Last week we were celebrating the drop in child mortality to 24,000 a day. For me, this photo captures one aspect of what we were so happy about, and what we continue working for: two kids, alive and happy, in school and energized by their education:

© UNICEF/NYHQ2009-1243/Pirozzi

These boys are in a pre-school class at a public primary school in Madagascar. It’s one 360 schools that offers public pre-school classes. The Government, with assistance from UNICEF, is introducing early childhood development programs in schools throughout the country.

On a Monday morning, this smile is going to keep me believing in zero.

Week 2 of my weekly photo column endeavor. Labor Day. With gratitude for all the people working non-stop around the world to save kids’ lives, here’s a new “photo of the week”:

© UNICEF/NYHQ2009-0452/Riccardo Gangale

Here’s a girl registering for a medical consultation at a hospital–Specialist Hospital–in Bauchi, Nigeria.

In Nigeria, malaria is responsible for approximately 25 percent of all under-five deaths, and at Specialist Hospital, malaria patients represent an estimated 46 percent of the case load.

Though malaria is largely preventable and treatable, an estimated 250,000 children under the age of five die every year of malaria in Nigeria.

UNICEF’s strategy to combat malaria is twofold: prevention, including widespread use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and treatment, including distribution of affordable medicines.

Want to help? You can send mosquito nets to the field though UNICEF’s Inspired Gifts program. Check it out here.

It’s really never too early to start preparing to Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. October will be here sooner than you’d think. We’re already hearing from teachers and group organizers looking for the free resourceswe make available each year.

Whatever you need, we think you’ll find it on the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF pages on this site.

If not, holler.

It’s in quotes because I’m already, from week 1, wondering if I’ll really be able to keep to the schedule. But the idea is to give you all something stunning to look at on Mondays: something to look forward to, something to bring home visually what UNICEF’s work is all about, something to inspire you in your own efforts to make the world a better place for children and for us all. Here goes:

© UNICEF/NYHQ2009-0916/Sokol

In this photo, you’re seeing people–including some young ones–through a car windshield, carrying bundles of fodder for cattle as night falls in Saharsa District, India. The global economic downturn could result in increased poverty in India, particularly in Bihar State, where many already live at the edge of subsistence. Child malnutrition in Bihar is 56% higher than usual, and 8% of children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, which is life-threatening.

See that cute little green icon at the end of this post?

The one that looks like this?

If it’s not familiar to you, I want you to know that little icon is there to make your life a little bit easier.

You can use it anytime you want to share something interesting from this site (or from any other site where you come across it) with your network of friends and family. Just click on it and you’ll be able to access your account on Facebook, MySpace and a host of other sites and services.

Use it today to start spreading UNICEF’s latest news from the field (or to let someone else know what the little green icon is for).

Happy clicking.