Every Child No 3, 2009

E v e r y C h i l d N o . 3 , 2 0 0 9

UNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEFNo. 3, 2009

Whatever it takes to save a child.

Saving Lives During Wartime

U . S . F u n d f o r U N I C E F

In This Issue:

Feature

9 Saving Lives During Wartime

Departments

1 UNICEF in the Field

4 Inside the U.S. Fund

8 Field Visit to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

14 Partner Profiles:Clif Wilson — In Memory of Gene Wilson

Jasveer Virk and Paul Kavanagh Manjari Saha

E v e r y C h i l d N o . 3 , 2 0 0 9 1

Last month, UNICEF released some star-

tlingly good news: the number of children

dying before their fifth birthday has fallen

to its lowest level ever — about 8.8 million

per year, or 24,000 per day. That figure is

down from 25,500 three years ago and is a

clear indication that the efforts of UNICEF,

its partners, and its supporters are making

a considerable impact on the fight for child

survival.

Perhaps most significant is that the de-

cline in child mortality is actually acceler-

ating — evidence that UNICEF’s low-cost,

proven interventions are reaching more

children. This development is proof that

UNICEF is getting closer to the day when

zero children die of preventable causes.

While this news is cause for celebration,

U.S. Fund for UNICEF President and CEO

Caryl M. Stern declared that 24,000 children

dying each day is a moral outrage. “When

I kissed my child this morning,” she said,

“I knew that there were 24,000 moms who

were not going to get to do that today. That

is a horrible thought.”

She added that the full effect of the glob-

al financial downturn on child mortality

might not yet be known. “Right now, our

biggest fear is that the economic crisis could

stall or reverse the progress,” Stern said.

The new estimates are based on statis-

tics gathered between 1990 and 2008. They

are a result of the collection and analysis of

expert demographic and health data from

UNICEF, the World Health Organization,

the World Bank, and the United Nations

Population Division.

The information shows a 28 percent de-

cline in child mortality between 1990 and

2008 and indicates that progress has been

achieved in every part of the world. One

particularly striking example is Malawi,

where under-five mortality fell by more

than 55 percent between 1990 and 2008.

Advances like these are attributable to

the growing use of key health interventions,

including immunizations, vitamin A sup-

plements, and insecticide-treated mosquito

nets to guard against malaria. UNICEF has

been at the forefront of delivering these

and other lifesaving solutions all across

the globe. UNICEF-led measles immuniza-

tion drives, for example, helped reduce the

global incidence of this lethal disease by 74

percent between 2000 and 2007.

“We know what interventions work,”

said Stern. “Reaching zero preventable

deaths is not a dream. We can achieve this,

but momentum has to be accelerated, so that

no mother experiences the loss of a beloved

child to a completely avoidable cause.”

For more information on the recent drop in child

mortality, please visit: unicefusa.org/24000

Child Mortality Falls to Record Low

U N I C E F I N T h E F I E l d

Floodwaters submerging entire towns in the Philippines. A crushing earthquake in Indone-sia. A tsunami in Samoa. These three emergen-cies recently struck within days of one another throughout Asia-Pacific, leaving scores of chil-dren and their families homeless, vulnerable to disease, and in desperate need of assistance. UNICEF has permanent offices in all countries affected by these recent disasters and was im-mediately on the scene with pre-positioned sup-plies such as tents, blankets, medicines, food, and water purification tablets. But children in the region have a long, difficult road ahead — and they need help.

To provide a lifeline to children impacted in Asia-Pacific, please visit unicefusa.org/asiapacific

UNICEF Responds to Multiple Emergencies in Asia-Pacific



2

Innovations That Save Lives


RapidSMS TechnologyWith an estimated 280 million mobile

phone subscribers in Africa, UNICEF saw

an opportunity to turn these common com-

munication gadgets into vital child survival

tools. In 2008, UNICEF began trials of its

new RapidSMS technology. This system

enables UNICEF staff to track nutrition

needs and supplies by compiling mobile

text message data into instant correlated

reports. Until recently, this sort of informa-

tion would be written down on data collec-

tion forms, sent to a centralized office, and

processed by hand. With RapidSMS, child

malnutrition can be mapped and tracked in

real time, enabling governments, UNICEF,

and its partners to respond immediately to

rapidly unfolding nutritional crises.

Sometimes world-changing ideas are, in essence, quite simple. For UNICEF, that’s a very good thing. UNICEF is constantly developing and employing low-cost, simple solutions to big problems. Here are a few innovations you may never have heard of that are proving invaluable in the fight for child survival.

Auto-disable SyringesThe auto-disable syringe (AD) has an inter-

nal one-way valve, which thoroughly dis-

ables the syringe after a single use. By pre-

venting re-use of syringes, UNICEF and its

partners are able to significantly reduce the

transmission of deadly blood-borne viruses

such as hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS. Syring-

es cost around 5 cents each, making them

an easy, inexpensive way to save lives. And

UNICEF’s immunization programs only use

AD syringes. In 2008, UNICEF procured

more than 2.6 billion doses of vaccines and

over 480 million auto-disable syringes.

Fridge-Tags

In order to remain effective, living vaccines

must be kept at constant temperatures.

