Down Syndrome Global Education Fund launched

PORTSMOUTH, UK - On World Down Syndrome Day 2009, Down Syndrome Education International has launched a new Global Education Fund to improve care and education for young people with Down syndrome wherever they live. The Fund will directly support advice, information and services for young people with Down syndrome and their families in low and middle income countries.
Almost all of the 200,000 children who will be born with Down syndrome in high income countries during the next decade will survive to adulthood. They will receive knowledgeable medical care, additional educational support and live in societies that have become, and continue to become, more welcoming and inclusive. These children can now look forward to richer and more fulfilling lives lasting in excess of 60 years.

However, without action now, half of the 2 million babies who will be born in low and middle income countries during the next decade will not live for even a few years. For the luckier ones who survive, abuse, neglect and exclusion are too common. Many health and educations systems are ill-prepared to provide knowledgeable care and support for young people with Down syndrome.
Commenting on the new initiative, Frank Buckley, Chief Executive of Down Syndrome Education International said, "This is unjust. Rich countries know how to help people with Down syndrome live increasingly fulfilled lives.

Knowledgeable, modern medical care has increased life expectancy from 12 years to over 60 years in little over 5 decades. Modern educational techniques are helping young people with Down syndrome gain better speech, language, reading and maths skills. However, these improvements are not yet reaching the vast majority of children who have Down syndrome who are born in developing countries. The time has come to ensure all people with Down syndrome benefit from effective care and support."

Down Syndrome Education International has already begun to work with families, support groups and NGOs around the world to identify practical ways in which we can help to improve the care given to young people who have Down syndrome and to deliver outreach services. The new fund will support work to reach out to families, support groups, associations, NGOs and governmental organisations on the ground, providing hands-on advice, training and translated resources in low and middle income countries.

What you can do
If every person who reads this message today gives £50 ($75 or €60), then we would quickly reach this goal and be able to begin transforming the lives of thousands of children with Down syndrome around the world within weeks.

To mark World Down Syndrome Day, you could also forward this plea to 21 friends and ask them to also support this cause and help to make World Down Syndrome Day 2009 a day to remember for future generations of people with Down syndrome.

World Down Syndrome Day only comes around once every year. By giving the equivalent of less than £1.00 ($1.50 or €1.20) per week you can help make a difference for people with Down syndrome wherever they live.

How to give
You can donate to the Global Education Fund through Down Syndrome Education International, a UK registered charity, by pledging your donation securely online:
Visit http://lnktrack.co.uk/1679991/540592333/53780933/839204/64397/0/t2.aspx and select "Global Education Fund" as the specified purpose of your donation.

You can also donate to the Global Education Fund through Down Syndrome Education USA, a 501(c)(3) US nonprofit:
Visit http://lnktrack.co.uk/1679992/540592333/53780933/839204/64397/0/t2.aspx and select "Global Education Fund" as the specified purpose of your donation.

For other ways to donate or to support this initiative, go to the Down Syndrome Education International web page on the Global Education Fund.