After the temporary loss of our New York headquarters in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF is determined to continue fighting for the world’s children. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF has been operating at full capacity since the storm. Within two days of the hurricane, almost 50 staffers had moved into emergency offices in northern Manhattan. Our six regional offices around the country are all up and running. Whatever difficulties we may face right now, we won’t put the world’s children on hold. The stakes are simply too high.

U.S. Fund for UNICEF President and CEO, Caryl Stern, along with UNICEF supporter Dena Kaye, will be on NBC’s Today Show on Wednesday morning to honor the life and talent of UNICEF’s first Goodwill Ambassador Danny Kaye. Hosts will highlight Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and the contributions Danny made to our 62-year old campaign.

This week, the bipartisan Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2011 (S. 641) unanimously passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee! Our thanks to the Committee’s leaders, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), as well as the bill’s sponsors, Senator Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Corker (R-TN).

Your voices helped make this progress possible! But the job is not done – the legislation still must pass the full Senate, and the House of Representatives still needs to pass a companion bill of the same name (H.R. 3658). You can help – keep contacting your Members of Congress to ask them to support the Water for the World Act.

This is a pivotal moment in UNICEF’s long-running fight for child survival.

Beginning today, world leaders are gathering at the Child Survival Call to Action Forum in Washington, D.C., along with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, USAID and UNICEF, and representatives from other humanitarian and private organizations. Our goal? To forge a commitment to ending preventable child deaths within a generation. This generation. By 2035.

The resounding message I heard while visiting Haiti last week was that “We are survivors, not victims.” Old and young alike affirmed to me their eagerness to build Haiti back stronger, to play a role in its future and lift its people out of poverty.
Not only did I hear this message, I saw it in action at the Qui Croit nutrition center in Kenscoff, a mountainous region outside of Port- au- Prince.

Emergency relief helps people survive immediate, life-threatening hardships. On-going development support helps people get the information and tools to take charge of their own lives and futures. True change takes effort and time. There will be setbacks and frustrations. The people I met in Haiti are prepared to persevere in spite of what may come.

There is more to share from my visit but for now, I’d like to say “thank you” on behalf of the courageous people I met – for your immediate support when the earthquake hit and for your on-going support that helping Haitian’s take charge of their lives once again

Next week, I will report to you from Haiti. It will be an emotional trip, as I have not been to Haiti since late 2010 when Haitians were still trying to come to terms with the devastation around them. I am looking forward to meeting the children UNICEF is helping, thanks to your generosity post-earthquake.

As always, I plan on giving and receiving lots of hugs and kisses next week, which is the greatest reward anyone who works in service to children could hope for. I will be sharing updates from Haiti at @carylstern on Twitter.