Fieldnotes: Blogging on UNICEF's child survival work in the field

	© 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.

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.

Addressing a packed hearing room of Congressional aides today, UNICEF Chief of Health Pete Salama brought encouraging news of UNICEF’s child survival successes in Africa and called for stepped up action to save even more children from dying from preventable diseases.

© UNICEF/HQ07-0964/Olivier Asselin

A boy collects rainwater in his bowl during a downpour in the village of Nyologu, in the Savelugu-Nanton District, Northern Ghana.

Ambassador Amina Salum Ali of the African Union joined with Pete to discuss the successful health interventions that are saving children and how African governments are joining with UNICEF and non-governmental organizations to improve maternal health and newborn and child survival. The event marked the observance of The Day of the African Child and was cosponsored by the Global Health Council, the Congressional Global Health Caucus and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

When UNICEF experts like Pete Salama come to Washington to make the case for child survival, it makes an impact. But to produce the needed policies and funding, our legislators also need to hear from concerned constituents who seek action on legislation.

To send your message, please visit: unicefusa.org/advocate

For years, the world has known about the devastating effects of cluster munitions on civilians—and particularly children. The little "bomblets" that don't explode on impact are deadly remnants of war, waiting for children to step on them or pick them up—and then lose a limb or a life.

© UNICEF/ HQ06-1172/Dina Debbas

LEBANON: A boy stands near an unexploded cluster bomb, marked off by two bricks, in the southern village of Yohmor.

Just more than a year ago, frustrated with the inability of the United Nations to address cluster munitions, Norway launched its own process to develop an international treaty that would ban these weapons. In May 2008, representatives of 110 nations met in Dublin, Ireland, and agreed on a draft Convention on Cluster Munitions that would commit their governments to stop using cluster munitions and to destroy their existing stockpiles within eight years.

Yesterday a UNICEF representative brought UNICEF's concerns about the impact of the global food crisis on children to the attention of Members of Congress and Congressional staff at a packed hearing room on Capitol Hill. The briefing, chaired by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), was cosponsored by the Congressional Children's Caucus, the Congressional Global Health Caucus, and the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health.

Annalies Borrel, Chief of the Humanitarian Policy Section of UNICEF's Office of Emergency Programs, thanked the U.S. Government for its initial response to the deteriorating global food and nutrition situation. Ms. Borrel stressed that while adequate food is necessary, children also need a healthy environment that includes access to health care, water, sanitation, and protection from exploitation and abuse. UNICEF's message is that children are the most nutritionally vulnerable to any disruptions in the availability and quality of food–and children must be at the center of the global response to the growing food crisis.

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is working to support legislative initiatives on this issue being advanced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ), two of the key legislators who co-chaired the briefing.

We'll keep you posted here.

Last week we asked our volunteers to participate in UNICEF's Unite for Child Survival: Advocacy Week. From learning about the issues, to sending letters to Congress, to continuing the conversation with your friends and family, we thank you for your support.

In just one week, we generated 399 letters to Congress! Please let us know if you hear back from your Congressional Representative by posting a message here or emailing us at volunteer@unicefusa.org.

We also announced the names of 89 volunteers who were awarded the 2008 President’s Volunteer Service Award. Each volunteer hour contributed makes a difference for UNICEF and for saving children’s lives, and we honor these volunteers this year with this award.

Click here for a full list of awardees.

There are many ways you can stay up to date on UNICEF's work on behalf of children. Our recommendation for the last day of Unite for Child Survival: Advocacy Week is for volunteers and supporters to check out our suggested reading list.

And, be sure to let us know if you hear from your Congressional Representative after taking action on the legislative issues we've highlighted this week. Post a comment here or email us at volunteer@unicefusa.org.

* Ana's Story by Jenna Bush is just one of many books on our suggested reading list for volunteers. Buy it online here.

We’ve been discussing the issues all week, and we’d like to use these same questions to guide a discussion with your friends, family or community groups about the issues.

We’ve posted these discussion questions and even developed a sample menu if you would like to host the discussion over a meal. All these resources are available in the Advocacy Center inside the Online Volunteer Center. Log in to check out the resources!