This sounds easier than it actually is, par-

ticularly when you consider that UNICEF

gets vaccines to children in some of the

most remote and hard-to-reach places in

the world. Fridge-tags provide a simple,

portable means for health workers to moni-

tor the storage temperature of vaccines. A

digital display indicates whether a vaccine

has been exposed to either freezing condi-

tions or excessive heat at any time during

the previous 30 days. If the fridge-tag is ex-

posed to an out-of-range temperature, the

display warns health workers that the vac-

cine may be ineffective or unsafe.

Motorcycle AmbulancesIn Guinea, many villages lack proper roads

and are inaccessible by car or truck. As a

result, pregnant women have had virtually

no way to reach a hospital if they experi-

ence birth complications. A UNICEF staff

member, who saw how difficult and dan-

gerous it could be for women in labor to

be cut off from expert health care, had an

inspired idea. Why not create a fleet of mo-

torcycle ambulances similar to those used

for removing injured soccer players from

the field? The motorcycle ambulance — a

motorcycle adapted so that the back half

is a small wagon — can navigate difficult

terrain impassable to larger vehicles. The

program was so successful that UNICEF

recently introduced a version of the motor-

cycle ambulances in Southern Sudan, which

has the worst rate of maternal mortality in

the world.

E v e r y C h i l d N o . 3 , 2 0 0 9

Imagine more than 2 million peo-

ple on the move. They are franti-

cally fleeing sudden and deadly

fighting between government

forces and armed militants. On

foot and in overloaded vehicles,

they’re rushing, trying to keep

track of family members and of

their hurriedly packed belong-

ings. They’ve had no time to sleep

or to eat. They don’t know where

they’re going. And nearly half of

them are children.

This was the scene in Paki-

stan’s North-West Frontier Prov-

ince earlier this year. Altogether,

2.3 million people fled their

homes, seeking refuge in safe but

unfamiliar towns. Some ended

up in quickly established camps

for internally displaced persons

(IDPs), others stayed with distant

relatives, many with strangers.

UNICEF responded to this refugee crisis

immediately, helping establish IDP camps

and supplying families with desperately

needed water, health care, vaccines, nutri-

ent-rich food, and psychosocial counseling.

UNICEF’s flexibility also meant

that women and children seek-

ing refuge in host communities

— rather than IDP camps — got

help, too.

UNICEF has a well-earned

reputation for helping children in

conflict (see the feature on page 9).

UNICEF provides assistance for their im-

mediate survival, and creates safe spaces

for them to learn and play, fostering their

long-term well-being.

“Here there is no bombing. Here we aren’t

scared,” said ten-year-old Ikram Ullah at

the UNICEF-supported school in the Chota

Lahore Camp. Ikram and his entire extend-

ed family — including his seven siblings —

fled their village when the fighting began.

Now Ikram and his younger sisters, Hinaz

and Naseema, were attending the camp’s

school along with nearly 900 other students

who escaped the violent clashes.

“These children have come here empty-

handed,” said Haseena Begum, head teach-

er at the school. “They had nothing — no

books or other school supplies. They were

also terribly scared.” During the height

of the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan,

UNICEF was supporting 36 schools in IDP

camps. “School is important to help these

children get back to normal life,”

Begum added. “It helps them to

overcome the trauma of conflict,

and gives them a daily routine.”

Now, with the area stabilized

and many families wearily

heading home, UNICEF has an

additional focus — helping the

returning children by rebuilding schools

destroyed during the conflict.

To help children and families displaced

by fighting in Pakistan, please visit:

unicefusa.org/pakistan

Help for Children Fleeing Violent Clashes in Pakistan


Children look down from the terrace of their severely damaged home in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Their village was reduced to ruins during recent fighting.

Here there is no bombing. Here

we aren’t scared.

3


U . S . F u n d f o r U N I C E F4

The Drug That Gives Hope to Those with River Blindness

I N s I d E T h E U . s . F U N d

In many rural villages around the world,

the river is indispensable to daily life. It is

a family’s well and its food source. It is the

kitchen sink, bathtub, laundry room. Fami-

lies — especially women and children —

may spend hours a day on the banks of the

river. But in so many areas — especially in

African countries — the river harbors great

danger.

River blindness, the common term for

onchocerciasis, affects more than 18 million

people in the world. They become infected

when bitten by a particularly nasty type of

black fly, which is attracted to fast-moving

water. The fly’s bite leaves behind a para-

sitic worm that can cause intense itching,

disfiguring inflammation of the skin, eye

lesions, and, over time, even blindness and

premature death.

Luckily, river blindness can be treated.

Mectizan® (ivermectin), a drug developed

and manufactured by the pharmaceutical

company Merck & Co., Inc., alleviates the

brutal itching that accompanies onchocer-

ciasis and halts progression toward blind-

ness, enabling affected people in endemic

areas to go about their lives without being

overwhelmed by this terrifying disease. In

1987, Merck announced that it would do-

nate Mectizan to all who need it, for as long

as needed. Since then, Merck has stayed

true to its word, supplying more than 2.5

billion tablets of the drug to date through

its Mectizan Donation Program.

In the last ten years, Merck has donated

over $1.2 billion worth of Mectizan to the

U.S. Fund for UNICEF alone. These doses

of the drug have gone primarily to Nigeria,

which has one of the highest rates of river

blindness in the world. In 2008, UNICEF Ni-

geria, working with the ministry of health,

was able to reach more than 10.5 million

people with Merck-supplied Mectizan.

