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

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.”