The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is proud to announce the winners of the Campus Challenge for the 2011-2012 academic year. From August 1, 2011 through April 1, 2012, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF partnered with the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) and the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF in a nationwide fundraising challenge on college campuses. We are proud to report that over 280 colleges and universities generated more than $167,000. for UNICEF in the Campus Challenge this year!

Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone and the author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, has a remarkable story to tell. With incredible honesty and authenticity, he reveals the details of his experience as a child soldier during the civil unrest in Sierra Leone. As a child he was vulnerable to the persuasiveness of the armies, but re-entering civil society was a challenge. I invite you to hear Ishmael Beah’s powerful message on May 10 at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco.

Extreme hunger is a horrific feeling. Millions are facing this predicament due to the current food crisis and severe droughts in the Sahel. As a current member of the UNICEF Campus Initiative Alumni Association, I am excited to support UNICEF and the children of Sahel through the Live Below the Line campaign. I invite you to join me on this campaign to live on a $1.50/day for food from May 7-11 and raise funds for UNICEF’s lifesaving work in the Sahel.

Malaria is the single most important cause of illness in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Out of the country’s population of 72 million – nearly all are at risk of contracting the disease. Malaria here is responsible for nearly 200,000 deaths every year – the equivalent of 366 plane (747) crashes. You would think that providing this simple, cost-effective and lifesaving solution over the beds of those who need it most would be pretty straightforward. Yet, given the complex terrain of areas where the transmission of malaria is highest, the distribution of millions of needed bednets is one of the most challenging tasks faced by UNICEF as well as other humanitarian organizations working on the ground to stop this deadly disease. Back in 2009, UNICEF helped organize a historic campaign where 5.5 million nets were distributed at a cost of about US $32 million to protect at least 11 million people living in DRC’s provinces of Orientale and Maniema. These nets were transported by barge, bicycle, canoe, trucks and sheer human effort. This year, we’re at it again with another extraordinary series of campaigns! Our goal for 2012 is to distribute 13.7 million mosquito nets in four provinces across the country.

Recently, we at the U.S. Fund were visited by colleagues who are from a region that’s perhaps less commonly associated with UNICEF: Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS). I was excited to learn what UNICEF does in the region.
The CEE/CIS is one of the newer—and lesser known—regions where UNICEF does its work. Comprised of 22 countries, this area of the world is incredibly diverse, with varying levels of development. But these days, life for children in thisregion is difficult.

Mosquito-borne illnesses are a life-and-death matter, and since World Malaria Day is right around the corner on April 25, it’s a good time to stop and take a look at the status of the fight against this ancient and often deadly disease.
On the surface, remarkable progress has been made. Over the last decade, the malaria mortality rate has decreased by over one-quarter globally, and by a full third in Africa. Some countries in particular have made spectacular gains in malaria control, and an effective malaria vaccine may finally be on the horizon. On closer inspection, however, the situation is less inspiring.

Sharon Leite, Pier 1 Imports’ Executive Vice President of Stores, presented Caryl Stern, President and CEO of the U. S. Fund for UNICEF, with a check for $1,607,976. The donation reflects the amount that Pier 1 Imports raised during the 2011 holiday season from the sale of UNICEF greeting cards in their stores across the United States. Understanding how much even $1 can do to help a child, I know that Pier 1’s efforts will make a huge impact on saving and improving children’s lives around the world.

At the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, we believe that students can play a vital role in helping the world’s children survive and thrive. That’s why we are so impressed with a group in West Virginia called Proud Students Against Landmines and Cluster Bombs (PSALM).

Recently a team of U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Kiwanis Club members and I attended the annual “Bread and Soup” luncheon hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Fordham, Bronx.

The “Bread and Soup Luncheon” is hosted by the club at Fordham University every year during Lent. Each year the Kiwanis members invite a non-profit organization to speak about its efforts to help alleviate poverty. This year the focus was on The Eliminate Project, a joint effort by Kiwanis and UNICEF, and the work to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus.

Actress, recording artist, designer and UNICEF Ambassador Selena Gomez is lending her star power to avert the deaths of a million children from malnutrition in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa. “The situation is urgent and these children need our immediate help. I want people to know that together with UNICEF, we have the ability to prevent their deaths,” she said. Selena followed-up her online activism with a public service announcement to encourage young people to donate $10 via text to avoid catastrophe in the Sahel.