UNICEFworks: April 2015

Emergency updates / Did You Know / A call for runners / A new partnership / Make a difference this Mother’s Day

IN THIS ISSUE Emergency updates / Did You Know / A call for runners / A new partnership / Make a difference this Mother’s Day

Rebuilding after Cyclone Pam On March 13, Cyclone Pam struck the small South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. The damage was extensive. With access to the hardest hit areas virtually cut off, many people were forced to drink sea water and try to survive on rapidly dwindling food supplies. Disease was a terrible threat. UNICEF has been working partners and with the Vanuatu government to deliver critical supplies to the worst affected areas. Restoring safe water, sanitation and hygiene is one of the highest priorities. We have also been supporting a mass measles immunization campaign. To learn more about UNICEF’s work after Cyclone Pam, click here. To support UNICEF’s emergency efforts, make a donation here.

Ebola: Getting back to zero More than a year has passed since the Ebola outbreak was declared in West Africa – the most severe outbreak in history. It has had a devastating impact on children. Children accounted for at least 20% of the more than 24,000 reported cases and at least 16,000 have lost one or both parents. An estimated 5 million children were affected by school closures. Ebola has taken a dramatic toll, affecting livelihoods, disrupting public service delivery, putting education on hold, undermining economic growth and threatening the development progress that had been achieved in recent years. But we are starting to see hope. By late January of this year, the number of new cases in the affected countries had dropped dramatically, and Liberia has now gone more than two weeks without any reported cases. UNICEF has been working to support children’s health and nutrition. Schools are re-opening. As long as Ebola remains a threat to children and their communities, continued vigilance is required. Getting to zero cases is the top priority. But the affected countries are also starting to plan for recovery, to a return to normalcy after Ebola. Read more here »

Did You Know… Did you know that World Immunization Week is coming up? Starting on April 24, this year’s campaign focuses on closing the immunization gap by ensuring universal access to vaccines for all children, no matter how far. Immunization is a critical part of the work UNICEF does to help children survive and thrive – and it works. The number of polio cases has been reduced by more than 99% through mass vaccination campaigns. The number of global measles deaths has decreased by more than 75% since 2000. But with 17,000 children dying from preventable causes every day – one-third of them from diseases that could be prevented by a simple vaccine – the need remains. Learn more about immunization here.

A call for runners! 17,000 children die every day from preventable causes. You can change that by signing up to run for UNICEF at the Scotiabank Marathon in Calgary or Vancouver. With your registration, you are ensuring children will receive life-saving vaccinations, clean water and a quality education no matter where they live. Ensure that all children survive and thrive – sign up today at www.unicef.ca/scotiabank!

Focus on Partners: Learning through play with LEGO UNICEF is excited to announce new global partnerships with LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation. Play is a fundamental right for children, critical to their physical and cognitive development. UNICEF and LEGO Foundation will work together to promote quality early learning through play for children everywhere. UNICEF will also work jointly with LEGO Group to promote Children’s Rights and Business Principles and help companies take action to respect and support children's rights. Learn more about this exciting new partnership here.

Make a Difference this Mother’s Day What’s the best Mother’s Day gift of all? Helping a child survive… When you give a life-saving gift from UNICEF this year, you’ll help a child survive and receive something special in return: a free Mother’s Day card from Hallmark! This beautifully designed card is our way of saying thank you for your commitment – and for caring so passionately about children around the world. Order online by April 30 to receive your free Hallmark card.

URGENT UPDATE: Reaching children in Nepal

I wrote to you yesterday, appealing for your help  in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Nepal.

“Near the city I saw an open van rushing towards the hospital. At the back of it, rolling with the twists and bumps of the road was the body of what must have been a very young girl. Face down all covered in dust. Black jeans covered with dust. Hair tangled with dust. That made me realize the enormity of the impact to everyone's lives here. I feel pain for all the families here. Lives snuffed out in a minute." -Rupa Joshi, UNICEF Nepal Communication Officer I wrote to you yesterday, appealing for your help in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Nepal. Many of you have already made donations to support our efforts – thank you. As information slowly starts to come in, we are getting a clearer picture of the devastation on the ground – and it’s a grim picture. The destruction is widespread: at least 40% of the country is affected. It is now estimated that more than 2,500 people have lost their lives and Nepalese authorities expect that the death toll will continue to rise. Thousands more are injured and many more are still unaccounted for. With homes demolished or unsafe, children and their families are forced to sleep outside in the cold. These children desperately need our help. Water is now scarce and stocks of medical supplies are dwindling. UNICEF has pre-positioned critical supplies in the area; now we’re working to deliver them to the people who need them most. That’s where our supporters come in. If you’ve already made a donation, I offer my heartfelt thanks. If you have not yet done so, please consider making an emergency gift today. Your contribution of any amount will make a difference in helping us respond to the immediate needs of the people of Nepal. We will continue to keep you informed about UNICEF’s response in the coming days and weeks. For all that you do for children, I thank you. Sincerely, David Morley President & CEO, UNICEF Canada

In Memory - Paying tribute to our UNICEF colleagues

Our field staff are heroes who dedicate their lives to building a better world for children.

Our field staff are heroes who dedicate their lives to building a better world for children. As someone who supports UNICEF, I know you share this view. So it is with great sadness that we pay tribute to four of our colleagues who lost their lives on Monday during an attack in Garowe, Somalia: Mr. Payenda Gul Abed, who had been coordinating UNICEF’s polio immunization efforts in Garowe since May 2014. Ms. Brenda Kyeyune, who had managed social mobilization and communication initiatives in support of polio eradication in Somalia since 2014. Ms. Woki Munyui, who had been supporting UNICEF’s education work in Somalia since 2007. Mr. Stephen Oduor, who had been undertaking vital administrative work for UNICEF Somalia since 2010. Our thoughts are with the families of those who have passed and with all our staff who continue to work tirelessly for children, in Somalia and around the world. Today, all of us at UNICEF honour their sacrifice. Regards, David Morley President & CEO, UNICEF Canada