Fieldnotes

Nine is too young to be married

2008-07-24T17:15:10Z


	© UNICEF/HQ95-0154/Shankar
	INDIA: A child bride attends the celebrations leading up to her wedding in the Rajgarh District of Madhya Pradesh State.

Recently, two young girls made a very big stir in Yemen. Nujood, who is ten, and Arwa, nine, gained national attention when they very publicly left their husbands. Yes, you read correctly—they left their husbands. Both girls were married to much older men—marriages arranged by their families.

In Yemen—and a shocking number of other countries around the world—child marriage remains a widely accepted practice, especially in very poor and rural areas. There are a bunch of reasons parents may choose to marry off their daughters when they are quite young. Struggling, hungry families may decide they'd be better off with one fewer mouth to feed. Parents may think an early marriage will protect their daughters from random sexual assault. Or they may see these marriages as a way to ensure their daughters won't become pregnant out of wedlock.

One thing is certain—for so many young girls, child marriage crushes their ability to create their own future. Young married girls usually stop attending school. They often become isolated from their family and friends, with playtime replaced by household chores. Girls married at a young age also face serious health risks from pregnancy and childbirth—a girl under age 16 is five times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than a woman between the ages of 20 to 24.

]]> UNICEF wants to see an end to early marriage, which robs girls of their childhoods. We're working with government officials to change laws, and with communities to change cultures. We support programs, like this one in Bangladesh, that help empower teenage girls, give them leadership and life skills, and provide them with a supportive environment so they can make their own choices.

In Yemen specifically, UNICEF recently sponsored a workshop—with Members of Parliament, the Sharia Committee, doctors and human rights activists—to look at changing Yemen's laws in order to better protect children. UNICEF's Naseem Ur-Rehman said there are many cases like Nujood's that go unnoticed. “We want to end the silent suffering,” he told the attendees.

The workshop concluded that the minimum marriage age in Yemen should be 18, and the sponsors of both brides and grooms should be punished if they allow them to marry under this age. But turning that conclusion into national law will be a challenge, and UNICEF intends to keep pushing on this issue.

ETHIOPIA: A girl, age 13, holds up a medical certificate that indicates she is HIV-negative. The certificate helped her receive an annulment for an arranged marriage to an older man who was HIV-positive.

Here in the United States, we'd also like to see Congress pass bipartisan legislation that would bolster U.S. efforts to prevent child marriage. Want to help? You can, by contacting your Members of Congress to let them know you want them to cosponsor and support this legislation.

I'm awed by the courage of Nujood and Arwa in Yemen (imagine being divorced at age ten). And now, thanks to them, there's a movement in Yemen to get rid of child marriage. “This is the first shout,” said human rights lawyer, Shada Nasser. Let's all work to help turn that one shout into a worldwide holler.

Clay Aiken calls for Kenya's kids to return to school

2008-07-22T19:28:27Z

UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken recently visited the East African countries of Somalia and Kenya, where UNICEF provides children with health care, education, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. This is the last in a series of blog posts he has written about his experience in the field.

In early July, after visiting Somalia, I traveled to Eldoret, in Kenya’s Rift Valley, to visit camps for internally displaced people. This is where some of the worst violence took place following the Kenya elections in early 2008. Thousands of children were made homeless by the unrest.

Everywhere we went, there were the charcoaled remains of homes, schools and shops. We drove for hours and everywhere we went, we saw people trying to get their lives restored.

Although many schools were re-opened, far fewer children are turning up for class than before. And classes are taking place in schools that have been completely destroyed. I saw children sitting on rocks and bricks—which used to make up the foundations and roofs of their schools—using them now as desks and chairs. ]]> Fortunately, this was not the situation everywhere. In most IDP camps, UNICEF has provided classroom tents and School-in-a-Box kits, along with teaching and learning materials, and even desks and chairs.

Getting children back to school is vital for their protection, and helps build a sense of normalcy in their lives. The re-establishment of schools in the most difficult circumstances is a testament to the commitment of UNICEF and to Kenyans. Many displaced parents told UNICEF that getting their children back to school was their top priority.