Recent evidence has shown that, with

widespread and long-term treatment, elim-

ination of river blindness might one day be

feasible. This is extraordinary news for all

the people in the world who live — both lit-

erally and figuratively — by the river. And it

would not be possible without the generos-

ity of U.S. Fund partner, Merck & Co., Inc.

– President Barack Obama Accra, Ghana (July 11, 2009)

I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world — as partners with

America on behalf of the future we want for all of our children.

E v e r y C h i l d N o . 3 , 2 0 0 9


5

Brazil has one of the largest economies in

the world (ranked tenth, just after France),

but you wouldn’t guess it based on the deep

poverty of some of its rural areas and of its

cities’ favelas, or slums. While indigenous

families struggle to eke out a living and stay

healthy on deforested reservation lands, an

ever-growing population of urban families

survives amid destitute living conditions,

violent drug crime, and a dearth of services

such as health care and schools.

U.S. Fund partner Kimberly-Clark re-

cently contributed $640,000 to support two

UNICEF programs in Brazil. The funds will

enable UNICEF to provide access to health

care for some of Brazil’s most marginalized

communities in the rural north and Ama-

zon regions. The donation will also help

launch the second phase of UNICEF Bra-

zil’s innovative Urban Platform Program,

which will explore long-term solutions to

benefit 180,000 children living in favelas in

Rio de Janeiro and São Paolo. This contribu-

tion builds on the nearly $1 million given

by Kimberly-Clark to the U.S. Fund for pro-

grams in Brazil over the past two years.

Help for Brazil’s Poorest


Save the DatePlease help us celebrate the UNICEF Snowflakes!

For more information, please call Brittany Mazin at 212-880-9139, or visit unicefsnowflake.org

UNICEF Snowflake Lighting, New YorkThursday, November 19, 2009

UNICEF Snowflake Lighting, Beverly HillsSaturday, November 21, 2009

The UNICEF Snowflake Ball, New YorkWednesday, December 2, 2009

The UNICEF Ball, Beverly HillsThursday, December 10, 2009

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF held its 2009 Annual Meeting at New York’s Desmond Tutu Center on June 18. Many attendees visited this life-size UNICEF tent, which was set up in the lobby.The tent contained more than 20 examples of Inspired Gifts, such as polio vaccines and therapeutic milk — items that donors can purchase to help UNICEF save and improve children’s lives. To buy an Inspired Gift this holiday season or anyother time, please visit:inspiredgifts.unicefusa.org

U . S . F u n d f o r U N I C E F6

For generations of Americans, Hallow-

een has been about more than just gob-

lins, ghouls, and sweets. Trick-or-Treat for

UNICEF (TOT), now entering its 59th year,

has introduced millions of youngsters to

the power of philanthropy and has instilled

in them a lifelong passion for helping the

world’s children.

Since 1950, TOT has grown into the U.S.

Fund’s longest-running campaign, gener-

ating more than $144 million dollars and

touching millions of lives — both at home

and abroad. For many supporters, their

commitment to UNICEF began while toting

that little orange box door-to-door decades

ago. And every year, Trick-or-Treat for

UNICEF provides a new opportunity for

the youngest Americans to experience the

satisfaction that comes from helping others.

This year, the campaign continues to

grow. We are especially excited to have

UNICEF Ambassador Selena Gomez back

for a second year as our National TOT

spokesperson. Selena will be promoting

TOT throughout October in national media

interviews, a special online launch event,

and through social media sites like Twitter

and Facebook.

Home & Garden Television (HGTV) has

joined the campaign family as the 2009 Na-

tional Media Partner. The channel will air

a Halloween special highlighting Trick-or-

Treat for UNICEF on Sunday, October 18,

and Saturday, October 24, at 8 P.M. Procter

& Gamble, a continuing National Partner,

will match funds donated through HGTV.

com, up to $100,000, through October 31,

2009. American Airlines, Baskin-Robbins,

Coinstar, Hallmark Gold Crown, KIDZ

BOP, and Pier 1 Imports® are also proud

supporters.

The U.S. Fund is pleased to continue

working with M.L.S.W.O.R.K.S — Ma-

jor League Soccer’s community outreach

initiative — and SAY Soccer, to involve

youth soccer players in this year’s Hal-

loween campaign. Key Club Interna-

tional, a longtime community partner of

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, is focusing

this year’s funds on supporting Opera-

tion Uruguay, helping to build community

centers for Uruguay’s most vulnerable

adolescents. Visit unicefusa.org/trickortreat for more informa-tion on how to get involved. The earliest online registrants for “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Hal-loween Parties” will receive free party kits.And remember, whether hosting a commu-nity event or simply ordering boxes, you’re par-ticipating in a tradition aimed at reaching a day when no child dies from a preventable cause.

Trick-or-Treat: Many Generations, One Cause


Fifty-nine years ago, Reverend Clyde

Allison and his wife, Mary Emma,

wanted to make Halloween more

fun — and more meaningful — for

Presbyterian Sunday school students.

And so Reverend Allison proposed

a pioneering idea: On Halloween,

besides asking for candy, why not ask

for donations to support UNICEF?