Share the issue briefs with those who might be interested to discuss the issues and actions you can take during Unite for Child Survival: Advocacy Week and beyond.

While we provided some discussion questions, do you have any of your own? What do you think is the most important issue this week and why?

All week we will be discussing the issues on which we’re asking you to take action. Today, the topic is the Global Security and Priorities Resolution. The 9/11 Commission Report recommended that a comprehensive U.S. strategy to counter terrorism should include policies that encourage development, more open societies and opportunities that improve the lives of families and enhance prospects for the their children’s futures. UNICEF is supportive of the Global Security Priorities Resolution because it will enhance international security, reduce world poverty and address the root causes of terrorism.

I wonder... what do you see as the greatest links and threats between global security and global poverty? How do nuclear weapons play a role in the movement for Child Survival? What is the connection between poverty and nuclear weapons? Send in your comments and name some examples.

© U.S. Fund for UNICEF/Telford

All week we will be discussing the issues on which we're asking you to take action. Today, the topic is the U.S. government's contribution to UNICEF, which helps extend their efforts in saving children from preventable disease, providing basic education, fighting HIV/AIDS and protecting children from violence, exploitation and abuse. Some 9.7 million children still die each year from preventable diseases. Help support UNICEF's work by learning more and taking action on the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill.

Tell us what you think! How can we build support for UNICEF's work within the corporate, government and non-profit sectors in the U.S.?

In celebration of National Volunteer Week we’re not only celebrating our volunteers, we are showing the power that their actions can have!

Last year, UNICEF supporters contacted their congressional representatives more than 10,000 times on issues important to UNICEF. That’s why this week we are launching UNICEF's Unite for Child Survival: Advocacy Week. We hope you'll join us throughout the week to learn more about UNICEF's advocacy activities and take action to voice your support.

You can join in on the activities any time throughout the week. On day one, which is today, we suggest you register as a volunteer (if you haven’t done so already) and take our online training module called Advocating for UNICEF.

Once you take the training, let us know what you think of it; post a comment here with your thoughts.

Legislative advocacy is a great way to support UNICEF; it only takes a few minutes to learn about the issues, click your mouse to send letters to your representatives and continue to raise awareness about issues that impact children.

Whether you are a registered volunteer or not, you can always advocate for UNICEF by visiting our advocacy center. But as a registered volunteer, you will gain access to online training modules, discussion questions and other resources that will allow you to promote UNICEF's work to your friends and family. You can also see all the other volunteer activities that we offer and choose from a menu of opportunities. You can do as many or as few as you like. Sign up here.

We hope to generate many letters to Congress next week, but we're also hoping that our volunteers will give us feedback on the resources and the week's worth of activities. We want to hear from you!

	© Sean Sutton/MAG/magclearsmines.org

As you may know, for a while now we’ve had an alert on our advocacy webpage to contact Congress in support of the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act—introduced by Rep. Jim McGovern and Sen. Dianne Feinstein. To date, 24 House members and 18 Senate members have cosponsored this legislation. That’s a good start, but not nearly enough to show the kind of support this legislation needs to bring it to a vote.

Next month, May 19-30, 2008, is the Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions. At the Dublin Conference, representatives from more than half the world’s governments will meet to negotiate the most significant disarmament treaty in more than a decade: a treaty to bring about a ban on cluster bombs, ensure rapid clearance of contaminated land and provide vital assistance to those affected by cluster bombs.

To lead up to this important event, global advocates have designated April 19 as a Global Day of Action to Ban Cluster Bombs, to highlight 40 years of civilian deaths and injuries caused by these weapons. Citizens around the world will use this day to call on governments to take action.

The best way to show the U.S. Government and the world that American citizens care about preventing civilian casualties from cluster bombs is by asking their Members of Congress to support the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act. On April 19, in honour of the Global Day of Action to Ban Cluster Munitions, go to unicefusa.org/advocate and ask your Members of Congress to cosponsor this legislation!

We enjoyed great support from our Tap Project volunteers this year during World Water Week, and we want to keep that momentum going.

