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

The vision of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF Campus Initiative is to build life-long supporters who will work until no children die of preventable causes by educating, advocating, and fundraising for UNICEF programs.

Our newly named Campus Initiative National Council members embody our mission. We'd like to introduce to you Skyler Stevenson from Brigham Young University; Laura Restrepo from Green Mountain College; Lauren Slater from Boston University; Vibha Mahendra from the University of California, Berkeley; and Marcelo Ostria from the University of North Texas (pictured below from left to right).

© US Fund for UNICEF/ Rachael Swanson

The innaugural leadership team of the Campus Initiative National Council at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF's offices in New York City.

These student leaders met in New York City last weekend to create a year-long plan of action. The group is charged with continuing to develop the Campus Initiative's resources and infrastructure, providing the national office with strategic direction for the program, and fostering greater communication between the Campus Initiative clubs.

To become a member of a Campus Initiative Club, or to start one on your campus, visit the Campus Initiative section of our Online Volunteer Center.

Our grassroots volunteer program continues to grow. Since we launched the Online Volunter Center in April 2006, tens of thousands of volunteers have registered as volunteers. Here on this blog, you've read about volunteers joining our Campus Initiative, or writing Congressional Representatives on an issue important to UNICEF, or becoming part of the Tap Project, or supporting UNICEF at Halloween, or conducting fundraisers to benefit UNICEF, and we are grateful for all our volunteer support.

We have developed many resources for volunteers to use on their own terms, at their own pace, and they are all posted in the Online Volunteer Center. Once you register as a volunteer, you’ll gain access to these resources including three self-guided online training modules. These modules, on UNICEF’s work, Advocating for UNICEF, and The World Water Crisis, will help you learn about UNICEF and give ideas for how you can take action in your community.

Register as a volunteer today, and take one of our training modules! If you are a registered volunteer and you have ideas for new training topics, please let us know by posting a comment below.

A few weeks ago, I blogged about our call for Tap Project Volunteer City Coordinators in seven cities. We’ve had a great response form many of the cities and are excited to be building our teams in them. However, we are continuing to accept applications for Denver and Chicago.

A brief position overview can be found in the volunteer section of the Tap Project website. If you are interested in becoming a Tap Project City Coordinator, please send your cover letter and resume to volunteer@unicefusa.org.

And if you are interested in volunteering for the Tap Project but not as a city coordinator, stay tuned! We will soon be asking volunteers across the country to join us again in recruiting restaurants, promoting the Tap Project and more.

Did you volunteer last year for the Tap Project? Dine in a participating restaurant? Tell us about it. Post your comments here.

Although volunteers come in all ages, our registered grassroots volunteers (over 15,000 in number) are a bit older than the average Trick-or-Treater for UNICEF. We have heard that they remember Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF fondly, so we wanted to come up with ways that kids and adults of all ages can support UNICEF at Halloween.

We’re asking our volunteers to host a Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Halloween Party, a great way to gather friends, family and colleagues to celebrate Halloween, learn more about UNICEF and raise funds for the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign.

We’re also asking folks to register their parties. Once registered, you will receive an email giving you access to downloadable invitations, stickers, a party planning guide and other resources. And if you are one of the first 100 to register your party, we’ll send you a Halloween Party Kit full of goodies! The kit includes a Halloween Party Guide, stickers, door hangers, our trademark orange collection boxes, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF branded cups and plates and door signs—all the things you need to throw a "spooktacular" party!

If you are a registered volunteer, consider hosting a party this Halloween. And if you are not a registered volunteer, sign up today, and invite your friends to join you!

We also love to get pictures from you of your UNICEF Volunteer activities. Send any photos you'd like to share to volunteer@unicefusa.org.

I'm excited to announce that UNICEF has just launched a new partnership with the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) and the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF to promote a fundraising challenge on college campuses across America. The Help Us Save Some Lives Campus Challenge runs from September 5, 2008 to February 28, 2009.

In 1971, George Harrison helped organize two concerts at Madison Square Garden, which raised over $15 million for the impoverished Bangladeshi people. By participating in the Campus Challenge, college students honor his legacy and show their committment to helping save some lives!

The Campus Challenge encourages students to raise awareness and funds to save children around the world. The college campus that raises the most funds postmarked by February 28, 2009 will host a celebrity UNICEF supporter, who will address students on campus. Visit our Campus Challenge website for more information about how you can get involved.

