UNICEF
Founded in 1946, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized.
For more information, please visit: http://www.unicef.org/
CAN YOU SEE ME?
Eveny* (age 17) was raped one Sunday afternoon by the son of her church’s pastor; he then threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Frightened, Eveny remained silent. But neighbours soon alerted her parents, who accompanied Eveny to the police to report the incident. She is now receiving counselling and other support from a local shelter, although its distance from her home makes frequent attendance difficult.
Eveny lives in Guatemala.
* Name changed
© UNICEF/Susan Markisz
To see more: http://www.unicef.org/photography
Tiny hopes for Syria amid the violence
By Alma Hassoun
DAMASCUS, 20 May 2013 – Five-day old Yaman took a long stretch inside an incubator at a charity hospital in Damascus, while his mother and sister were admiring him happily through the glass door of the unit.
Yaman has in many ways become one of Syria’s smallest hopes amid vicious fighting that has damaged hospitals and taken thousands of lives. His mother remained nearby, ready to breastfeed her youngest child to ensure the best nutritional start to life.
Next to him was a tiny girl sleeping quietly. Both babies are expected to be fine, but were placed delicately in an incubator because of a small infection for Yaman and a respiratory problem for the girl.
But until last month, there were only four incubators in the hospital — far short of what was needed.
UNICEF has been providing NGOs throughout the country with incubators that can help save the lives of many infants like Yaman, with three machines for this hospital in Damascus, another two in Aleppo and one in Homs. A remaining 44, out of 50 purchased, will be distributed to private and public hospitals throughout Syria.
“The incubators came just on time,” said Dr. Wisam Baraki, a neonatology specialist.
Before that, infants were sometimes placed on beds and oxygen was administered manually by parents because incubators were not available, a doctor explained.
“The incubator is life-saving medical equipment for babies born with difficulties especially in breathing,” said Dr. Iman Bahnasi, UNICEF health specialist. “It is crucial especially at this time as there is a shortage in incubators resulting from damaging and looting many hospitals.”
The protracted violence has continued to devastate health facilities in Syria. Out of 88 public hospitals, less than half are fully functioning, with some 27 destroyed and 21 only partially working. In addition, 10 per cent of the health centres in Syria are damaged according to the World Health Organization in December 2012.
UNICEF and partners are providing humanitarian assistance throughout the country including medical support for children and families. This year alone, 50 UNICEF supported mobile medical teams in 12 governorates and a fixed centre in Damascus, have reached over 60,700 children with medical check-ups.
Photo credit: © UNICEF/Syria-2013/Alma Hassoun
Congratulations to David Beckham on a long and illustrious football career!
Thank you again for your amazing commitment to UNICEF - we look forward to continuing our work together for children.
Here is a video from 2008 and his trip with UNICEF to Sierra Leone we hope you enjoy as much as the folks on the “pitch” did.
Back to school after Typhoon Bopha
Six months after Typhoon Bopha took more than 1,000 lives and displaced more than a million people, teaching and learning are starting up again in elementary schools across affected parts of the Philippines.
Read more: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/philippines_69114.html
UNICEF Spotlight: Mothers overcoming adversity
This week, a Syrian mother struggles to raise her children in a refugee camp; mothers in Somalia get their children vaccinated with a newly introduced pentavalent vaccine; and in Serbia mothers get help from UNICEF in caring for their disabled children.
For more information, visit: http://www.unicef.org/
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: 14 May 2013
Poverty reductions in Nepal have accompanied significant gains in child nutrition. But the poorest children, who have the least access to vital services, remain most vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies. Jamuna Saud, her family’s sole provider since the death of her husband, works all day in the fields to feed and support her children in Biraltoli Village. A joint UNICEF/EU programme is providing nutrition screenings for children in the impoverished village.
©UNICEF/Shehzad Noorani
To see more: www.unicef.org/photography
Lenny Kravitz: “Are you with me?”
4-year-old Shahadad was infected with polio when he was only 2. The brutal fact is that it could have been prevented.
Lenny Kravitz wants you to know that we can end polio in our lifetime if we work together and immunize every child.
Children from the poorest communities frequently miss out on the nutrition and care they need to grow up healthy.
SHARE this image if you want to change this.
GIRLS CAN CODE
Kristen Titus, director of ‘Girls Who Code’, shares a shocking statistic with us about what girls in the USA DON’T want to do when they grow up.
Watch the video and tell us what it’s like where you live.
CAN YOU SEE ME?
Annie Sumo (age 13) laughs while walking home with a friend. Annie contracted a leg infection as a small child, during Liberia’s civil war, when medical facilities were inaccessible. Untreated, the infection caused a leg deformity that makes walking difficult. Annie and her friend live in Nyeamah Village, where UNICEF supports a range of services for children. The rebuilding of basic infrastructure has continued since the end of the country’s 14-year war in 2003.
© UNICEF/Shehzad Noorani
To see more: www.unicef.org/photography