U.S. Fund for UNICEF volunteers can participate in programs year-round that support our education, advocacy and fundraising efforts. And that’s why we’ll be asking both Tap Project volunteers and our previously registered volunteers to participate in UNICEF’s Unite for Child Survival: Advocacy Week. Beginning April 28th, we’ll be asking our volunteers and supporters to become acquainted with three issues very important to UNICEF, and asking you to take action every day during that week.

We’ll be sending announcements and reminders between now and then, and developing some new resources including an online training module, discussion questions, and more. Stay tuned for updates.

If you are interested in getting involved now, check out our new online volunteer center by clicking here and registering as a new volunteer!

Over 800 students and attendees gathered this weekend at the IMPACT Conference in Boston, and UNICEF was there.

The IMPACT conference website states, “The IMPACT Conference is historically the largest convening in the country of campus community members involved in service, activism, politics, advocacy, and other socially responsible work across philosophical and ideological lines. This event builds on the legacy set forth by the COOL Conference and the Idealist Campus Conference, spanning an incredible 20+ year history.”

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF has been a sponsor of previous conferences and was again a proud sponsor of this year’s conference. Our team reports that they met many enthusiastic and committed people, and they had a great time interacting with so many of our most active supporters (or they will be our most active supporters after meeting us)!

The UNICEF Campus Initiative has been supporting student led and run UNICEF Clubs since 1998, and now has nearly 70 campuses around the country actively fundraising, raising awareness about UNICEF’s work, and taking action. For more info on our Campus Initiative, visit unicefusa.org/campusinitiative.

As the House and Senate raced to finish their legislative business for 2007, the legislators did not forget UNICEF! The bill agreed upon by Congress and the President provides a contribution of $129 million to UNICEF for the fiscal year 2008. This is the largest amount the United States Government has ever given to UNICEF.

Thank you for supporting our advocacy efforts through your e-mails and other communication to legislators. Your concern and action make these advances possible.

Take action again! Visit our Take Action page to thank your legislators for their funding of UNICEF in 2008.

	Martin Rendón Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy

Although the legislation actually sets the contribution at $129 million, an across-the-board cut that was made to all funding for State Department and Foreign Operations brings the amount to $128 million. Nevertheless, the $128 million represents a real increase of $2.3 million above the current contribution to UNICEF.

The $129 million recommended in the bill raises the bar for our request for the next fiscal year, FY 2009. We in the OPPA will be getting back to you about that in the New Year when the new budget is submitted. In the meantime, all of us in Washington want to thank you for supporting the advocacy efforts through your e-mails to legislators and other communications. Your concern and action make these advances possible.

	Martin Rendón Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy

UNICEF supporters were part of that important group of callers. If you’re reading this and you haven’t contacted your Senators – we still need to keep pushing for co-sponsors of S.594 and H.R. 1755, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act, in order to convince Congress to pass this important legislation. See our advocacy page http://www.unicefusa.org/clustermunitions for more information.

Your voice can make a difference in changing policies to help children. Stay tuned for further advocacy opportunities.

If you’ve read our advocacy alert on cluster munitions, you know that unexploded cluster munitions pose a major risk for children.

That's why the U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports S. 594, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act. This legislation would prevent the United States from using or exporting cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than one percent, and would ensure that U.S. cluster munitions will only be used against clearly defined military targets—not in civilian areas.

Unfortunately, at present S. 594 only has 12 cosponsors. That's not enough to show the bipartisan commitment needed for the Senate to vote on this legislation.

Today is the Global Day of Action on Cluster Munitions and we're participating in a national call-in day in support of S. 594. Please join us and let your Senators know that Americans care about the use of these inhumane weapons. It's easy:

• Call the toll-free number (800-352-1897) during regular business hours (Eastern time!), to connect to the Capitol Switchboard.
• Ask for one of your Senator’s offices: “May I speak with Senator ___’s office?”
• When connected, say:
  • My name is ______, and I live in [CITY, STATE]. Thanks for taking my call.
  • I'm calling to ask Senator _______ to cosponsor S. 594, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act. This is important to me, to help protect children around the world. Please let me know if the Senator will cosponsor this legislation.
  • Thank you!

