When "American Idol," the FOX television network and the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF) selected UNICEF to be one of the beneficiaries of the special "Idol Gives Back" broadcast and fundraiser this past April — the incredible potential to raise money and awareness for children living in poverty was obvious. But, nobody could have predicted that the American public would be quite so generous, and UNICEF couldn't be more pleased with the results.
Just last week, CPEF announced that they have been able to award the nominated beneficiaries, including the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, a total of $62 million in grants. In addition, $7 million in matched funds was allocated at the end of April immediately after the “Idol Gives Back” broadcast, and another $6 million remains to be allocated. To date, the grand total raised, including corporate and matched funding, comes to $75.1 million.
CPEF's grant to UNICEF will allow us to provide over 800,000 children with health care services through an initiative we call "Accelerated Child Survival and Development." Additionally, nearly 500,000 students will receive an education along with school supplies.
UNICEF ' s accelerated child survival approach addresses the ongoing issues that affect why kids are dying, and provides lifesaving interventions. The result is a single initiative that aims to save an estimated 3.2 million children’s lives in sub-Saharan Africa over the next 4 years, and permanently improve the futures of countless others.
For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world’s leading children’s organization, saving more young lives than any other humanitarian organization. Each year, nearly 5 million children in sub-Saharan Africa fall victim to the cycle of poverty, which threatens their chances of survival. The key to breaking this cycle is to reach every child with high-impact, low-cost solutions that tackle the multiple causes of poverty in children’s lives, such as inadequate healthcare and education.
Thanks to the two-night star-studded "Idol Gives Back" event — masterminded by Simon Fuller, creator and executive producer of "American Idol" — millions more vulnerable African children living in extreme poverty will lead healthier lives with better education.
