To reduce by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five

Must a child be skin and bones for us to believe she is at risk?

The children in these photographs sleep, eat and play like any others. They look like our children, just a bit poorer. But in the Dominican Republic, hurricanes and floods wreak angry havoc.

The floods that came in May this year swept away many people's homes and crops. Water gathered up rubbish and raw sewage, and quickly became infected. Fewer than 10% of children under two years of age have been immunised, so many are now dying of preventable diseases.

The Dominican Republic's economy hangs by a thread - and so do the lives of these children.

Most mothers breastfeed their babies, but when it's time to introduce solids, being poor means they can't afford nutritious food. Every day the lives of 29,000 children throughout the world are needlessly lost.

In poor countries like this one, one out of every 10 children dies before the age of five. Every day children are dying of respiratory infections, diarrhoea, measles or malaria. Malnutrition plays a part in half of these deaths.

Tackling child mortality isn't just about feeding starving children. To stay healthy, all children need clean water, food, healthcare and a home.

Where you are born will determine whether your children have a chance in life - or whether, like the children in La Penuela, they play under the constant shadow of disaster.

We can all do something to make the world a fairer place.

· Photos by Tim Dirven in the village of La Penuela in the south-west of the Dominican Republic, where Plan International is working.
Sponsored by Plan International