On October 31, 1950, Sunday school

students across the country —

including the Allisons’ own children

— knocked on doors and collected

coins in decorated milk cartons. Since

then, this creative concept has given

generations of Trick-or-Treaters a

way to help save the lives of children

all over the globe. Reverend Allison

passed away this year at age 91. We

are awed by, and grateful for, the

powerful legacy of this extraordinary

man and his family.

Remembering Reverend Clyde Allison

E v e r y C h i l d N o . 3 , 2 0 0 9

Senior Director of Major Gifts Leslie Goldman and donors Wendy Serrino, Shelly Dee, and Wendy Adams with children on a recent field visit to Laos.

UNICEF Togo Representative Una McCauley (third from l.) with donors Lizzie, Jill, and Jim Cochran at an event in Dallas.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, with donor Ty Harvey and Midwest Regional Board co-chair Gary Beu at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s Annual Meeting in New York.

U.S. Fund for UNICEF Next Generation Steering Committee members Jillian Gumbel, Caroline Johnston Polisi, and Danielle Abraham at the group’s launch event in New York, where they helped raise over $44,000 for a micronutrient supplement program in Guatemala.

Incoming New England Regional Board chair Kaia Miller-Goldstein with the President of Rwanda, His Excellency Paul Kagame; First Lady of Rwanda Madame Jeannette Kagame; and Jonathan Goldstein at the 2009 Children’s ChampionDinner in Boston.

UNICEF Brazil Chief of HIV/AIDS Daniela Ligiero; Board members Sherrie Westin, Dolores Gahan, Sarah Walton, and Téa Leoni; U.S. Fund Chief Program Officer Cynthia McCaffrey; U.S. Fund President and CEO Caryl M. Stern; and supporters Sarah Wren, Paula Zahn, and Jungwon Chai joined women and children at a UNICEF-sponsored community center in Brazil.

Donor Activities at Home and AbroadMaking a Difference

7


In May, U.S. Fund for UNICEF Senior

Director of Major Gifts Leslie Goldman

accompanied three donors on a trip to

the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to

observe UNICEF-supported health, HIV/

AIDS, and education programs. One of

the donors, Wendy Adams, provided

this account of the five-day visit.

We arrived in Nonhsavanh, a remote

Hmong village in the country’s mountain-

ous north, to find local residents already

gathered in the sweltering heat. Mothers

clutched babies to their chests, while hold-

ing bright yellow vaccination cards. One

young teenage father tenderly cradled his

ten-day-old son, staring at him in awe. In

a nearby field, several small boys tossed

bocce balls back and forth. The villagers had

assembled under a large tree to receive a

variety of health services from a UNICEF-

supported mobile team.

We watched as babies were vaccinated,

and as parents learned about proper nu-

trition and breastfeeding practices. The

remarkable event was the result of persis-

tent coordinated efforts between UNICEF

and staff from local health clinics to combat

superstitions about immunization and to

persuade residents to forego a day of work

in the fields so their families could benefit

from essential health care.

Unlike the other villages we had visited,

Nonhsavanh has no electricity. The commu-

nity shelter leans precariously. The school

is a modest structure with a thatched roof.

Even so, the children crammed onto rows

of wooden benches on an uneven dirt floor

and watched eagerly as their teacher wrote

sums on a chalkboard.

What a stark contrast to a UNICEF-sup-

ported school we visited earlier in the week

in the town of Phonsavang. There, children

sat behind desks in a newly built classroom.

They had access to clean drinking water and

sanitation facilities. UNICEF-trained teach-

ers created a friendly and engaging atmo-

sphere that encouraged children to thrive.

The success of UNICEF’s partnership with

the school, ministry of education, and the

community in creating a nurturing learning

environment was evidenced in the smiles

on every child’s face that day.

Many other children in the Lao People’s

Democratic Republic face severe daily hard-

ships. Diarrhea caused by unsafe drinking

water remains one of the country’s lead-

ing causes of child death. Malnutrition

stemming from poverty and poor feeding

practices makes children more vulnerable

to disease and makes it harder for them to

concentrate in school.

I became a UNICEF donor because I

struggle to understand why there is so

much poverty in this world; why children

continue to die from preventable diseases

like tetanus; why they suffer from malnu-

trition; why they go without clean water or

walls and a roof. The means and technology

exist to right these wrongs, yet the needs

are so great.

But during our visit, we saw that

UNICEF and its partners are meeting many

of these needs in the Lao People’s Demo-

cratic Republic. From clean-water taps, to

billboards that convey health information, to

the efforts of UNICEF-trained health work-

ers to provide antenatal care and promote

proper hygiene — improvements in the

lives of children are visible in every village.

Signs of Progress in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

8

E v e r y C h i l d N o . 3 , 2 0 0 9

Saving Lives During WartimeIn Violence-Torn Countries

like somalia, UNICEF Finds a

Way to help Children survive

By Adam Fifield

An entire generation of Somalia’s children has known little

but conflict and chaos. For nearly 18 years, intense civil strife

has wracked this arid, boomerang-shaped nation on Africa’s

horn. The raging violence has killed and injured young and

old alike, uprooted and displaced families, demolished in-

frastructure, stunted development, forced scores of children

into becoming armed combatants, and, for many, made any

semblance of normalcy seem like an impossible dream.

Add severe drought, crushing poverty, hyperinflation,

and high levels of malnutrition — and you have what many

consider to be the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The re-

lentless volatility also means that, in a country where more

than half the population depends on humanitarian assis-

tance, the risks for those providing that help are extreme.

