Rwanda is one of the few sub-Saharan African countries on track to achieve MDGs 4 and 5. Child mortality fell rapidly between 2000 and 2013 from 182 to 52 deaths per 1,000 live births. Maternal mortality fell from 1,000 deaths to 320 per 100,000 live births. Rwanda has also seen a significant reduction in health inequalities – both in mortality rates and coverage of services. Disparities in child mortality rates have reduced significantly between socioeconomic groups as well as between rural and urban areas over the past decade. Impressive improvements have also been made in the coverage of services – 98% of one-year-olds received the DTP3 vaccine in 2010, higher than in the UK. Equity gaps have also been closing between rural and urban areas and socioeconomic groups across a wide range of indicators. In 2000, women in the richest economic group were three times more likely to give birth in the presence of a skilled attendant. By 2010, this ratio had reduced to 1.4, with coverage among the poorest group rising from 22% to 64%. There is a still a long way to go, but this trend is encouraging.

This brief describes Save the Children UK's policy recommendations for improving the health of the children in Rwanda.