Then repeat the process for your other Senator.

That’s it! Hearing from constituents is very important for our federal legislators – your call today can help protect children from cluster munitions.

Please use the comments below to let us know who you've called and how it goes.

	Martin Rendón Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed their versions of the State, Foreign Operations appropriations legislation, which includes funding for the U.S. Government’s voluntary contribution for UNICEF. The Senate bill would provide $129 million for UNICEF in Fiscal Year 2008—not quite the $130 million that we (and you!) asked for, but a significant increase from this year’s contribution.

The next step in the legislative process is for House and Senate members to meet in conference, to iron out differences in the two versions. WE NEED YOUR HELP to keep the higher Senate number for UNICEF! Please contact your Members of Congress at unicefusa.org/uniceffunding and urge them to support $129 million for UNICEF in the 2008 appropriations bill!

	© UNICEF/ HQ06-1149
	A poster in Arabic, part of a UNICEF public awareness campaign, provides information to displaced and refugee families about the dangers of unexploded ordnance.

The Senate State, Foreign Operations bill also included other provisions that are important to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. For example, there is a section that for the first time would restrict the sale or transfer of cluster bombs that have a failure rate greater than one percent or less, as well as ensure that any U.S.-made cluster bombs would be used only against clearly defined military targets, and not where civilians are known to be present. As we noted in our advocacy alert on this topic (see http://www.unicefusa.org/clustermunitions), unexploded cluster munitions pose unacceptable risks to children, and this provision takes a step toward protecting children from these dangerous weapons.

In a bold move, the Senate appropriations bill also proposes a substantial increase in funding for bilateral programs focused on child survival and maternal health—like immunizations, medicines to fight diarrhea and pneumonia, and basic health services for pregnant mothers. The Senate legislation would provide $476 million next year for child and maternal health, an increase of 33 percent over current funding for those programs.

As UNICEF’s recent announcement on progress in cutting child mortality rates shows, we know what it takes to save children’s lives—but now is not the time to rest on our laurels. Rather, now is the time for resolve to maintain progress in reducing child mortality rates—and to accelerate efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa, where progress remains minimal. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF applauds the Senate for its commitment to child survival.

Click here to send a letter to your Members of Congress supporting $129 million for UNICEF in 2008.

In this country, getting married at 10 years old sounds preposterous. But for girls (and boys) in some countries, it’s an unfortunate and even dangerous reality. Each day, more than 25,000 girls, some as young as nine or ten years old, are married to older men in developing countries. If nothing changes, another 100 million girls will be married over the next ten years. The impacts on their lives, and potential threats to their health, are severe.

This is an important matter for UNICEF because child marriage hurts the health, education, and development of children. Addressing child marriage requires both changing laws and changing cultures, and there are successful efforts in many countries that make a difference.

Though the U.S. Government recognizes the problem of child marriage, our great nation can and should do more to challenge this practice. As Americans, we care about programs to reduce poverty, promote child and maternal health, and invest in education; all of these are undermined by the practice of child marriage.

A bipartisan group of legislators in both chambers of Congress want to increase U.S. leadership in preventing child marriage. In the House, the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2007 (H.R. 3175), and in the Senate, the International Child Marriage Prevention and Protection Act of 2007 (S. 1998) set aside funding for programs to prevent child marriage. Just as important, these bills require developing an overall U.S. strategy that lays out how our government can fight child marriage and promote girls’ empowerment through existing initiatives and development programs.

YOU CAN HELP by letting your own legislators know that you care about this issue, and you support this legislation. Go to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF's advocacy page and send a letter to your Member of Congress!

We got good news today about Congressional action on the annual appropriations for UNICEF. The following update comes from our Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington, D.C., Martin Rendon.

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Last week, the full House of Representatives passed the bill to fund appropriations in Fiscal Year 2008 for foreign operations. As passed by the House, the measure provides a contribution of $128 million from the U.S. Government to UNICEF's regular resources. This is $5 million above the amount the President requested and $2.3 million above the level UNICEF last received ($125.7 million each for Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007). During House Floor debate, several amendments to make across-the-board cuts in foreign assistance funding were all defeated, thereby preserving the $128 million level.