Every child has the right to an education. Education transforms lives and breaks the cycle of poverty that so many children are caught in. And an educated child will make sure his or her own children receive an education too. This is just another one of the many amazing ways UNICEF is helping children today, while also building a safer Kenya tomorrow. Click here to learn more about UNICEF's education programs.

Boys need protection too

2008-07-21T20:27:53Z

Earlier this month, I posted an entry on this blog about girls in Darfur being sexually assaulted when they collect firewood in the wilderness. One of our readers left a question that may have crossed many people’s minds: “How about letting the MEN collect the firewood?!”

When I first researched this subject, I also wondered why girls in Darfur were left to do this risky chore in secluded areas while boys stayed behind at camp. But I later learned that boys in war-torn countries also suffer horrible abuse, violence and exploitation.

In Darfur, when militias raid villages, they sometimes immediately execute the boys along with the men. In times of war, many fighting groups see young men and boys as threats or as potential soldiers, so boys are either killed or kidnapped and forced to serve in militias.

Lucky to be alive, three nomadic boys wander amid the remains of a village reputed to harbour Janjaweed militias in North Darfur State, Sudan. But until these boys relocate to a protected camp for displaced people, their lives remain in great danger.

]]> In northern Uganda, the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has kidnapped more than 25,000 children since 1986. These mass abductions have created a population of children who travel at night to large towns and urban centers to avoid being captured by the LRA—known as "night commuters."

UNICEF estimates that there are some 40,000 children living as night commuters. In search of shelter, these kids travel alone every night. In the mornings, they pack their belongings and start walking to the next town or back to their homes in the countryside, to repeat the process all over again.

Children and women carrying blankets and sleeping bags gather on their way to seek shelter in the northern town of Kitgum in Uganda. These and other "night commuters" move to urban centers for the night to avoid attacks and abduction.

This exhausting, evasive lifestyle separates kids from their families, and deprives them of an education and a stable environment. Plus, it’s extremely dangerous. Traveling alone, without family or any adult supervision, leaves these kids vulnerable to abuse and sexual exploitation.

UNICEF and its partners are helping night commuters by supplying them with emergency shelter, medical care and psychosocial counseling. UNICEF has also reunited more than 5,000 night commuters with their relatives through family-tracing support programs.

But until the kidnappings stop, these children will continue their nightly treks, looking for safety with the start of every sunset.

Copenhagen: It’s not just about supplies

2008-07-20T20:33:29Z


	© Elizabeth de Velasco, 2008

U.S. Fund for UNICEF staff member Elizabeth de Velasco recently traveled to UNICEF's main supply division warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark, and filed this report.

Sure, there’s a warehouse the size of three football fields. But more than that, the UNICEF staff at the supply division in Copenhagen have an expertise in the procurement, shipment and use of international development supplies.


	© Elizabeth de Velasco, 2008

For example, the government of Sudan requested that UNICEF manage the supplies needed for its census. UNICEF dispatched Omar, a warehouse employee. He spent five weeks there making sure that there were enough pencils, paper, boxes and trucks for the census to function throughout Sudan—which is roughly the size of western Europe, but insecure and with weak infrastructure.

Another warehouse staff member, John, develops innovative ways to pack and distribute supplies in conflict and post-conflict situations. In a Back-to-School campaign in Afghanistan a few years ago, John figured out how to get the education supplies to all of the new schoolchildren from an Aghanistan supply center. But women and men could not work side-by-side, so John just rigged up a bedsheet to partition the room, and work was able to commence.


	© Elizabeth de Velasco, 2008

While the Copenhagen warehouse stores less than ten percent of UNICEF’s supplies—the rest get shipped directly from producers to the UNICEF country offices—it does have the items that are most essential to have on hand for emergencies: buckets, blankets, protein biscuits, School-in-a-Box kits, recreation kits, health kits and more. And then UNICEF gets them anywhere in the world in fewer than 48 hours.