Aid agency staff members are routinely threatened and

kidnapped. Last year alone, 33 humanitarian workers were

killed in Somalia, including a veteran UNICEF consultant

(see sidebar on page 13).

The task of providing children with essential services in

such an environment is forbidding. Yet, remarkably, the cou-

rageous staff members of UNICEF Somalia have been able

to make a huge impact on the lives of the country’s youngest

and most vulnerable inhabitants.

UNICEF and its partners have supplied millions of in-

ternally displaced people with basic health care, helped

reduce the incidence of malaria among those using insec-

ticide-treated bed nets from 17 percent to 7 percent, and

9


F E A T U r E

cut measles cases from more than 8,000 in

2003 to around 1,000 last year. After suc-

cessive UNICEF-supported polio vaccina-

tion drives, the country has been polio-

free since March 2007. And last December,

UNICEF, the World Health Organization,

and local health authorities launched an

ambitious countrywide operation

that delivered an assortment of

critical interventions to nearly 1

million children.

“It is possible to deliver for

children in very difficult circum-

stances,” said Suraya Dalil, Chief

of Accelerated Child Survival and

Development for UNICEF Somalia.

The achievements in Somalia confirm

this and show that — no matter how dire or

dangerous the conditions — UNICEF will

find a way to save children’s lives.

WAR’S TOLL ON CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD As many as a billion children live in coun-

tries or territories rent by armed conflict,

and some 300 million of them are under

age five. War’s impact on children has be-

come “more brutal than ever,” according to

the Machel Study 10-Year Strategic Review:

Children and Conflict in a Changing World.

Released in June by UNICEF and the Spe-

cial Representative of the Secretary-General

on Children and Armed Conflict, the report

reviews conclusions of a groundbreaking

1996 study on children and conflict by UN

expert Graça Machel.

Today, children are victimized by war in

myriad cruel and appalling ways, the study

found. The increase in armed groups; the

blurring of lines between com-

batants and civilians; landmines;

terrorism and counter-terrorism

— all of these have a dispropor-

tionately disastrous effect on

children’s health and well-being.

Children are also specifically tar-

geted in attacks on schools and

hospitals and are recruited as soldiers. As

families are displaced in the tumult of vio-

lence, children are sometimes left to fend

for themselves. And both girls and boys

suffer the horror of sexual assault, which is

Saving Lives During Wartime, continued from page 9

10

It is possible to deliver for children in very

difficult circumstances.

E v e r y C h i l d N o . 3 , 2 0 0 9

increasingly used as a weapon of war.

But perhaps the gravest consequence of

war is not the most obvious or immediate.

“Children and women can die because

of direct results of war and conflict, but it’s

even worse when they are trapped and de-

nied the possibility of receiving assistance

and services,” said David S. Bassiouni,

Principal Officer for UNICEF’s Office of

Emergency Programs. “This may cause

more deaths than the actual violence.”

Without access to health care, food, clean

water, or schooling, children whose lives are

upended by conflict are more susceptible to

disease, malnutrition, and early death.

UNICEF works in dozens of violence-

plagued countries, protecting children

from the direct and long-term results of

conflict. Among its vast array of programs,

UNICEF sets up family-tracing systems

to help children who have been separated

from their families; provides medical treat-

ment and psychosocial counseling for vic-

tims of sexual assault; and helps earn the

release of child soldiers and reintegrates

them into their communities. UNICEF has

also been instrumental in making children’s

welfare a more central component of peace

negotiations and in pushing for internation-

al standards that prevent child recruitment.

CHILD HEALTH DAYS

In 2007, UNICEF Somalia was deter-

mined to reach more children with critical,

high-impact services. In many countries,

UNICEF provides vaccines, medicines,

training, and other assistance to health clin-

ics. But in Somalia, decades of turmoil had

displaced millions of people and had stark-

ly corroded the quality and accessibility

of health care. In some areas, there simply

were no clinics. In others, clinics operated

for only a few hours a day, and available

services were often woefully inadequate.

The staff at UNICEF Somalia decided to try

F E A T U r E

UNICEF has helped vaccinate millions of children in Afghanistan against polio, but the vast, mountainous nation remains one of only four

countries in the world where the lethal disease persists. Fierce fighting has made the goal of eradicating it especially difficult.

In early 2007, UNICEF Afghanistan Communications Officer roshan Khadivi met with Jeremy Gilley, a documentary filmmaker and

the head of a nonprofit organization called Peace One day. Gilley was making a film about his attempts to promote the observance of

the International day of Peace on september 21. Khadivi told him that, in honor of this special day, UNICEF and other parties would try to

broker a cease-fire in Afghanistan.

“There were a lot of doubts,” Khadivi recalled in an interview. “We had no idea how things would turn out.”

After months of planning and extensive negotiations involving UNICEF, the World health Organization, Afghan authorities, community

organizations, and all parties to the conflict, among others, it was agreed that warring factions would halt hostilities from september 19,

2007 through september 21, 2007.

UNICEF and its partners used this precious opportunity to conduct a nationwide immunization campaign and to reach areas that had

been missed on previous vaccination drives due to safety concerns. during those

three days, over 10,000 health workers were able to inoculate more than 1.4 mil-

lion children against polio.

