UNICEF Next Generation @unicefnextgen - Tumblr Blog

Young people who give a damn about the world - and have the power to change it. Check out voicesofyouth.org

March 2015 | New York, NY: Looking out my window tonight as the dense city lights reflect off of snow-covered roofs, it could not feel further from the hot, humid and almost suffocating darkness of night in rural Burundi. Nearly one year ago, I traveled to Burundi with a dedicated group of professionals from UNICEF’s Next Generation to find solutions to the vexing problem of rural electrification. Today, approximately 97% of Burundians continue to lack access to electricity in their homes, instead relying on expensive, dirty and dangerous kerosene lamps for basic lighting needs.

Created in late 2013, Project Lumiere piggybacks off of existing Nawe Nuze savings groups created by UNICEF to act as a community bank focused on micro-loans to members and protecting vulnerable children. By collaborating with UNICEF Burundi's Innovation Lab, local NGOs providing oversight for the Nawe Nuze groups and other NextGen members including Pat DeFrancesco, I was able to transform Project Lumiere from a donor-funded model with perhaps a few hundred lights deployed into a locally-funded social enterprise that needs no third-party funding and retains profits locally using capital from Nawe Nuze members. Our hyperlocal approach to rural electrification creates long-term wealth in the local economy and more rapidly achieves critical development goals as communities are empowered to help themselves as opposed to waiting for outside financing.

Our initial goal was to provide safe, clean and affordable LED light to 500,000 Burundians within the first twelve to eighteen months of launching the redesigned Project Lumiere. After overcoming myriad obstacles including unexpected import taxes and manufacturing delays, I'm thrilled to announce that the new Project Lumiere has officially launched with the delivery of 8,000 Nuru LED lights to the Nawe Nuze groups in Burundi capable of illuminating the homes of 40,000 Burundians. Reports from the field are that demand is staggering, with more lights needed to fill demand. We are optimistic that lessons learned to get to this point can help accelerate the distribution of these much-needed lights to meet our initial goal.

Much has changed since we first pioneered this unique approach to off-grid electrification a year ago. Private investors have jumped into the sector, investing over $100 million (up from virtually nothing pre-2014) in companies providing off-grid lights and electric service, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. The moral obligation to provide the 1.3 billion people that conventional electricity can't reach with access to basic electric service has never been stronger as innovation in off-grid electricity has thrived and costs plummeted, but so too never have the financial incentives been so great. As the question becomes not "will we?" but "how will we?," there is an enormous opportunity to collaborate across traditional silos of academia, non-profits and private investors to improve lives, reach critical development goals and generate a more sustainable global economy. With the right partners, private institutions could benefit from decades of on-the-ground experience and know-how in under-served communities to make their businesses more effective and socially responsible. Public organizations could benefit from the commercial expedience of private institutions to achieve their goals faster and without tapping precious donor resources. It is this spirit of collaboration that makes the work done by NextGen members around the globe so powerful.

The dark night in Burundi is beginning to look brighter.

By Rhys Marsh

UNICEF NextGen member and advisor to UNICEF Burundi's Innovation Lab on rural electrification and social entrepreneurship

#burundi #unicef #innovation

I have been involved in UNICEF’s Next Generation in Los Angeles for over a year. During that time, I've learned a ton about UNICEF’s work worldwide and have helped fundraise for the Syrian crisis, Ebola and UNICEF’s Tap Project. On Tuesday, March 24th, I had the unique opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. and participate in the U.S. Fund for UNICEF 2015 Annual Board Advocacy Retreat, advocating for children’s rights on behalf of UNICEF. We were on Capitol Hill to meet with Senators and Representatives about supporting our request for continued funding in 2016 and the bipartisan Girls Count Act birth registration bill. I had previously learned about the importance of birth registration. For example, how it ensures that children have access to basic services and are protected from child labor, marriage and trafficking, among many, many other things. Listening firsthand to UNICEF’s Washington-based advocates speak about the advocacy process and actually being able to express my passion for this initiative to key Representatives, however, was a completely different experience.