Five days left to vote for UNICEF

2008-07-18T19:21:07Z

In my last post, I told you all about the i'm Talkathon, a project started by an i'm Initiative fan named Parker to help raise awareness about this incredible program from Microsoft that donates to a social cause every time you send an IM or email. UNICEF is one of the causes, and there are just five days left in the Talkathon!

In these final days, there's a simple way you can help raise awareness for UNICEF and possibly even help us win a big donation from the social netoworking site Facebook. Facebook has pledged $15,000 to the social cause that gets the most votes in their i'm Initiative poll.

Here’s the deal: On the "i’m Making a Difference" Group page (www.facebook.com/im), look for the poll on the right margin. Simply vote for your favorite cause. You can see the results in real time.

UNICEF is currently in third place. Help make us #1! Rally your friends. Get out the vote. The more friends who get behind UNICEF, the better we will do. That's what community is all about.

And let's have a round of applause for Facebook's generous pledge. Very cool.

Pneumonia is our nemesis

2008-07-17T18:40:16Z

Not long ago, my very curious niece asked me to explain UNICEF's work. I told her about child survival issues, about how, in certain parts of the world, kids get sick and even die from things that she will never have to worry about: they don't have clean water, don't get enough to eat, come down with pneumonia…

A baby with severe pneumonia lies in the pediatric ward of a hospital in the Solomon Islands. He has a breathing tube in his nose and an intravenous needle taped to his hand.

"Pneumonia!" she said. "Isn't that what old people get when they go outside in winter without a coat?" She's not alone in imagining pneumonia as an elderly man in a wheelchair, coughing quietly from the dim corner of a nursing home. Would you be as shocked as she was to learn that pneumonia is the number one killer of children under five? That more children die from pneumonia than from AIDS, malaria and measles combined?

]]> Pneumonia is sometimes called the "silent killer." Actually, it turns out there are a number of diseases out there called the "silent killer." And in some ways it may not be the most apt description of pneumonia. But it conveys that this very deadly disease is often very overlooked.

Pneumonia tends to piggyback on other diseases, hitting children who are already vulnerable. In developing countries, where the nearest doctor may be a three-day walk away, pneumonia frequently goes undiagnosed. And suddenly, it's too late. UNICEF is tackling this problem by helping to train community health volunteers who can identify and treat pneumonia and other nasty childhood illnesses right in their village. In Nepal, for instance, there are now 48,500 community health volunteers and they are called, for obvious reasons, "miracle women."

In addition, UNICEF vaccinates against all the diseases that give pneumonia a foothold. We teach about the health importance of exclusive breastfeeding for new mothers, we work to prevent and fight HIV/AIDS and we even help families reduce indoor air pollution (pneumonia likes bad air).

Check out this riveting account of how UNICEF delivered medical supplies—including cough syrup for children with pneumonia—to one of the most dangerous areas on earth.

Key Clubbers catch the Halloween spirit

2008-07-16T20:48:28Z

At this year’s annual Key Club International Convention in Denver, Colorado, our four new ambassadors dressed up in Halloween costumes that mirrored the characters on the new Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF box.

Pictured here are Abigail, Lance, Anna and Jared, who promoted Key Club’s participation in the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign and the Swazi Children Care Project—a program that helps Swaziland’s children who have been impacted by HIV and AIDS. In addition to creating a costume buzz, Key Clubbers created cards and messages to send to the children of Swaziland, which will be sent later this summer.

Over 1400 Key Club members were in attendance at the four-day long convention, where they not only learned about UNICEF and other partners, but also elected a new president, vice president and leadership board. Stay tuned for more Key Club updates, and let us know what you think of the new box!

Somalia: Keep spreading the word

2008-07-15T22:45:23Z

For children in Somalia, the situation is dire. But, it's just amazing to me that UNICEF is still able to make a difference in children’s lives in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

For instance, while I was in northwest Somalia—where 45 percent of the population are children and women—I observed how UNICEF improves water, sanitation and hygiene conditions for everyone in the region. One of the ways they do this is by drilling "borewells" so that clean drinking water is easily accessible and readily available. Without these borewells, children would have to walk hours to fetch water instead of going to school and getting an education.]]> I also visited health clinics where women waited patiently in long lines to get insecticide treated bed nets to prevent malaria. With an estimated 700,000 cases annually, malaria is a major public health problem in Somalia. One bed nets used to cost a Somali family about $4—an enormous sum in one of the poorest countries of the world. But UNICEF now provides them for free.

