more?

Do you want to read more about the causes and consequences of pneumonia in young children in developing countries and what the Red Cross is doing to help? Please look at seriousrequest.3fm.nl or rodekruis.nl/seriousrequest. A specific explanation for students and schools will be posted at this website in the autumn. On www.rodekruis.nl/trackyourmoney you can see how the money of previous 3FM actions has been spent.