Every Child Magazine

Every four months the U.S. Fund for UNICEF puts out a terrific magazine, called Every Child. The magazine features stories on issues affecting children around the world, gives updates on UNICEF’s work, and highlights the efforts of UNICEF partners and supporters.

This issue’s cover story, “UNICEF in the Urban World,” takes place in Thailand—but it reflects the plight of vulnerable children in cities everywhere. We meet a 10-year-old boy named Poon (not his real name), who fled his abusive family and ended up living on the streets of Chiang Mai. He was sleeping outside in the cold, sexually victimized by tourists and locals alike, until a UNICEF-supported outreach group persuaded him to visit a drop-in center. He now lives at the center, and is back to attending school. In the end, Poon was lucky to get off the streets—but many city children aren’t as lucky.

Today, almost half of the world’s children live in cities. While urbanization is associated with economic development, children who live in slums and shantytowns are among the most disadvantaged in the world.

The hazards that urban children face are unique: They are exposed to crime and gangs and to drugs and alcohol, and have higher rates of HIV infection. What’s more, many children lack birth certificates or identification and are often hard to reach. UNICEF is developing programs in cities all over the world to address the specific issues that city children face.  A program’s focus might be on gang violence, environmental hazards, or on continuing UNICEF’s long-running initiatives that help children like Poon get off the streets.

You can read more about Poon and the plight of vulnerable urban children in the cover story of the latest Every Child issue. You can also learn about the U.S. Fund’s new End Trafficking initiative, the Global Summit to end preventable child deaths within a generation held in Washington D.C., UNICEF’s emergency response to the drought in the Sahel, and much more.

Check out the issue for yourself. And if there’s anything that strikes you in particular, let us know in the comments section below!