Unlike previous immunization drives in Afghanistan — in which vaccinators had

been attacked and abducted — no one was harmed.

The polio campaign was repeated in observance of the International day of

Peace in 2008 and 2009, with similar success. “To this day, I can’t believe it hap-

pened,” said Khadivi, who is now working with UNICEF Ukraine. “But it did.”

she added: “If it can happen once — and we can reach so many children in

conflict-affected areas — it can happen again and again and again.”

Silencing Guns in Afghanistan

11


a new approach.

“We knew that facility-based health care

is not very effective,” said UNICEF Soma-

lia’s Suraya Dalil. “So the question for us

was, ‘How can we take very critical services

and bring them closer to the population?’”

The answer was Child Health Days.

UNICEF, the World Health Organization

(WHO), local health authorities, and other

partners started the mammoth initiative in

December of last year and completed it in

June 2009. Modeled after vaccination cam-

paigns — which UNICEF and WHO have

conducted numerous times in Somalia —

the program bundled immunizations with

a host of other interventions. UNICEF had

implemented Child Health Days in other

countries, but never before at this magni-

tude.

After negotiations with community and

religious leaders, thousands of trained

health workers fanned out across Soma-

lia. They set up tables under large trees,

at schools, and at water points. Volunteers

with megaphones walked through nearby

streets, announcing the campaign. Lines

formed quickly, mostly mothers with tod-

dlers and babies in tow.

“The turnout was high,” said Dalil. “Fam-

ilies were so desperate, and they wanted to

do something for their children.”

Because of the unpredictable security

situation, UNICEF carefully monitored cer-

tain areas to determine whether the teams

could operate there. “We had to feel it out

in some places,” Dalil said. If an area was

deemed unsafe, “then we would wait un-

til the situation improved,” she said. There

were a few volatile places where the teams

could not go.

Nevertheless, the results of the campaign

were extraordinary. After the first round

in December, nearly a million children re-

ceived measles, polio, tetanus, and other

immunizations, vitamin A supplements,

and nutritional screening, among other

services. Over 700,000 women were vacci-

nated against tetanus. The second wave of

12

Saving Lives During Wartime, continued from page 11

F E A T U r E

E v e r y C h i l d N o . 3 , 2 0 0 9

the nationwide campaign was launched in

August.

DAYS OF TRANQUILITYAt first blush, the idea seems startlingly

idealistic: convince warring parties to halt

hostilities so that children can get crucial

health care. Could something so audacious

actually work?

Incredibly enough, yes. Over the last 25

years, UNICEF has brokered cease-fires in

18 conflict-ravaged countries, including Bu-

rundi, Colombia, El Salvador, Lebanon, the

Philippines, Sudan, and, recently, Afghani-

stan (see sidebar on page 11). Called Days

of Tranquility or Corridors of Peace, the

cease-fires have allowed children and fami-

lies stranded in conflict zones to receive life-

saving immunizations and medicines.

First proposed in 1983 by the late Nils

Thedin, of the Swedish Committee for

UNICEF, the idea was widely put into

practice by former UNICEF Executive Di-

rector, the late James Grant. In 1985, Grant

negotiated a three-day cease-fire in El Sal-

vador, during which 250,000 children were

immunized against polio, measles, and

other diseases. Grant also met with warring

parties in Sudan in 1989 and helped create

conflict-free corridors that enabled humani-

tarian workers to deliver badly needed

supplies and that laid the groundwork for

a long-term international relief effort called

“Operation Lifeline Sudan.”

If the antagonists in a conflict are not

swayed by compassion, then a differ-

ent tack is taken, said UNICEF’s David

Bassiouni. Negotiators, he said, might

try this line of argument: “Now, or af-

ter the war, these are the people you

are going to need to vote for you.”

In the early 1990s, Bassiouni was the

UNICEF Representative for Somalia.

At the time, the southern city of Baidoa

was seized by terrible famine. The sit-

uation was so bad — so many people

were dying — that Baidoa earned the

grim nickname “City of Death.” Fight-

ing made it impossible to get food and

other supplies to starving inhabitants.

“People were dying like flies,”

Bassiouni said, recalling that an-

guished time.

In 1992, Bassiouni met with

the leaders of a half-dozen mili-

tant groups. He went to their

homes and sat down at their

dinner tables. One by one, he

convinced each of them to agree

not to disrupt deliveries of aid along a

route from the capital, Mogadishu, to

Baidoa. This “corridor of peace” held

firm for several years.

Cease-fires like these embody

UNICEF’s resolve to reach any child

whose life is threatened. That every ef-

fort must be made to protect the most

vulnerable from the ruinous, stran-

gling grip of war is a conviction shared

by all who work for UNICEF.

“Our place,” said Bassiouni simply,

“is to save lives and reduce suffering.”

To support UNICEF’s work in Somalia, please visit: unicefusa.org/somalia

Remembering Those Who Lost Their Lives Saving Children

UNICEF’s dedicated field staff

risk their lives every day. Since

2006, 14 UNICEF workers have

been killed while carrying out their

duties to save children’s lives.

Within the last year, UNICEF lost

two colleagues as a result of

militant attacks.

Water engineer Mukhtar Mohammed

Hassan was shot at close range on

October 19, 2008, as he walked with

friends through the town of huddur in

southern somalia. Gunmen shot into

the air to disperse the crowd and then

directly targeted Mukhtar, who was

working with UNICEF in southern and

central somalia to help bring clean

drinking water and sanitation to areas

where children and families are at high

risk for waterborne diseases.

