I love photos like this, a true representation of the world right now. A healthy baby, bright-eyed and vibrant… and in this case a little confused.

It is true, child mortality is high in Congo compared to most of the rest of the world. In 2016 the rate was 94 deaths per 1000 live births compared to the United States where it was only 5.6 that year.

But what about 30 years ago? In Congo, it was 184 deaths per 1,000 live births. Double what it is now.

In the past 30 years organizations like the one I work for, IMA World Health, have been kicking ass all over the planet to make the world a better place and now, the truth is, things are better in Congo (and the world) than they have ever been. The mortality rate is half what it used to be. It’s still not great and that’s why we have to keep working hard to close the gap, but we can be hopeful that the gap will in fact close because it has already been closing for a very long time now.

We’re halfway there. 👊

And this concludes my 365 photos for 2018. 👊👊

Magic 365/365, Bright Eyes, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2016