I'll admit it. I was nervous. As a litigator experienced in “lobbying” on behalf of my clients, I certainly expected to be perfectly comfortable lobbying on behalf of a cause I have devoted a substantial portion of my time to support. What got to me was the realization that what we were seeking had huge global implications – not to mention that I have never been very “political.”

I was pleased, though not surprised, to hear that the Representatives and staffers with whom we met fully supported both the Girls Count Act and continued funding. Not only did they support UNICEF in general, but they had sponsored the Girls Count Act when it was originally introduced and were knowledgeable about specific aspects of UNICEF’s work to improve the lives of children.

My invaluable experience on the Hill has given me a new perspective on the role of advocacy and heightened my passion for UNICEF’s work. I look forward to taking part in similar efforts in the future and I encourage anyone interested in advocacy to do the same!

-Yasmin Coffey

"We aspire to a world where equality for women and girls is our reality rather than our goal."

In honor of International Women's Day check out UNICEF's photo essay on medium here

#IWD2015 #women #internationawomensday2015 #empowerment

Happy World Water Month Y'all!!!!!

#unicef #worldwatermonth #water #uniceftapproject #health #children

“Fair Trade is a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers." -World Trade Organization

As many of you already know, January was National Human Trafficking Awareness Month! Fair Trade certification ensures that no forced or child labor was used in the production of goods. Several NextGen members took on the challenge of inviting their friends, searching for products, and preparing Fair Trade dishes in order to help #EndTrafficking.

NextGener Erin Sykes was planning to host a dinner party with four of her friends. After learning about January’s monthly mission, she decided to make it Fair Trade! Was switching plans last minute for a Fair Trade dinner difficult? According to the Erin, switching last minute was a piece of cake; in fact she changed her theme only a week before! Erin and her friends split up the task of preparation, three in charge of purchasing food, one cooked. Reflecting on her dinner she comments: “I thought it was a fun way to bring awareness to an important topic. One of my friends brought her 7 year old daughter and that presented a teaching opportunity to pass on to the next-NextGen.” At any age, Erin shows that these are fun ways to engage our friends and loved ones on this very important topic. After the dinner, her friends asked more about NextGen’s mission and how to get more involved.

We also had the opportunity to ask Carly Segal about her Fair Trade dinner party. Carly didn’t settle with one theme, but two. It was a Fair Trade Golden Globes get together.

1. What were some of the difficulties you faced shopping for Fair Trade items?

Making a shopping list for a Fair Trade dinner party wasn't easy. The hardest part? Beverages. Finding Fair Trade wine was a real toughie! There aren't very many wines with the Fair Trade mark and my local wine shop told me that a lot of the vineyards are focused on sustainability and the environment these days. As it turns out, I was able to research several of the wines my local shop carried (thank you iPhone/Google) and found that while a few of the brands didn't carry the official mark, they did adhere to Fair Trade practices. The easiest part was dessert! Lots of chocolate companies carry the Fair Trade mark... and so does Ben & Jerry's!

2. Any suggestions you would give to others about hosting a fair trade dinner?

Suggestions: shop at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's! They're not paying me to say that, but they do tend to carry a lot of Fair Trade products.

3. What did you learn from the experience?

Shopping for Fairtrade groceries was a great exercise and really made me think. Usually, like many, I go to the market and think about making healthy choices and buying the healthiest and most economically priced products. Thinking about the origin of the food completely shifted my perspective and even post-dinner party, I find myself thinking about where the food came from and how it was produced and harvested.

As these NextGeners proudly demonstrate, big, small, last minute, or golden globes themed there many ways in which one can throw a Fair Trade dinner party. You can too, make it your own and have fun!