On June 9, 2009, Perseveranda So,

UNICEF’s Chief of Education in

Pakistan, was killed when a massive

car bomb exploded at the Pearl

Continental hotel in Peshawar. The

hotel was serving as home base

for many aid workers responding

to the humanitarian crisis brought

on by fighting between Pakistan’s

government forces and armed militants

in the North-West Frontier Province

(see page 3). All told, Persy so had

been with UNICEF for 15 years. As

Chief of Education in Pakistan, she

strove to make sure that all children in

that country — especially girls — had

access to schooling.

13

Our place is to save lives and

reduce suffering.

F E A T U r E


JASVEERMy first visit to India must have been when

I was around seven years old, and seeing

the abject poverty was frightening. I re-

member being in a taxi and watching street

children run up, begging for money. Hav-

ing been raised in London, I’d never exper-

ienced anything like it before. I said to my

parents, what do they need? I just felt so

horrible for those children. When Paul and

I got married, we talked a lot about giving. I

had the experience of my visits to India and

of being intimately involved with families

living in impoverished conditions. And we

My late wife Gene dedicated much of her

life to one crucial cause: UNICEF. She be-

lieved that to create a better, more peaceful

world, you have to start with children. The

idea that we all must do whatever we can to

end the suffering and death of the youngest

and most helpless — no matter where in the

world they live — was a conviction that en-

ergized Gene for more than 30 years.

We were both members of the United

Nations Association in Tucson, Arizona,

and that’s where Gene first learned about

UNICEF. It gripped her right away. In the

1960s, she and her friend Mary Kelly sold

UNICEF greeting cards out of the trunks

of their cars, and in 1975, they founded the

United Nations Center in Tucson. Gene

managed the center for 27 years, with sup-

port from a small staff and many volun-

teers. They sold arts and crafts, clothing,

UNICEF merchandise, and other items

from around the world. The proceeds

helped fund local United Nations educa-

tion programs and also generated more

than $1 million for UNICEF over the years.

I played a very small part, providing moral

support and some volunteer help, but I am

immensely proud of — and humbled by —

my wife’s achievement.

She spent many of her waking hours run-

ning the center. A 40-hour workweek was a

short week for her. She was often there on

Saturdays and Sundays. We rarely took va-

cations. It was her dream, and it gave her a

rich life — because UNICEF‘s mission is so

fundamental. We also donated to the U.S.

Fund for UNICEF every year.

I lost Gene in November 2002, but I

continue to support the cause that was so

close to her heart. In her memory, I bought

a crystal for the UNICEF Snowflake on 5th

Avenue in New York City. And last year, I

established a charitable gift annuity with

the U.S. Fund and became a member of the

Legacy Society. The annuity serves a dual

purpose, supporting the work of UNICEF

and also providing me with regular pay-

ments for the rest of my lifetime.

My gift annuity does something else,

too. It allows me to honor — and in a small

way, carry on — my wife’s incredible legacy

of service to children. For that, I am most

grateful.

To learn more about charitable giftannuities with the U.S. Fund or for

information about the Legacy Society, please contact Karen Metzger at 866-486-4233 or

[email protected]

Why I Give: Clif Wilson — in Memory of Gene Wilson

P A r T N E r P r O F I l E s

14

Why We Give: Jasveer Virk and Paul Kavanagh

E v e r y C h i l d N o . 3 , 2 0 0 9

I always saw my parents giving. And not

just money — they gave their time. When I

was a kid, all my classmates’ moms would

be home when they got home for lunch.

But not mine. So I used to get mad at her.

I’d think, “Why aren’t you at home, sitting

with me when I eat my lunch?” Well, she

was out volunteering, donating her time.

She did a lot of work in the Calcutta slums.

Later, when I became an adult and began

getting involved in my own causes, I real-

ized how incredibly lucky I was to have a

mom like that. A mom who worked so hard

to help others.

So it’s really not an op-

tion for me not to give.

It’s just very unnatural

not to. I’m astounded that

it’s 2009 and, despite all

the resources the world

has, 24,000 children still

die every day from pre-

ventable causes. I just

can’t accept that we, as

civilized people, allow

this to happen.

I give to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF be-

cause I want to make the biggest difference

in the world. UNICEF is the world’s 911 —

it responds when and where children and

families need it. And I feel that my dollar

goes so much further with UNICEF than

with any other organization. Being a busi-

nesswoman, I always look for the biggest

bang for my buck. UNICEF offers tremen-

had the means to give. We realized that there

was so much good that we could do. What

appealed to us about UNICEF was its abil-

ity to reach so many people and have such

a wide impact. We felt that it would take an

organization like UNICEF to coordinate the

effort needed to make global change.

PAUL I really wanted to give for a variety of rea-

sons. I grew up comfortably middle class,

and I spent most of my twenties generally

uninvolved. Hearing about Jasveer’s life

experiences was distressing. It was much

more personal than whatever prior expo-

sure I had had to poverty in the develop-

ing world. We started to make more mon-

ey in our thirties, and we got to the point

where it really didn’t feel right just to sit

on it or spend it exclusively on ourselves.