And yesterday the Senate Appropriations Committee reported its version of the legislation for full Senate consideration. The Senate bill provides $129 million for UNICEF, $1 million above the House-passed level. The Senate hopes to take up the legislation in mid-July.

After the Senate passes its bill, we will be posting a new advocacy action alert to urge the House-Senate conference committee that meets to resolve differences between the two bills to adopt the higher Senate number for UNICEF.

We will keep you posted as developments unfold. Thanks to all who have clicked on the "UNICEF Funding" advocacy action item on our website. As you can see, your efforts make a difference!

Martin Rendon
Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy
U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Today, April 4, is the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action and I'm writing to my Senators to ask them to support S. 594, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007. I hope you will use our online Action Center to do the same.

A class in session to educate children about the dangers of unexploded munitions in southern Lebanon. Video: UNICEF correspondent Kun Li reports on UNICEF-supported mine safety education for children in southern Lebanon. Low | High

Cluster bombs are canisters containing numerous small explosive devices (sub-munitions, bomblets or bombies) that open in mid-air, scattering them over a wide area. The bomblets may be delivered by aircraft, rocket, or by artillery projectiles. They come in a variety of colours and shapes. Cluster munitions have a wide dispersal pattern on the ground resulting in an area of impact or ‘footprint’. Their use in areas with high concentrations of civilians has often resulted in large numbers of civilian injuries or deaths. On impact, the bomblets spread out up to a half mile radius before detonating. These deadly bombs are intended for use in combat zones—but in practice, they also pose a real threat to the safety of civilians in post-conflict situations when the bomblets fail to detonate.

Duds become de facto landmines, capable of exploding much later when touched by a child. What's worse, the bomblets come in interesting shapes that attract children's curiosity. Some cluster munitions look like tiny bottles with short ribbons; some are yellow with tissue parachutes; some look like little gray tennis balls; some are small canisters with a white ribbon attached. All are deadly for children.

Please take action on this today. It's a meaningful way to mark Mine Awareness Day.

Imagine the shock waves that would register throughout the world if the combined populations of New York and Paris--more than 10 million people--were wiped out in a single year. A loss of lives on this scale is numbing--but that's the number of children under five who die every year from diseases that are largely preventable. What's more, hunger and undernutrition are underlying factors in over half of these deaths.

Undernutrition in mothers is the major cause of low birthweight in at least 20 million babies a year. Infants who are underweight at birth face much higher risks of chronic illness and early death because their tiny bodies have little resistance to disease. The absence of micronutrients in a mother's diet also has an impact; for example, if a mother lacks iodine, the infant is at risk of irreversible brain damage.

Caryl Stern, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF's Chief Operating Officer testified today before the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, and painted a less than rosy picture: "One underweight and undernourished child is an individual tragedy, but multiplied by tens of millions, undernutrition becomes a global threat to societies and to economies." She noted that hunger and poor nourishment have a negative impact on economic development by slowing growth and perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

Despite this threat and the profound waste of young lives, the world is far from being on track to fix the problem. There is a long way to go just to reach the U.N.s Millennium Development Goal for 2015 of lowering the percentage of underweight kids by half--one reason why UNICEF and the World Food Program are working together on the End Child Hunger and Undernutrition Initiative.

Their partnership will help developing countries provide an affordable package of basic goods and services--such as vital micronutrient supplements, clean water, information on prevention of diarrhea, and health and hygiene education--all of which will make a huge difference in saving lives. As Caryl noted, food aid alone is not the solution--helping the world's population of undernourished children requires a coordinated, holistic approach to keeping kids healthy.

Caryl urged the legislators to provide $130 million for the U.S. Government's contribution to UNICEF for Fiscal Year 2008--and we're urging every friend of children to use our online Action Center to send an e-mail to Congress to support this funding.

We'll post Caryl's complete testimony soon, and keep you up to date on the status of this funding.