By Fayez el Zaki Hassan KHARTOUM, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Ministry of Social Affairs has called on the Sudanese community to pray for its children and work to enhance their rights and achieve peace in the country. The ministry, in a statement issued Friday which is the Universal Children's Day, stressed the importance of joint actions between the state and community institutions to consolidate children's rights, promote their good treatment and preserve the their religious and cultural affinity. The statement said Sudan had promoted health awareness in Khartoum State and care for children and their mothers. The statement further called for protection for the children and urged the Sudanese people to pray so that Sudan would enjoy peace and stability and that its children would live a normal and safe life. Meanwhile, UNICEF Sudan has appealed for Sudanese religious leaders to pray for the Sudanese children to mark the 20th anniversary. In a statement issued by UNICEF in Khartoum Friday, UNICEF representative in Sudan Nils Kastberg said the World Day for Prayer and Action for Children was part of a worldwide initiative launched by the Global Network of Religions for Children in collaboration with UNICEF. 'It is important for organizations like UNICEF to work more closely with religious groups,' Kastberg said in the statement. He added that faith-based organizations were often able to reach deprived and marginalized children when others could not and that they could also help create awareness among their congregations about children's rights and needs. The objective of the initiative was to encourage all religions and faith-based groups to join in a Day of Prayer and Action for Children in every house of worship in all communities, the statement said Kastberg, meanwhile, said that, though around 6 million children received their basic level school education in Sudan, about three million others did not. He said there were standing challenges that needed to be confronted, pointing out that around 305,000 children aged less than five years die annually in Sudan due to malnutrition, malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea and measles, and that 110,000 children died within 28 days of birth. He stressed that such challenges could be confronted by immunizing the children against diseases, encouraging the mothers to wash their hands with soap and educating them on importance of breastfeeding. He further called for provision of education to both girls and boys equally through out the country. The world celebrates the Universal Children's Day on Nov. 20 each year. 