Fieldnotes: Blogging on UNICEF's child survival work in the field

Imagine the shock waves that would register throughout the world if the combined populations of New York and Paris--more than 10 million people--were wiped out in a single year. A loss of lives on this scale is numbing--but that's the number of children under five who die every year from diseases that are largely preventable. What's more, hunger and undernutrition are underlying factors in over half of these deaths.

Undernutrition in mothers is the major cause of low birthweight in at least 20 million babies a year. Infants who are underweight at birth face much higher risks of chronic illness and early death because their tiny bodies have little resistance to disease. The absence of micronutrients in a mother's diet also has an impact; for example, if a mother lacks iodine, the infant is at risk of irreversible brain damage.

Caryl Stern, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF's Chief Operating Officer testified today before the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, and painted a less than rosy picture: "One underweight and undernourished child is an individual tragedy, but multiplied by tens of millions, undernutrition becomes a global threat to societies and to economies." She noted that hunger and poor nourishment have a negative impact on economic development by slowing growth and perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

Despite this threat and the profound waste of young lives, the world is far from being on track to fix the problem. There is a long way to go just to reach the U.N.s Millennium Development Goal for 2015 of lowering the percentage of underweight kids by half--one reason why UNICEF and the World Food Program are working together on the End Child Hunger and Undernutrition Initiative.

Their partnership will help developing countries provide an affordable package of basic goods and services--such as vital micronutrient supplements, clean water, information on prevention of diarrhea, and health and hygiene education--all of which will make a huge difference in saving lives. As Caryl noted, food aid alone is not the solution--helping the world's population of undernourished children requires a coordinated, holistic approach to keeping kids healthy.

Caryl urged the legislators to provide $130 million for the U.S. Government's contribution to UNICEF for Fiscal Year 2008--and we're urging every friend of children to use our online Action Center to send an e-mail to Congress to support this funding.

We'll post Caryl's complete testimony soon, and keep you up to date on the status of this funding.

Click here to launch a slideshow presentation about UNICEF's programs that provide clean water and sanitation to the world's most vulnerable children.

Please join us in taking a moment today, on World Water Day, to reflect on and raise awareness about the millions of children around the world who lack clean water.

Despite the apparent abundance of clean water in the United States and most of the developed world, more than 1 billion people around the world lack clean, safe drinking water and more than 2.6 billion lack adequate sanitation services. Some 400 million children struggle to survive without safe water and basic sanitation, two basic health necessities we take for granted in the developed world.

UNICEF, with its formidable resources and global influence, is uniquely placed to lead the effort in providing sophisticated, large-scale, and permanent solutions to help those children threatened by unsafe water supplies and disease.

We invite you to view our photo essay at right about UNICEF's programs that provide clean water and sanitation to the world's most vulnerable children. Then, take a moment to share your comments below about how UNICEF's low-cost, high-impact water and sanitation programs save children's lives.

By increasing awareness about the global impact of the water crisis, you will help make a difference.

As a chef, I rely on clean water every day. In my kitchens, we use water for everything from rinsing produce to washing dishes. I’m sure you count on clean water running every time you turn the tap on too.

But did you know that 21 percent of children living in the developing world do not have access to clean water? UNICEF tells us that one in five children do not have the clean water they need to thrive.

But that’s where the Tap Project comes in. Today, more than 250 New York City area restaurants, including my own, will ask their customers to donate $1 for the tap water they usually drink for free. All of the proceeds will be donated to UNICEF, which will use the money to support clean water programs and save children’s lives across the world. Just $1 can provide safe drinking water for a child for 40 days.

So I hope that you will join me in supporting this lifesaving project. You can find a list of restaurants that are participating here.

Together, we can make a difference to save children’s lives on World Water Day.

The Tap Project launches tomorrow. Over 250 New York City restaurants will invite their diners to pay $1 for the tap water they normally enjoy for free. All the money raised will help UNICEF provide safe drinking water to children around the world.

If you are in the New York City area, please join us in dining out tomorrow night at a participating restaurant. I made my reservations, have you?

If you won't be able to dine out with us tomorrow night, please consider marking a donation in support of UNICEF's clean water programs.

You can also help by spreading the word about the Tap Project and UNICEF's efforts to bring clean water to kids around the world. Our thanks to the many bloggers who are helping us talk Tap. Here's some Tap Project posts we thought you might like to see: Cravings, Restaurant Girl, and Minnie's Musings.