______________________________________________________________

Learn more about Fairtrade and human trafficking! Check out http://www.unicefusa.org/endtrafficking for more ways to get involved. Additional Resources and Information: National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 or Text “INFO” or “HELP” to 233733 · Slavery Footprint: http://slaveryfootprint.org/ · Free2Work: http://www.free2work.org/ See how companies you buy from rate on things like worker’s rights and transparency · Made in a Free World: http://www.madeinafreeworld.com/take_action Write to companies to ask them what they’re doing to investigate slavery in their supply chains · State Ratings on Human Trafficking Laws: http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/policy-advocacy/national-policy/state-ratings-on-human-trafficking-laws

#fairtrade #dinner #party #endtrafficking #nextgen #UNICEF

#Syria #NoLostGeneration

On Tuesday, October 14, Next Gen LA hosted its latest free programmatic event at Soho House in West Hollywood. It was our honor and pleasure to hear from journalist, author, and all-around amazing woman Gayle Lemmon. Gayle is a Senior Fellow at the Council on International Relations and the author of New York Times bestseller The Dressmaker of Khair Khana - among other titles - and she writes and speaks extensively on all manner of international issues, with a particular focus on fragile states and developing economies. She is deeply knowledgeable about Syria and the region, and came to talk with us about what's happening, what we can do, and why it matters. Next Gen LA Co-Chair Bettina Barrow introduced Gayle and then Gayle took the floor to speak about the ongoing conflict in Syria, and particularly what it means for children. The numbers are staggering and growing. Gayle explained that fewer than 50% of Syrian children are in school, millions are displaced, and their families are struggling to provide for their most basic needs. The consequences of the situation are many. In the short term, it means that these girls are boys are vulnerable and in need of educational and psycho-social support. The boys may find themselves trying to support their mothers and sisters by finding illegal underage work or vulnerable to recruitment by military groups. As for girls, the possibility of exploitation is ever-present. They face the risk of child marriage or working as domestic help when their families have no way to feed them. And, girls are often isolated from their peers because their families fear that if they are allowed to go out they will be raped, taken, or worse. Gayle also talked about the broader implications of the current crisis, and explained that without action by the global community to mitigate the problem, the long term outlook is dire. If this entire generation of children comes of age without education or support, the risk of future violence and instability is ever increasing. Gayle emphasized that this is a global issue - for those who believe this to be a faraway problem or don't care about the individual children affected, they will care when their personal security is threatened - and it demands our attention now. For better or for worse, we live in a globalized world, and there is no ignoring this crisis. Gayle acknowledged that the enormity of the problem makes it difficult to tackle, but that the contributions of individuals do make a difference. She pointed to the work UNICEF and other organizations have undertaken to educate children, provide for their most basic needs, offer counseling, and so on. She emphasized that even the smallest window of normalcy is invaluable - the chance to connect with peers, the community of a school setting - and that our dollars go to these ends. And she offered her personal experience, gained from years of visiting conflict zones and reporting on similar issues. She recalled speaking with a father of four in Afghanistan who had seen to it that each of his children - including his daughters - received an education, even as war raged on. When she asked him how he had managed, the father said simply that he did as much as he could for as long as he could. And Gayle urged us to do just that: as much as we can. Because there is no alternative. We loved hearing Gayle speak and answer our questions, were impressed by her (more than one person present said out loud "I want to be her") and were and are so grateful for her time, which is predictably very much in demand.

