Child Health: A fair start in life >> Reaching the most vulnerable low- and middle-income countries, much of the impetus for progress has come from strengthened health systems and community-based health interventions. Community health workers have expanded the reach of care, linking vulnerable people to high 67 impact, low-cost interventions for maternal, newborn and child health. one striking example comes from ethiopia. Between 2004 and 2010, the Government of ethiopia trained and deployed 38,000 health extension workers to local posts across the country, where they delivered basic antenatal and post-natal 68 care, reaching populations previously not covered by the health system. Similarly, health Surveillance assistants in Malawi have provided an essential link between the formal health system and the community, contributing to one of the world’s 69 most accelerated national declines in child mortality. FIGURE 1.5 Accelerated progress in neonatal mortality is key to meeting the SDG target required annual rate of reduction 2015–2030 versus the observed annual rate of reduction in neonatal mortality Annual rate of reduction 10 required from 2015 CK to reach a neonatal Pakistan -Tra mortality rate of off CK 8 -Tra 12 deaths per 1,000 live on births by 2030 (%) nigeria Neonatal deaths 6 india 1.000.000 100.000 10.000 4 democratic republic of the Congo 2 0 2 4 6 8 10 -2 observed annual rate of reduction in neonatal mortality during 2000–2015 (%) low-income countries lower-middle-income countries Upper-middle-income countries high-income countries Bubble size indicates estimated number of neonatal deaths in 2015 1,000,000 100,000 10,000 Note: Countries above the diagonal line need faster rates of reduction (i.e., accelerated progress) to achieve the target. Countries below the diagonal line will be able to achieve the target at their current rates of reduction. Those on the horizontal axis had already reached the target in 2015. Source: UniCef analysis based on Un iGMe, 2015. The STaTe of The World’S Children 2016 22