Child Survival Aid

* The past four months of peacekeeping and famine relief in Somalia has cost the U.S. an estimated $750 million. This is more than three times our annual expenditures on child survival activities worldwide. Programs such as immunization and micronutrient supplements could have minimized the catastrophe that hit Somalia, especially for children under the age of 5.

As a nation, we tend to be good at crisis management but penny-wise thinking costs more in the long run. The Senate Appropriations Committee is now considering its annual markup for foreign assistance. Low-cost, preventive programs enhance child survival and are a much better investment than emergency funding for military action.

ANNA AMARANDOS

Huntington Beach