#Syria #NoLostGeneration #No Generation Lost #Gayle Lemmon

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

William James

#Ebola

Hero for Zero: Erica Kochi As technological advancements occur at rapid speeds in the world’s present state, dismissing the role of computers, social media, and high-tech machinery is simply not an option. Following this idea and applying her knowledge of technology to UNICEF’s mission, Erica Kochi and her colleague Christopher Fabian cofounded the UNICEF Innovation Unit seven years ago. As a result of her successes, Kochi was featured in Glamour Magazine’s “35 Women Under 35 Who Are Changing the Tech Industry”. Additionally, she was also featured in Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2013. The unit has since produced 14 innovation labs around the world. Explaining the impact of the idea, Erica stated: "With technology, people in remote places can suddenly have a say in what's happening to them… that was not possible five years ago" (Fenn, “35 Women Under 35 Who Are Changing the Tech Industry”). One of the accomplishments of the UNICEF Innovation Unit was providing people in Nigeria with a method of registering births; in fact, as many as 6 million Nigerian children are born without proper records (Dorsey, “The 2013 Time 100”). Without birth documents, children are unable to receive social services (health, education, etc). Now, through text messaging, Nigerians can record births quickly and easily. As many as 7 million births have been registered thus far! Along with her work with UNICEF, Erica previously worked for the Commission for Macroeconomics and Health (Kochi, "Erica Kochi Biography"). She’s also explored her academic side, co-teaching the course “Design for UNICEF’ at NYU’s ITP as well as lecturing at many other universities such as the Yale School of Management, Harvard University, The Art Center, Stanford University School of Engineering, and Columbia School of International and Public Affairs on topics like technology, innovation, design and international development. Combining both her expertise in technology and her concern for others, Erica’s contribution is an inspiring example of how there are many different ways in which an individual can approach humanitarian issues and change the world. (Fenn, “35 Women Under 35 Who Are Changing the Tech Industry”) (Dorsey, “The 2013 Time 100”).

In honor of the 2014 United Nation’s Climate Summit, we should remember climate change’s effect on youth. Although climate change harms the global community as a whole, among those most negatively impacted are children: “Compared to adults, children are more susceptible to the negative effects of environmental degradation and more vulnerable to conditions such as poor air quality, contaminated water, and extreme heat" ("Climate Change and Environmental Education", UNICEF). UNICEF estimates that in the next ten years, 65% of those negatively impacted annually will be women and children. We are reminded of the work that eight NextGen members in collaboration with the UNICEF Burundi Innovation Lab accomplished last April. Knowledgeable in various fields, they demonstrated not only expertise, but a true adherence to environmentally sustainable practices. For example, Patrick DeFrancesco worked with Project Lumiere, an energy project that aims to provides 'Nuru' LED lights. The energy from these mechanisms is rechargeable and renewable. UNICEF and Next Gen are fully dedicated to promoting healthier environments for children globally. Check out the link from the Environmental Protection Agency below to see five ways in which you can contribute to climate change ("What You Can Do", EPA)! #Climate2014. Sources: "Climate Change and Environmental Education." UNICEF. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. "What You Can Do." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

Hero for Zero: An Artist who Exemplifies UNICEF's Mission

My name is Briana Hilfer and I am the summer 2014 NextGen intern. I have loved working at NextGen this summer, and appreciate how the organization makes an effort to relate to everyone with a mission that people of all ages can be passionate about. I am reminded of this when I think about my sister, Eliza Hilfer. She is 15 years old from Chappaqua, NY, and is enthusiastic about many of UNICEF’s priorities, including women’s rights, children’s rights, and a healthy relationship with the environment. At her high school, she is an executive of a club that educates high school students about these issues, spearheading projects on issues like anti-human trafficking, girls’ education, and access to water. Because of her commitment, Eliza was selected to attend a 10 day conference, Women2Women, which works to foster global relationships among young women, empowering them with leadership skills and nurturing cultural awareness. In addition, Eliza creates artistic pieces, further expressing her concern for women and how environmental issues threaten them.

Eliza is excited about tying her interest in women’s rights together with the environment. She explains, “I am creating a series of paintings that depict women in natural environments. My paintings will explore the mutually dependent, yet tumultuous relationship between women and these environments. The natural environment has the capability to provide women with food and jobs, and in return, women conserve and protect their environments. At the same time, natural disasters or water shortages often most severely impact women who struggle to keep their families safe, and their homes operational under severe conditions.”

