Selena Gomez goes behind the scenes at the UNICEF Emergency Response Office

UNICEF is working each and every day of the year to help children in need. We have been working especially hard to raise awareness of the catastrophic crisis unfolding right now in the Sahel region in Africa. It’s hard to fathom, but a million children could die if they are not given the urgent help they need.

The response from our supporters has been terrific, and we’re especially fortunate to have UNICEF Ambassador Selena Gomez on our team. The talented  actress, recording artist and designer has once again lent her support to UNICEF and spread the word about this crisis. 

Recently, Selena visited OPSCEN—UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Operations Center—in New York, where she toured UNICEF’s behind-the-scenes operations, and recorded a PSA, urging people to donate to UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts in the Sahel. OPSCEN is where UNICEF monitors emergencies and ongoing crises worldwide to provide the most effective humanitarian aid. During her visit, Selena was shown some of UNICEF’s emergency kits, including the Early Childhood Development Kit and School in a Box. These kits help create a sense of normalcy for children who’ve gone through the devastation of a humanitarian crisis. Below you can watch the video of Selena’s visit to OPSCEN.

Selena has engaged her large and dedicated fan base to support UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts  by tweeting to her 11 million followers, asking them to spread the word on #SahelNOW and to donate $10 via text. Additionally, Selena posed a social media competition to her fans, asking them to get creative and take a photo that included #SahelNOW, and to tag UNICEF USA on Facebook to spread the word on the crisis. We received hundreds of photos from her fans showing their support of #SahelNOW, and the top five photos with the most votes were featured on Selena’s Facebook page, with the winning photo earning the top honor of becoming Selena’s Facebook and Twitter icon for a week. You can check out all the unique photos (and even submit one of your own!) on our Facebook photo album.

Simply stated, Selena is inspiring people in the U.S. and around the world to support the children in the Sahel.

To help UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts for children in the Sahel text FOOD to 864233 to donate $10.