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| ©UNICEF/HQ02-0567/Pirozzi A boy embraces his grandmother in a village near Maseru, capital of Lesotho. He is one of three grandchildren she is caring for since the death of their parents from AIDS. |
UNICEF recently took a close look at the needs of children around the world and published its annual Humanitarian Action Report. In the report, UNICEF pinpoints 39 countries which are caught up in man-made or natural emergencies and which need emergency funding. UNICEF is asking for $856 million in donations to help the women and children in these countries.
The worldwide emergencies include the ongoing refugee crisis in Sudan, the continuing recovery in Pakistan from its 2005 earthquake, the huge number of malnourished children in West Africa, and the rape and abduction of girls and women in war-torn regions.
But there is hope. With the help of UNICEF, and with the support that UNICEF can give to local governments and other organizations, these situations can be alleviated. Families fleeing from war in the Democratic Republic of Congo are given shelter. In Sudan, refugee women are taught how to best feed their babies. UNICEF’S emergency funding is used to feed malnourished children in Kashmir, train midwives in Afghanistan, and prevent a mother in Haiti from transmitting HIV to her unborn child. We make sure Iraq’s refugee children can continue going to school, and we help former child soldiers heal.
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| ©UNICEF/HQ05-1963/LeMoyne A malnourished child in a hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The country is the poorest in the Americas and 1of 12 of its under-five children die from mostly preventable causes. |
We will be telling you more stories on this blog about the women and children caught in crises and what UNICEF is doing to help them. Come back often to learn about the lives that need our help. Is there an issue that affects you the most? Please use our comment section to let us know what’s on your mind.
If you would like to learn more about the report, go to UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action Report page. And if you would like to answer UNICEF’s appeal for emergency funding, you can go here to donate to UNICEF’s emergency programs.
Comments (2)
I am a South African that has my blood flowing like crazy, when i look at what you are achieving, and the humanitarian work that you are striving for, simply because what my wife and i are wanting to achieve in Africa works hand in hand with poverty, destitution and feeding people not only in food, but also in education and self empowerment for the long term and not for just today but for always. Is there any possible way that we can help from our side?
Do you have contact people in South Africa?
We would be grateful to hear from you
Craig Ellis
Posted by Craig Ellis | March 6, 2008 10:40 AM
Posted on March 6, 2008 10:40
Thank you for wanting to help! UNICEF is represented all over the world, including in South Africa. We have a UNICEF South Africa website (www.unicef.org/southafrica) where you can see what UNICEF is doing in your country. You can also donate to UNICEF using the South Africa website.
On the ground, we often work alongside local organizations. I suggest you contact the UNICEF office in Pretoria if you are interested in becoming a partner or working with a local organization. Thank you again for working to improve the lives of children in your country.
Annette Apitz
U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Posted by Annette Apitz | March 13, 2008 10:15 AM
Posted on March 13, 2008 10:15