We looked at a number of charities, and we

ended up finding a group that we feel helps

the people who need it most. UNICEF was

a clear choice. There are a lot of intellectual

reasons to help children, but maybe the

most important is the emotional one. You

just know it’s the right thing to do. I think

the question isn’t why you do it, it’s why

you wouldn’t.


Why I Give: Manjari Saha

15

Photo CreditsCover: UNICEF/NYHQ2009-0521/Marta RamonedaP. 1: UNICEF/NYHQ2009-1446/Mike AlquintoP. 2: Ken Banks, kiwanja.net

UNICEF/Guinea/ Tabassy BaroBerlinger & Co. AGUNICEF/NYHQ2005-1498/Asad Zaidi

P. 3: UNICEF/NYHQ2009-1254/Marta RamonedaP. 4: UNICEF/NYHQ2006-0513/Indrias GetachewP. 5: UNICEF/NYHQ2006-1354/Claudio Versiani

Jonathan RagleU.S. Fund for UNICEF/David Heitholt

P. 6: Charles PottsmithJim Salzano

P. 7: Clockwise from top left: Leslie Goldman; Jason Wynn Photography; David Heitholt; Patrick McMullan; John Kreis; Dolores Gahan

P. 8: U.S. Fund for UNICEF/Leslie GoldmanP. 9: UNICEF/NYHQ2007-0039/Michael KamberP. 10: UNICEF/NYHQ2009-1303/Olivier AsselinP. 11: UNICEF/NYHQ2007-1074/Shehzad NooraniP. 12: UNICEF/NYHQ2006-0027/Brendan BannonP. 14: Courtesy of Clif & Gene Wilson; Courtesy of Clif &

Gene Wilson; UNICEF/NYHQ2008-1208/Adam FergusonP. 15: Courtesy of Jasveer Virk & Paul Kavanagh; Courtesy of

Manjari Saha; UNICEF/NYHQ2005-0303/Josh EsteyP. 16: UNICEF/ HQ06-2268/Giacomo Pirozzi Inside back cover: UNICEF/NYHQ2005-1922/

Roger LeMoyneInset: Courtesy of Dorothy & Tom Miglautsch

Envelope: UNICEF/HQ99-0859/Roger LeMoyne

Honorary Co-ChairsGeorge H.W. BushJimmy CarterWilliam J. Clinton

Chair EmeritusHugh Downs

ChairAnthony Pantaleoni

Vice ChairPeter Lamm

PresidentCaryl M. Stern

SecretaryGary M. Cohen

TreasurerEdward G. Lloyd

Honorary DirectorsJames H. CareyRoy E. DisneyMarvin J. GirouardAnthony LakeJohn C. Whitehead

Honorary MembersJoy GreenhouseHelen G. JacobsonSusan C. McKeeverLester Wunderman

DirectorsSusan V. BerresfordDaniel J. BruttoJames A. BlockNelson ChaiGary M. CohenMary Callahan ErdoesPamela FioriDolores Rice GahanBruce Scott GordonVincent John HemmerPeter LammTéa LeoniRobert ManoukianAnthony PantaleoniAmy L. RobbinsHenry S. SchleiffKathi P. SeifertCaryl M. SternJim WaltonSherrie Rollins Westin

Produced by the Department of Editorial and Creative Services

Executive EditorMia Brandt Managing EditorAdam Fifield Art DirectorNicole Pajor Assistant Managing EditorJen Banbury Contributing EditorEileen Coppola DesignerJoanna Wexler

Copyright © 2009U.S. Fund for UNICEF. All rights reserved.

Board of Directors


Why I Give: Manjari Saha, continued from page 15


16

dous value as well as quality. With UNICEF,

I can probably save about ten more lives

with the same dollar that I would give to

another organization.

When you hear about less than a dollar

saving a child’s life, that’s something. You

think, okay, how can I multiply that? And

I tell you, it becomes really hard to buy a

designer handbag after that. You can’t help

but wonder how many lives could be saved

for the cost of that bag.

To learn why the U.S. Fund for UNICEF consistently earns Charity Navigator’s

highest rating, please visit: unicefusa.org/charitynavigator

Legacy SocietyThe U.S. Fund

for UNICEF

Recognizing Those Who Have Invested In the Future of the World’s Children

“My husband and I traveled extensively and witnessed firsthand the plight of children living in impoverished countries throughout the world. The children of haiti were especially close to our hearts, as we spent several months each year in the Caribbean. We believe children are the innocent, helpless victims of war, preventable disease, and other ills, and that UNICEF is the most effective organization in relieving their suffering.

Thus we bequeathed the balance of our estate to UNICEF.”

To learn more about how you can create a legacy of life for future generationsof children, please contact Karen Metzger toll-free at (866) 486-4233,

or email [email protected]

Dorothy & Tom MiglautschLegacy Society Members

U.S. Fund for UNICEF125 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038

1.800.FOR.KIDSunicefusa.org

© 2009 U.S. Fund for UNICEF.All rights reserved.

No child should die of a preventable cause. Every day 24,000 do. We believe that number should be zero.

Believe in zero.

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF has earned •5 consecutive 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator. Only 4% of charities evaluated by this trusted organization have received its highest ranking for at least 5 straight years.

We meet all 20 of the Better Business •Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance Standards for Charity Accountability.

Documents

Every Child No 3, 2009