UNICEF also provides much needed support to the education system in Somalia with teacher training and the funding of school supplies. Every child I met wanted to be in school. And because of UNICEF, these children—who would probably never have had any type of education—can go to school and learn in a safe, clean environment.

Educating children is much easier when teachers are trained and school facilities exist. And, providing healthcare is more easily done when aid workers do not have to worry about their security. I applaud UNICEF for doing whatever it takes to make sure children get the healthcare and education they deserve, even in Somalia.

And, I applaud you too. Since my previous blog post, you have donated over $50,000 for children Somalia. On behalf of these children, I can't thank you enough. But I also challenge you to not stop now... encourage your friends and family as well. Ask them to learn more about UNICEF's work in Somalia and around the world, and cheer them on to help out too!

Do good and earn miles

2008-07-14T16:58:53Z

Usually, all that you'd expect in return for a donation to UNICEF is the deep satisfaction of knowing you've helped some of the world's most vulnerable children who are struggling for survival every day.

But this month, our corporate partner, American Airlines, is offering an added incentive to donate: bonus miles! American Airlines AAdvantage® members who donate $50 or more at www.unicefusa.org/aa will receive a one-time award of 250 AAdvantage bonus miles. Donate $100 or more and earn 500 bonus miles.

Every donation made at www.unicefusa.org/aa will help UNICEF save and improve children's lives in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and/or the recent earthquake in Sichuan, China.

Donate today, because this special offer only lasts through July 31, 2008.

NewsNet: Crises in the Horn of Africa

2008-07-11T19:12:54Z

UNICEF and other aid agencies have warned that a combination of crises in the Greater Horn of Africa—including drought, conflict, disease and rising food and energy prices—is imperiling the lives of children and their families.

A broad array of news organizations has covered the potentially calamitous situations in Ethiopia, Somalia and other countries in the region, focusing particular attention on the threat of malnutrition. Read these reports from IRIN, AllAfrica.com and Bloomberg News.

Here's also a recent UNICEF Television report on malnutrition in Ethiopia:

]]> In Somalia—which has been pummeled by conflict, droughts and flooding—malnutrition rates have climbed beyond 20 percent. In Ethiopia, though millions face food insecurity because of conflict and drought, many are often cut off from aid.

Malnutrition is a major menace to child survival, contributing to half of all child deaths worldwide. UNICEF has urged the international community and donors to support efforts to respond to this and other grave threats in the Horn of Africa.

BACKGROUND NOTE: Drought and famine have long plagued the Horn of Africa. Two years ago, UNICEF released a multimedia report, Child Alert: Crisis in the Horn of Africa, highlighting the lethal consequences of drought and appealing for funds.

Have you followed UNICEF’s work in the Horn of Africa? Are you inspired to help? If so, please consider making an online donation.

When kids end up on the street

2008-07-10T20:27:44Z

Have you ever visited a city and been followed down the street by a scrum of children asking for money or pens, or desperately trying to sell you gum or some limp flowers? Our visit last week from UNICEF Laos Child Protection Officer Amy Delneuville got me thinking about one of the world's saddest, most overlooked groups: street children. Here in the U.S., there aren't many street children but in developing countries, poor countries, countries fractured by conflict, there are many.

A boy sleeps on a cardboard box on the street in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic.

It's impossible to know for certain just how many children spend their time living in the streets. Not surprisingly, it's a very difficult group to track. An estimated number that often pops up, though, is 100 million. If accurate, that's 100 million kids living, working, struggling and sleeping on the streets of cities. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be a kid and not know where you'll sleep that night. Or whether you'll be safe.