Teach UNICEF is working to educate students like Eliza about gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment. It is important for students to understand what is happening to people in other countries so, like Eliza, they can work to raise awareness through their own creativity and passions, and help promote equality and human rights around the world.

UNICEF’s NextGen Visits Vietnam

By UNICEF’s NextGen Steering Committee member, Elizabeth Yale

NextGen member Sterling McDavid at the child protection center, joining in the activity discussing child abuse.

All of the programs Next Gen supports are fascinating and unique in their own way, but I was particularly excited when we voted to support child protection programs in Vietnam back in 2012. While Vietnam has grown into a more developed country and is bettering the lives of its children in so many ways over the past few decades, its legal system was still lacking an important distinction between children and adults when it came to run-ins with the law. An 11-year-old boy caught stealing was interrogated by police, the same way as an adult, and a child who had been abused would often be put in the same room as her abuser during questioning. The funds NextGen raised went toward supporting police training, the creation of child friendly interrogation rooms, and other programs aimed at protecting Vietnam's most vulnerable children. The Vietnam country office was generous enough to give us the opportunity to visit the country and see the projects we funded, and I jumped at the opportunity!

In Ho Chi Minh City we visited Thao Dan, a center we helped fund that targets street children who are at risk of abuse, violence, drugs, exploitation, and trafficking, and gives them a safe place to study, play, share their experiences, and learn valuable life skills. The children were very open to sharing their stories and it was remarkable to see first-hand how a child who had been living on the streets could transform into a happy, smiley, playful child when given the right environment and support.

Police training session, with NextGen members listening in in the back

We also had the opportunity to visit a police training session on child friendly interrogation and interview techniques. One of my fellow NextGeners actually shared her own story of almost getting arrested here in the United States as a teenager, and it really helped the policemen understand that children should feel that they can trust the police and not be scared or intimidated by them.

One of my favorite experiences of the visit was meeting a police chief in the Lai Vung district. He invited us to witness a child friendly interrogation, but unfortunately with how hard he was trying to impress us, things got pretty bungled. Rather than try to cover up the mistakes, the police chief humbled himself and explained that this was all new to the station and he and his staff still needed a lot of training. He told us how he had attended a training session in Hanoi in child friendly interrogation techniques and was so inspired that he took it upon himself to pilot one of the first child-friendly interrogation rooms in the country in his own station and train all of his staff himself. Even though there was still necessary training to be done, their ability to successfully interview child crime victims had already risen from 30-40% to 70-80% - which meant they could protect a lot more children.

It's witnessing these types of individual transformation and dedication to improving the lives of children that make field visits so inspiring. This experience re-invigorated us to continue advocating and supporting these amazing, life-changing projects around the world.

Read more on the Next Generation's impact on Vietnam, visit: http://www.unicefusa.org/supporters/donors/nextgen/impact/vietnam

To join UNICEF’s Next Generation, visit: www.unicefusa.org/joinnextgeneration

Hero for Zero: 16 Year old Hannah Godefa, UNICEF Ambassador to Ethiopia

UNICEF and Ethiopia

UNICEF has been working in Ethiopia since 1952 and is now the go-to organization for children in all regions of the country. Today, because of UNICEF’s help, Ethiopia is on target to meet the Millennium Development Goal of reducing child mortality by half in 2015. Working closely with the Government of Ethiopia, UNICEF Ethiopia is especially trying to protect children and women from practices in Ethiopia that are detrimental to their human rights.

Meet Hannah

Hannah Godefa, a 16-year old Canadian girl born to Ethiopian parents, has been a UNICEF national ambassador to Ethiopia since January 2013. She is especially concerned with girls’ and women’s rights, particularly with their education status and opportunities. Hannah has been visiting Ethiopia as a UNICEF ambassador since she received the position, and works to promote girls’ education. Hannah’s message to Ethiopian students is “that education is the key to their success.” She also said, "Children are endowed with bright minds; if they are allowed to get good education they are capable of changing the world."

