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“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future” -John F. Kennedy It has been recognized that the health, hygiene, education, protection and social development of children are all connected.1 The academic success of youth is strongly linked with their health and is one way to predict adult health outcomes. Schools are the right place for a healthy start. Schools play a critical role in promoting the health and safety of young people and helping them establish lifelong healthy behaviours.2 An estimated 6.6 million children and young adolescents have died in 2016, mostly from preventable causes.3 More than 3000 adolescents die every day, totalling a 1.2 million deaths a year, from largely preventable causes. In 2015, more than twothirds of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South-East Asia. Despite the progress made in increasing coverage, the gap in quality of care is contributing to complications and deaths among children. Most of these deaths can be prevented with good health services, education and social support.4