And if you are a member of the UNICEF Campus Initiative, get your campus club to join today!

It's hard to believe it's that time again, but the 2009 Tap Project is just around the corner. Here at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, we have been celebrating last year’s success and getting ready for next year. We will soon be asking volunteers across the country to join us again in recruiting restaurants, promoting the Tap Project and more—so stay tuned for upcoming information.

Tap Project City Coordinator positions available

We’re calling for committed Tap Project City Coordinators to help plan and implement the Tap Project in seven key locations (3-5 volunteer positions in each city, depending on location); Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC.

© US Fund for UNICEF, 2008

2008 Tap Project City Coordinators for New York City (left to right) Rina, Spencer, Emily and Xi pose for a photo taken inside the U.S. Fund for UNICEF national office.

Volunteers wishing to pursue a City Coordinator position with the Tap Project should be prepared to make this role an important priority in their daily lives, especially as World Water Week approaches. These positions offer volunteers a unique and exciting opportunity to shape their UNICEF Volunteer experience and the Tap Project in their communities, while gaining valuable leadership and nonprofit management skills. If you are a registered volunteer, log on to the Online Volunteer Center, and click on “What’s new.” You’ll be taken to the Tap Project Action Center where you can review the position description and learn how to apply to be a City Coordinator.

If you are interested in applying and are located in one of the seven cities above, but not a registered volunteer, please register today, or email volunteer@unicefusa.org for a position description.

We can always tell that summer is nearly over when the temperatures start falling, the sun sets a little earlier, and our summer interns wrap up their work and say goodbye. Tomorrow is the last day for our last intern in the Volunteer and Community Partnerships (VCP) Department. Pictured here are Ay-Nur, Josh, Anna and their supervisor, Rachael.

© US Fund for UNICEF/Grebstein

Today the interns made a presentation on the work that they have been doing this summer. The VCP Department supports our Online Volunteer Center, the UNICEF Campus Initiative, our relationship with Key Club and Circle K, and others. From working on the CNN Viewing Parties, to supporting Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and the Tap Project, to developing resources for our Campus Clubs and answering volunteer inquires, and much, much more—our interns not only completed a great deal of work, they helped our department achieve our objectives by producing quality products and resources.

We are sorry to see them go, but are very appreciative for all the work that they have accomplished!

If you are interested in an internship, they are available throughout the year in multiple departments within the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. We’re currently accepting applications for fall interns. Enthusiastic, independent individuals, with an interest in international development will be most successful. If you are interested, please email a letter of interest and resume to hr@unicefusa.org.

You’ve read our advocacy requests and updates here before. But does anyone notice if you actually advocate for UNICEF? Yes!

Congress reviews many issues and makes important decisions that will affect how many children UNICEF will be able to help in the coming year. A few weeks ago, we asked our volunteers to contact their elected officials on behalf of UNICEF and the world’s children because the U.S. House and Senate were reviewing the bills that support UNICEF funding for fiscal year 2009.

We asked our volunteers to write their Congressional Representative to endorse the U.S. Fund for UNICEF's request of $135 million in funding for UNICEF in FY09. In just weeks, 881 letters were sent in support of a $135 million U.S. Government contribution to UNICEF in 2009.

That's a lot of letters. Thank you!

But our work is not done yet. In the coming months, Congress still needs to complete their appropriations process, and we may need to send another round of letters depending how it's going. Plus, we’ll be asking volunteers and supporters like you to contact Congress on other issues important to saving the world’s children.

I hope you'll remember results like these the next time you wonder if making a few cllicks really makes a difference.

Local jazz musicians raise $3,718 for Iraqi children

Philip Crawford of Monterey, California recently coordinated his third fundraising effort for UNICEF. He recruited musicians from Monterey and San Francisco to play a concert devoted to Duke Ellington, an influential jazz musician who performed from 1923 until 1974. Eleven musicians donated their talents for the evening, including Andy Weiss, the drummer who played with Ellington’s orchestra, and Kenny Stahl, a flautist who previously toured with Stevie Wonder.

