This week’s video follows-up on yesterday’s post regarding Vaccination Week in the Americas. The Director of the Pan American Health Organization, Dr. Mirta Roses, explains that this year VWA will focus on the family, with special campaigns targeted towards seniors, women of reproductive age, children and adolescents.
In Haiti alone, an estimated 60,000 children under the age of five will receive life-saving immunization in the next few days.
UNICEF is providing vaccines, syringes and other equipment with financial assistance also provided by UNICEF and WHO.
Jenner Pascua is a production officer for unicefusa.org.
Here in New York the weather is less than favorable today. Rain? Isn’t it supposed to be spring? Then I thought about a recent photo distributed by UNICEF, and it made me realize how lucky we are even when the weather isn’t pleasant.
Today’s photo is from Mongolia, and shows a first grader walking home from school.
A first-grade student walks several miles to her home after school in the district of Altai, in Khovd Province. A mountain range rises in front of her.
Last month Mongolia got hit hard with heavy snow, strong winds, and extreme cold. The weather was so extreme that 12 of the country’s 21 provinces were declared a state of disaster.
The crisis, known locally as a ‘dzud’, has killed at least nine children in one province, and has trapped many others in dormitories with failing heating systems and limited food supplies. Over 22,000 children in dormitories need emergency aid, and possibly thousands more.
UNICEF is responding by providing food, fuel, blankets, hygiene kits, medical supplies and boots to over 60,000 children, including those in dormitories and isolated villages. UNICEF is also collaborating with other United Nations agencies to supply hospitals and provide mobile medical teams in isolated areas.
Spring couldn’t come sooner for this region of the world. UNICEF is also sending blankets and supplies to neighboring China which recently experienced a 7.1 earthquake a few weeks ago.
Jenner Pascua is a production officer for unicefusa.org
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I’m reminded of 350.org – one of the featured organizations on UNICEF’s uniteforclimate.org. The number 350 refers to the goal of reducing the CO2 in the atmosphere from 387 parts per million to the safe level of 350.
This week’s video looks back at “the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history,” according to CNN – the International Global Climate Action Day on October 29, 2009. On that day there were 5,200 actions in 181 countries, but just one single actor in Babylon, Iraq.
She joined the climate control discussion with a simple picture, and inspired thousands. The video shows how one person can make an impact, and encourages viewers to take action this year by joining the global work party on 10/10/10.
UNICEF has been involved with the discussion on climate control for some time now. In 2007, UNICEF released a report entitled Climate Change and Children, which expressed concerns on how the effects of climate change can impact the lives of children in developing countries.
Last December, UNICEF Denmark organized the Children’s Climate Forum in conjunction with the COP15. Allowing young delegates from around the world to voice their thoughts and concerns, and present them to world leaders attending the COP15.
Jenner Pascua is a production officer for unicefusa.org
Last week Sigrid Kaag, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, released a statement about the recent death of a 12-year-old Yemeni girl.
“The death of Elham Mahdi al-Assi from internal bleeding following intercourse, three days after she was married off to a man at least twice her age, is a painful reminder of the risks girls face when they are married too soon.”
This heart-breaking news reminded me of a recent photo essay UNICEF released in January. This week’s photo shows a young bride from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh – Thirteen-year-old Tania, who is pregnant, carries a small jar outside her home, in the south-western district of Barguna in Barisal Division. Tania was married at age 10, an arrangement made by her parents when she was just a year old. Despite her pregnancy, she has many household tasks. She advises against marrying at too early an age.
Ok ok, maybe not the superstars you were thinking when you clicked on the link. This may be a bit of an April fool’s joke, but in our eyes these kids really are superstars!
Caleb, Zach, Maddie, Casey, Gracie, Dave, Teja, Nell, Maya, Ava H., Ava L., Adam, Scott, Simon, Nathan & John perform to raise funds and awareness for children in need.
A group of mostly 11 & 12-year-old kids from Farragut Middle School in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, created a music video performing all the vocals and instrumentals in order to raise funds and awareness for children in need.
11-year-old Caleb conceived the idea for this project after watching a video of celebrities performing to benefit efforts in Haiti. It’s truly remarkable that these kids put so much work and effort to help those in need. This is kids helping kids at its best!
On March 22 the world celebrated our most precious resource: water. Here at UNICEF USA we celebrated World Water Day with the UNICEF Tap Project, a week-long event where we asked restaurants around the United States to charge $1 for tap water, something that’s normally free. All proceeds would go to UNICEF’s water and sanitation programs. We asked our volunteers and supporters to dine, donate and do their part. And they responded by recruiting restaurants, holding events and raising awareness.
A child holds a sign at a protection rally for the Uruguay River in Argentina.
But we wondered how other countries are celebrated the holiday. After all, it is WORLD Water Day. This week’s photo features a young clean water advocate during a protection rally for the Uruaguay River in Argentina. You can see a slideshow of other events around the world on the official World Water Day website.
It’s been almost two months since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Although it seems like there’s less urgency with the news coverage on the quake, there are long-term effects of the disaster. This past weekend, the New York Times published an article commenting on how the earthquake left not only the city in ruins, but the education system as well.
Hundreds of teachers, and thousands of students lost their lives in the quake. Many schools and colleges have been destroyed, or are considered too dangerous to resume classes. With less schools and less facilities to properly train more teachers, the education of Haiti’s children is in “limbo”.
This week’s Monday photo comes from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.
It’s a photo from Al-Tanf refugee camp, which has closed – we hope – for good. Established in 2006, when hundreds of Palestinian refugees fleeing persecution in Iraq were prevented from crossing into Syria, the border camp was never meant to be a home. But that’s what the strip of desert sandwiched between a busy highway and a wall became.
A young boy helps pack up the last of the belongings of the Al-Tanf refugees.
UNICEF supported the children of Al-Tanf camp with recreational materials and counselling. The residents of Al-Tanf join about 2,000 other Palestinian refugees in camps inside Syria and in Iraq, according to UNHCR.
Thirty years ago, only one out of five children were immunized against killer diseases like measles and polio. Throughout the developing world, millions of children were dying of illnesses that had all but disappeared in the world’s wealthier countries. Since then, a near miracle has taken place. Now, four out of five children are protected by vaccines. Polio is on the verge of elimination. Measles and tetanus deaths have been reduced dramatically. This miracle did not happen by itself.
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