Hannah realizes that cultural barriers and family responsibilities prevent girls from receiving proper schooling. In 2013, Hannah formed the Pencil Mountain Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating equal education opportunities for children in developing countries by providing school resources to children abroad. The organization has sent pencils, textbooks, and even wheelchairs for disabled students.

Hannah is proud of her work in Ethiopia and sub-Saharan Africa. Having Ethiopian roots also helps her understand the cultural mindsets of the people she is working to support.

UNICEF is extremely proud of the work that Hannah and other national ambassadors are doing. With the help of these motivated and passionate individuals, UNICEF’s mission will be fulfilled more quickly, and more and more children around the world will have their lives improved.

Read more about Hannah here:

http://www.unicef.org/ethiopia/about_12981.html

http://www.voanews.com/content/young-unicef-activist-works-to-promote-girls-education/1952391.html

Today’s Hero for Zero? Dr. Susan Bissell, Shining Light in the Darkness of Child Trafficking

This is Susan Bissell

“In no country that I have lived and worked have I not been faced with some of the most extreme forms of violence against children that we could imagine,” says Susan Bissell.

Susan started to work with UNICEF in 1987, and has served in various positions with UNICEF in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Haiti, Guatemala and Ethiopia, all of which have been affected by children trafficking issues. Susan is dedicated and passionate about the protection of children. As she says, “[the] vulnerability faced by children as they are outside of households is extreme. Their exposure to violence, abuse and exploitation [is] far too real.”

A native of Canada, Susan completed her master’s degree in Law, Economics and International Relations at the University of Toronto, and pursued a doctoral degree in public health and medical anthropology at the WHO Key Center for Women’s Health at the University of Melbourne.

Child Trafficking: The Issue

Around the world, millions of children are being exploited every day, through an astonishing array of practices including forced labor, domestic servitude, begging, sex tourism, sexual violence, and child soldiering. Many children are forced to work in hazardous conditions, sold into marriage or prostitution, and offered to illegal adoptions. It is extremely difficult to calculate the exact numbers of trafficked since child trafficking is mostly hidden, and victims often fearful of coming forward.

Child trafficking violates the human rights guaranteed to children under international law, most notably the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Their social and educational development is often stunted. They are even arrested and detained as illegal aliens, since many of them are without identity. They often have little or no access to their parents or other support services.

Susan Bissell and the End Trafficking Movement

While completing her doctorate, Susan co-produced the documentary A Kind of Childhood. The documentary exposes a world where children are expected to make a living, where working is part of their daily lives, and where education is just a dream. It explores the reality of child labor and speaks out for children’s rights, their desires, and their dreams. Susan also supported the production of Not My Life, a documentary filmed on five continents, which introduces stories of children who are abducted and “slave-traded” at young ages, and who are exploited every day.

In 2011, Susan came back to UNICEF and served as the Chief of Child Protection in India. Three years later, she transferred to the UNICEF Innocenti Research Center, where she led a 62-country study on implementing the general measures of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and global research on the Palermo Protocol and child trafficking.

Susan was appointed to be Chief of Child Protection in New York in 2009. She continues to work for children affected by armed conflict and on strengthening child protection systems to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children.

Images from the film Not My Life, more info can be found at: https://vimeo.com/55651773

Susan Bissell

For more on Susan Bissell, visit: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_49875.html

For more on Not My Life, visit: http://notmylife.org/film-synopsis

Factsheet on child trafficking, retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/files/ipuglobaltrafficking.pdf

To Join UNICEF’s Next Generation, visit: www.unicefusa.org/joinnextgeneration

The Philippines: Six Months after Typhoon Haiyan

Survivors

When Typhoon Haiyan – locally know as Yolanda – hit the Philippines shore, Jerome Nabong, a 13-year-old boy, lost his home. He is among the 4.1 million people who were displaced by the typhoon. Jerome is now living in a makeshift snack with his parents and five siblings.