]]> Children end up on the street for a whole host of reasons. They may have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS or by war. They may be fleeing abusive households or homes where there's not enough food for the whole family. Maybe it's something simple: in Karachi, Pakistan, the number of street children is on the rise because it's off-season for fishing and there are few other ways for their parents to earn a living. Sometimes it's a reason that, for us, is unimaginable: in Angola, families abandon children because they've been accused of being witches.

UNICEF creates and supports programs around the globe to help street children. We make safe spaces where they can continue their schooling and can also learn practical skills—things like sewing and hairdressing—which they can use to make a living. Of course we also encourage them to have fun; we organize sports events, art projects, plays. When my colleague Adam Fifield recently visited Angola, he went to a center for street children and other vulnerable youth where they learn Capoeira—a complicated blend of dance and martial arts. I saw a tape of them performing, and it was just amazing.

UNICEF will always work to help these children and to give them a clear path away from the bleak and often scary street existence. If you want a sense of what life is really like for street children, I encourage you to watch a remarkable (though—alert—depressing) documentary about Romanian children called "Children Underground." Also, in the course of researching this post I found a great blog, World Street Children News, where you can read stories about street children all over the world. I encourage you to take a look.

Somalia: Where is the outrage?

2008-07-09T12:00:00Z

UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken recently returned from Somalia, where UNICEF provides children in the war-torn nation with health care, education, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. This is the first in a series of blog posts he will write about his experience in the field. I recently returned from a UNICEF field visit that took me to northwest Somalia. What I saw there was both amazing and heartbreaking. In many ways, the children I was able to meet are doing better than their counterparts in the rest of Somalia. But in other respects, the situation there is still quite serious.

UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken with children he met on his recent visit to Somalia.

For starters, the lack of a permanent central government has contributed to Somalia's status as one of the poorest and most volatile countries in the world. Decades of civil conflict have shattered social structures and exacerbated poverty. In such conditions—combined with an extremely arid environment and difficult terrain with settlements scattered over vast distances—a Somali child's chances of surviving to adulthood are among the lowest of children anywhere in the world. Fortunately, UNICEF is there. It has been on the ground since 1972 and is the humanitarian organization with the largest presence in Somalia. ]]>

One of the most incredible things I learned on my trip is that there are only 350 doctors left in the entire country, mostly because of the violence and insecurity. And many of these doctors are older than the average life expectancy in Somalia, which is only 45. I can't help but wonder, what is going to happen in a couple of years when there are no more doctors? What will happen to the children who struggle to survive? What disturbs me most about this terrible situation for children is that most of the world has ignored it. Millions of children live in fear and poverty—where is the outrage? At least we know something can be done. Help UNICEF save and improve the lives of children in Somalia. Donate online, right now.

Meeting world leaders

2008-07-09T11:30:44Z

We've heard from our four young people who are representing the United States at the Junior 8 Summit, shadowing the G8 summit in Japan. Here's their third blog posting, written by Manogna, who represented the United States when meeting with the G8 leaders.

Today was an interesting day. It was the day we were all waiting for! The nine representatives of the J8 delegation, including me, left an hour earlier than everyone else to get ready for the meeting with the leaders. During this meeting, we went over possible answers to various questions that could be asked and the basic schedule that we needed to follow.

The 39 youth delegates to the J8 Summit gather at the Citizens’ Cultural Center in the city of Chitose on Hokkaido Island.

As our extra hour was drawing to a close, we began talking about the action plan. By then, the rest of the J8 delegation had arrived, and we split into three groups—Poverty and Development, Global Health and Climate Change. We perfected our Action Plan and ended with a final agreement. So, with both the Chitose Declaration and Action Plan completed, we were set to go meet the leaders! ]]> However, before we actually headed out on our way to where the leaders were, we had a press conference. During the Press Conference, the J8 delegation was represented by four individuals. They all did a very good job at answering the media’s questions, which lasted up until around 2:00 pm!!

