Many of us think that the crisis in Syria is a political one. But it is not — it is a humanitarian crisis, and it is among the biggest in the world. Over 2 million children are affected by the violence in Syria, and over half a million children are refugees. While UNICEF and its partners are doing everything they can to help affected children and families, UNICEF’s efforts are severely underfunded. If funding is not received in the next weeks, millions of children will suffer. We are urgently calling on the entire donor community to support UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts in and around Syria.

We have been working especially hard to raise awareness of the catastrophic crisis unfolding right now in the Sahel region in Africa. It’s hard to fathom, but a million children could die if they are not given the urgent help they need. The response from our supporters has been terrific, and we’re especially fortunate to have UNICEF Ambassador Selena Gomez on our team. The talented actress, recording artist and designer has once again lent her support to UNICEF and spread the word about this crisis. Recently, Selena visited OPSCEN—UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Operations Center—in New York, where she toured UNICEF’s behind-the-scenes operations, and recorded a PSA, urging people to donate to UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts in the Sahel.

When UNICEF USA agreed to take part in One Day on Earth – the 24 hour event taking place worldwide on 11/11/11 – it seemed like a great opportunity to advocate for children to be front and center in this moving picture of the earth in one day. But then, as I began to review the videos and images sent in for last year’s event on 10/10/10, I realized that children are by nature front and center on the earth on any given day.

One year after the earthquake in Haiti, UNICEF USA is launching a unique project that aims at ensuring the children of Haiti are at the forefront of rebuilding efforts. Through the social media enabled micro-site , UNICEF USA gives compassionate people a chance to take tangible action and send heartfelt messages to the children of Haiti year round.

Meet “Coeur à Coeur,” a boy band that calls a UNICEF-supported residential center in Port-au-Prince home. The center provides the boys with housing, hot food, an education and vocational training. The staff is also working to reunify the boys with their families.

It was a hard year, 2010. But UNICEF responded, and UNICEF defined what “responding” means