Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States of America serving between January 20, 1977 and January 20, 1981. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for work to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.
He passed away peacefully at home Sunday.
In the early 90s, Jimmy Carter and Michael Jackson teamed up to help immunize children in Los Angeles and Atlanta against preventable childhood diseases. UNICEF estimates that vaccinations prevent 2-3 million deaths a year.
“Somewhere in this country, we need to prove there are solutions to problems that are tearing our families apart. instability at home, unemployment, violence, drug abuse, inadequate health care, teenage pregnancy, and juvenile delinquency, among others. If we don’t start now, it will be too late for a whole generation of Americans” President Carter said.
In late 1991, The Carter Center Launched The Atlanta Project, an community-wide effort to build partnerships for change. Thousands of volunteers have joined with residents of urban neighborhoods and with other nonprofit organisations, government service providers and local businesses to attack the problems associated with Poverty.
In the mean time, Michael Jackson created the Heal The World Foundation in 1992, to provide relief to children in disadvantaged areas around the world.
In January 1993, President Carter accepted an invitation from Michael Jackson to co-chair his new national Heal Our Children/Heal The World initiative. Heal L.A. was the first local program of this new domestic effort and it mirrored the philosophy of the Carter Center’s Atlanta Project.
“Working together through our Heal Our Children/Heal The World partnership, our goal is to help people in U.S. inner cities take control of their own lives” said Michael Jackson.
Immunisation was one of the important goals being pursued in Atlanta and L.A. by both projects as back then, only half of preschool children in the US were fully immunised against measles, polio and whooping cough.
“Michael Jackson and I agree that it is critically important to inspire families to immunize their young children as a first step to getting them into the health care system” said Carter.
Rest in Peace President Carter.