At around 2:00 pm, the nine representatives got on the bus and headed out to see the G8 leaders. The ride was smooth and very scenic. It was about a two hour ride and we did not experience any difficulties. When we got to the twin lake—Lake Toya—we still had 2 ½ hours until we met with our leaders.

The meeting point was located in a hotel in the middle of the mountains; it was very pretty. The ride to the top of the mountain contained a lot of security. In order to get into the hotel itself we need to go through many security checks. However, we got our own personalized authority cards, so all we had to do was slide it by! ;)

J8 Summit youth delegates join world leaders at the G8 Summit in the town of Toyako on Hokkaido Island. They are: (left-right) Simona Blandino of Italy, Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi, Yan Naumkin of the Russian Federation, President of the Russian Federation Dimitri Medvedev, Nora Fritzi Marlen Zech of Germany, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, Jasper Thomas Warner of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown, Shiro Kuriwaki of Japan, Prime Minister of Japan Yasuo Fukuda, President of the United States of America George W. Bush, Manogna Manne of the United States of America, Khalil Ahaf Kassam of Canada, Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, Camille Gaelle Isabelle Guillaume of France, President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, Je-Meila Ramona Maloney of Barbados, and President of the European Commission José Manuel Durão Barroso of Portugal.

Once inside the hotel itself, we prepped for another hour. We went through our major points and in what order we were required to arrive. At the very beginning, we were a little disappointed because we were told that there was a misunderstanding between correspondents and that we might actually only get about 30 seconds to a minute to talk to our leaders. But when the event actually occurred, all of us ended up being pleased.

At 7:00 we headed out to the meeting location and waited for our leaders. They came down one by one, and after their quick press pictures we were able to speak to them. We talked briefly while we waited for the meeting to begin. We were all fortunate enough to meet all the leaders (President Bush, Prime Minister Harper, President Sarkozy, Chancellor Merkel, Prime Minister Berlusconi, Prime Minister Fukuda, President Medvedev and Prime Minister Brown).

As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to President Bush. He was very charismatic and open, and since our conversation was performed on a less formal level, it was very easy to talk to him and tell him our ideas. Since we did not have much time to talk to the leaders—about 8-15 minutes—I was only able to stress a couple major points. These points included the importance of spreading education and young people advocacy. However, the important matter was that we were all able to make an effect on our leaders, and show them that young people can make a difference.

When we arrived back, we had a large welcome back committee waiting for us! Everyone was very proud and we got to share all our stories. The whole meeting with the leaders was recorded and we watched the replay with the rest of the J8 delegation. We then shared our stories once again with everyone and finally retired for the night, the excitement still all around us!

Manogna's thoughts on the J8

2008-07-08T15:03:40Z

We've heard from our four young people who are representing the United States at the Junior 8 Summit in Japan, shadowing the G8. Here's their second blog posting, written by Manogna, a rising high school junior from California.

Today was a very fun day! Our group, the global warming group, got to present our topic to the rest of the J8 community. We had an expert come in and give us a presentation on his views on global warming, too. He was a very interesting man and taught us a lot of important information.

Once we finished with that presentation, we separated into four individual groups and went more in depth into the topic.

The U.S. delegation team to the J8 Summit

Throughout the day we engaged in many different conversations, and in the end, we concluded with the first draft of the Chitose Declaration. We also decided what sub-groups we wanted to join and had a couple minutes of discussion with those groups also.

Once we got back to the hotel, we had dinner and then started our cultural presentations. All of the presentations were very lively and fun to watch. I am glad that we all got to learn a little more about all the cultures.

Tomorrow's topic is going to be poverty and development, so we are all looking forward to it.

Ask the G8 to keep its promises

2008-07-07T15:51:04Z

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is a proud partner of the ONE Campaign, a grassroots network of more than two million Americans who care about issues of global poverty, hunger and disease, and efforts to fight these problems in the world's poorest countries. UNICEF advocates might be interested in ONE's message to the G8 leaders meeting this week in Japan. ONE is asking Americans to send a simple message to the G8: make good on your commitments to help poor countries with health care, agriculture and education. Take a moment to add your support to this message at www.one.org/2008g8.