Vilma Nabong, another typhoon survivor, lives in a shabby shack. Her children are scared by this disaster, they cry and ask to go to an emergency shelter.

Gwendolyn was born a week before Typhoon Haiyan hit Tacloban. Her home was destroyed and washed away by the storm and her parents had to stay in a shelter with another 300 families. Only in the shelter were they able to get water from the municipal system that UNICEF and its partners had repaired. The family also received a hygiene kit with bath and laundry soap, sanitary napkins, toothbrushes and toothpaste. With the hygiene kit, Jhana, Gwendolyn’s mother, were able to bathe her baby the first time since the storm. Life-saving interventions like these, crucial to warding off deadly diseases, became paramount in the wake of the typhoon, which left millions in desperate need.

The typhoon left nothing but devastation and stole about 6,000 lives. Roughly 14.1 million people were affected; 5.9 million of them were children. Over a million pre-school and school-aged children were out of school and close to 31,600 teachers were affected. Those hardest hit were on coastal and inland areas of Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, northern Cebu and Panay Island. Before the typhoon hit, these communities were already among the Philippines’ most vulnerable – with 40 percent of children living in poverty.

What UNICEF has accomplished

For these families, clean drinkable water is a top concern. After the typhoon, water systems were broken down with many water sources contaminated. Responding to the urgent need of clean water and the increased risk of water-borne diseases, UNICEF helped restore access to safe water for more than 1 million people through distribution of water storage and treatment supplies. Jerome and his family are among those who obtained access to safe water. They also received a UNICEF hygiene kit with toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitary napkins, and bath and laundry soap. To keep child illnesses at bay – especially diarrhea – UNICEF and partners delivered hygiene supplies to more than 450,000 children in schools, alongside messages on best hygiene practices.

Over a million children like Jerome have lost access to education because of Typhoon Haiyan, which damaged or destroyed almost 3,200 schools and day care centers. Bringing these children back to school is among the top priorities for UNICEF. In the six months since the typhoon hit the Philippines, UNICEF and partners have provided 470,000 children with learning materials in affected areas. Some 135,000 children benefitted from 1,351 UNICEF-supported ‘temporary learning spaces’ equipped with school-in-a-box kits, and recreational and early childhood and development materials.

To ensure a safe and supportive environment for the children, over 5,000 social work professionals and caregivers were reached with psychosocial training for children and prevention of violence, exploitation, abuse and trafficking training.

In partnership with Action Against Hunger, UNICEF has been offering monthly Unconditional Cash Transfers of $100 to 10,000 of the most vulnerable households over a six month period. Families with children with disabilities, illnesses, elderly and children orphaned or malnourished, pregnant and lactating women, and those which are female-headed and child-headed are included. The cash transfer is crucial to the families in that it enables them to buy essential grocery, and pay for health care services. Some families use the money to invest in livestock and farming, which can benefit them in the long run.

Nybo, T. (2014). Retrieved from http://weshare.unicef.org/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult_VPage&VBID=2AM4WNUAWI6H#/SearchResult_VPage&VBID=2AM4WNUAWGRM

UNICEF. (2014). UNICEF in the Philippines: Six months after super Typhoon Haiyan.

Another Level 3 Emergency? The Crisis in Iraq

This is Issra, an Iraqi fourth grader. Because of the violence in Iraq, she has been displaced to Khazar Camp, a refugee camp outside the city of Mosul, in the northern part of the country. She and her family left their town because they were afraid of the shootings happening nearby. Issra is worried about her friends, schoolmates, and neighbors who remain in the conflict area. She wants to return to school and her normal life, she wants to read and study and she has motivation, energy and a drive to learn. Unfortunately, because of her situation, she cannot pursue her goals. Read more about Issra and other displaced Iraqi children here: http://unicefiraq.tumblr.com/

The current violence and instability in Iraq caused UNICEF to declare a level 3 emergency in June. Since Sunni jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) captured the Iraqi city of Mosul, they have begun to seize even more towns and cities across the country. However, the crisis started long before June. Since January 2014, over 1.1 million Iraqi citizens have been displaced from their homes. Half of these refugees are children.