On a Wednesday night in May, 65 people attended a benefit jazz concert at Monterey Live, a music venue in the downtown area. Attendees paid a $25 cover for the show and all proceeds were donated to UNICEF. Throughout the concert Philip spoke of the conditions Iraqi children are faced with and how extra donations would benefit them. The largest donation was $1000, given by an Iraqi attendee, while a $300 donation was made by the local Rotary Club.

© UNICEF/ HQ03-0486/Shehzad Noorani

IRAQ: Three boys hold up slates with slogans and pictures, in a class in the Medina Al-Mudon primary school in Baghdad. The text reads “Long live our country. Long live Iraq. Long live the people.” The slate and other materials being used by the children are from a UNICEF-supplied School-in-a-Box kit. The kits, each of which contains sufficient basic materials for one teacher and 80 students, were distributed for use by up to 100,000 children in Baghdad.

Currently in Iraq, only 40 percent of children have access to clean drinking water on a daily basis, and only half of all school-aged children attend school regularly.

In 2007, UNICEF delivered school supplies to 4.7 million Iraqi children, as well as 150 million gallons of drinking water and 4.5 million vaccinations.

If you'd also like to help support UNICEF's work for the children of Iraq, make an online donation here.

At this year’s annual Key Club International Convention in Denver, Colorado, our four new ambassadors dressed up in Halloween costumes that mirrored the characters on the new Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF box.

© US Fund for UNICEF / 2008 / Sheldon

Pictured here are Abigail, Lance, Anna and Jared, who promoted Key Club’s participation in the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign and the Swazi Children Care Project—a program that helps Swaziland’s children who have been impacted by HIV and AIDS. In addition to creating a costume buzz, Key Clubbers created cards and messages to send to the children of Swaziland, which will be sent later this summer.

Over 1400 Key Club members were in attendance at the four-day long convention, where they not only learned about UNICEF and other partners, but also elected a new president, vice president and leadership board. Stay tuned for more Key Club updates, and let us know what you think of the new box!

You may have read about CNN's special broadcast, “The Survival Project: One Child at a Time,” to air on July 6 at 8 and 11 pm (ET).

We encourage volunteers and supporters to not only watch the broadcast, but to host a viewing party to discuss these important issues of child survival. Chief medical correspondent for CNN, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, will host the broadcast highlighting progress and challenges in child survival.

To help, we’ve developed a viewing party guide that outlines just how easy it is to host a party. In addition, there are special incentives for those who wish to register their parties with us; the first 100 parties registered will receive a packet of materials including UNICEF signs and buttons.

So, please gather your friends and neighbors, and register your party today!

Four rising high school juniors from California, their teacher, and Rachael Swanson from the U.S. Fund for UNICEF are preparing this week to travel to Japan to participate in the Junior 8 Summit. Held at the same time as the G8 summit, J8 participants meet together to share their ideas and experiences, research and discuss the three J8 Summit themes based on the G8 agenda and learn about their shared priorities and goals. Along with cultural activities—and some fun, too—representatives from each country will meet with world leaders to present their ideas!

© Kristi Burnham

Last week I blogged about Key Club members coming to New York. This week, I’d like to tell you about another four high school students in California who are getting ready for an amazing opportunity.

As background, Avani, Jamie, Magnone, and Mathais, from Amador Valley High School, formed a team last winter called Volens et Potens (from the Latin phrase meaning "willing and able") and submitted the winning essay in the J8 essay contest. (You might have seen the announcement of the contest earlier this year on this blog.)

Last week I blogged that four Key Club representatives were traveling to New York for a weekend of training about the program that they support: the Swazi Children Care Project. Pictured here are Abigail, Lance, Jared and Anna, who arrived Thursday night.

© U.S. Fund for UNICEF/2008/Burnham

	© US Fund for UNICEF/Burnham
	A Swazi child has a meal while visiting a Neighborhood Care Point.

This weekend I will be meeting with 4 teenagers: Abigail, Lance, Anna and Jared, who are members of Key Club International, the largest high school service organization in the world.

For years, Key Club has been supporting UNICEF through the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program. Three years ago their leadership (made up entirely of high school students) voted to designate all funds raised toward HIV/AIDS programs in Africa. In just two years, they've raised nearly $1 million, most of which was designated to Kenya. Last year, their international board committed to raise $2 million to support the Swazi Children Care Project, which supports Swaziland’s most vulnerable children.