This Thursday, March 22, is World Water Day. I know what some of you are thinking: Here we go again, one more manufactured holiday to get people to pay attention to another issue! And, you would be right. Yes, the purpose of World Water Day is to put a spotlight on the importance of clean and safe water, something we all have access to in the US, and rarely even ponder. But many children and their families in developing countries don’t have this luxury.

Here’s why I’m excited about World Water day and why you can be too. Almost 300 restaurants in the New York area are going to help raise money and awareness about the importance of clean water and it’s scarcity in developing nations by participating in the Tap Project.

When you dine at one of the participating restaurants, you will be asked to pay $1 for NYC’s finest tap water. All donations will go to support UNICEF’s water programs and, in turn, can save and improve children’s lives around the world. With these contributions, UNICEF will be able to install more water pumps and increase access to clean water for kids.

So, how can just installing water pumps save lives? So many ways…most directly is that when kids drink dirty water, they can die from dysentery and diarrheal disease. Providing kids access to clean water will prevent this. Lack of access to water pumps force young women to travel miles to collect the water and bring it back to their village. In places of heavy conflict, like Darfur, collecting water is essentially risking your life. These women may be raped or killed in the process of gathering the water they need to survive.

It's mind boggling to think that lack of access to water can have such impacts for kids and their families.

Water: For me it’s simple, I turn on my tap and out it comes. I shower in it, cook with it, and I drink it straight from the tap. Until I started working for UNICEF, never did I realize how lucky I was to do all of the above.

So on World Water Day, March 22, if you can dine in a Tap Project restaurant, please do. Or, go to Starbucks. They are also helping in the effort for clean water. Then, the next time you turn on your tap to take a sip of water, just simply close your eyes and think about how fortunate you are.

Some of you may begin noticing a change in the updates you receive in your inbox from the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. These messages will no longer be coming from "Charles Lyons, UNICEF USA."

Fundraising Success magazine featured Chip and the U.S. Fund as its cover story in January.

Charles, or “Chip” as we affectionately know him, is continuing his humanitarian work at the Gates foundation.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to tell you all about Chip. Chip has been within the UNICEF family for 25 years and for the past ten, he has been President of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

As Chip leaves USF, he leaves us in a place of reflection on the many accomplishments for the world’s children.

I’ve had the distinct privilege of working with Chip for almost all of his ten years at the U.S. Fund, so I can tell you first hand of the great strides made for kids under Chip’s leadership. Chip’s long history with UNICEF includes working in the field in Mozambique, where he helped tackle and understand the life-threatening issues that kids face everyday such as basic health issues, dirty water, wars, crises, and floods. Chip also served as Chief of Staff for Carol Bellamy, former Executive Director of UNICEF. As the President of the U.S. Fund, Chip instilled in all of us the belief that the work we do here every day, whether we are staff, supporters or donors, means we are saving children’s lives, every day.

When I think about what ten years of UNICEF means, it means hundreds of millions of kids immunized; it means millions of bed nets distributed to protect against malaria; many thousands of water pumps installed; more and more kids enrolled in school, every day. It is truly awesome.

Chip would be the first one to tell you that these accomplishments have been a team effort, of UNICEF and you, working together. Millions of children are alive today because of your support of UNICEF. Millions have more hope of surviving in what were previously seen as hopeless circumstances.

I have to admit it’s very hard for me to say goodbye to Chip, but as I reflect on the past ten years, I know we are in the best position we’ve ever been to continue our work on behalf of children. Ten million children still die each year from preventable causes, but that number would be much higher if it wasn’t for UNICEF’s work over the past decade.

Chip leaves behind a team of people determined to make an even greater difference in the next decade, and for that, I say “Thank you, Chip.”

Thank you, Fieldnotes readers and UNICEF supporters, for the emails and comments you've posted here in support of Mia Farrow's recent trip to Africa. I wanted you to know we're collecting your comments and sending them to Ms. Farrow.

At 5 p.m. EST tonight, Ms. Farrow will appear on PalTalk, a web-based radio talk show. She will be taking questions from callers.

Also, some of you have emailed and called to ask us what you can do to support UNICEF. "Is there also a direct way our families (our school communities) could help and know that the help was getting to the right people?" asked Amy.

Communities can gather together online to support UNICEF's work by creating your own Emergency Response Team. Our online tool allows you to build a customized donation page and email family and friends to ask for their help. Let me know if you have any problems setting up your own Emergency Response site. I'd be glad to help.