UNICEF is working hard to make sure that the hundreds of thousands of displaced children stay safe. UNICEF is not only working to protect Iraqi children, but also the Syrian refugee children who migrated to the displacement camps in Iraq from their homes. Unfortunately, when these Syrian refugees came into Iraq, they brought polio with them. This has caused a polio emergency in Iraq, a country which had eradicated polio 14 years ago. Emergency immunization campaigns have started, but the outbreak of violence has disrupted the efforts to provide vaccines. Additionally, a waterborne disease outbreak is imminent because of unclean water in the refugee camps.

UNICEF has been extremely productive in its efforts to help all the displaced children. As of June 24th, UNICEF has delivered over 70,000 liters of drinking water, over 3,500 hygiene kits, over 5,000 food parcels, 1,000,000 polio vaccines, and 15,000 sets of recreation materials.

It is imperative that we help all of these displaced children get back on their feet. UNICEF Iraq has been trying to lift their spirits by creating soccer matches in honor of the World Cup, playing with the children, educating them about diseases, and providing them with food and water. Not only are these children displaced from their homes and from their families, but they are missing out on being “kids” and having recreation and education.

The four level 3 crises that are happening around the world just provide more of an incentive to help children stay safe, healthy, and above all, to stay children.

Central African Republic: The Worst Crisis You've Never Heard Of

This is Chrystel, a 12 year old girl who is one of the 6000,000 internally displaced citizens of Central African Republic. She is not enrolled in school and says “I want to go back to school. I’ve been living here for four months, and I miss my school friends.”

#NOLostGeneration. #BringBackOurGirls. These taglines are proof that girls’ education is starting to appear in popular media, which is incredibly important: Today few things make bigger waves than a hashtag. As Nicholas Kristof wrote in his blog, “nothing can be more transformative for a society than educating girls and then moving those educated women into the formal labor force.” He was writing about the 270 school girls who were kidnapped in Nigeria, yet all around the world education is becoming collateral damage in conflicts that are happening at a much larger scale.

As a result of a rebel offensive that started in December 2012 and a seizure of power on March 24, 2013, the country has descended into a humanitarian crisis and the intensification of violence has perpetuated fear and instability throughout the region. Most recently, the fighting taking place in Bangui has deteriorated the situation on the ground, which escalated the crisis to a level 3 emergency earlier this year. The conflict in Central African Republic has affected approximately 4.6 million people. Half of these are children like Chrystel. Over 600,000 people are internally displaced and there are 211,000 refugees outside of the country in Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Congo.

The crisis has taken an extreme toll on these kids, particularly on their education- and their futures. “The education system is literally on its knees,” said Souleymane Diabaté, UNICEF Representative in Central African Republic. “Many teachers have not been paid for months; there are no textbooks; the little infrastructure that existed before the crisis has been damaged.” Children should not be forced to abandon their education during times of conflict- this when they need it the most.

In emergency situations, UNICEF and partners promote quality education through the child-friendly model. This means that classrooms are safe and clean, that teachers are trained and that they have enough resources, and that children’s rights are protected. These child-friendly learning spaces provide a much-needed refuge for children affected by conflict, natural disasters, or other emergencies. In 2014, UNICEF aims to place 95,000 children in child-friendly spaces, and the focus will be on children who are out of school. UNICEF and its partners will also work to open temporary learning spaces, distribute educational supplies, and support the reopening of schools in CAR. During times of conflict, children should not have to go without education, and in CAR, 70% of the children are out of school. Chrystel is one of the many children who cannot attend school, but long to go back.

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