Save Our Child: 2010

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Young Moldovan’s film addresses need for reform of institutional child care

Delegates from Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus and Ukraine attend high-level Conference on Child Care System Reform in Chisinau.

CHISINAU, Moldova , 7 December 2009 – Tudor Culeanu, 15, looked on with pride while his short film, ‘The Moscow Train’, was presented to delegates attending a high-level Conference on Child Care System Reform in the Moldovan capital.

VIDEO: Watch now
The opening shot of his film shows a train about to depart and a message scrawled in large letters in chalk saying, “Mom, come back home!”
The train gathers speed as the camera pans to reveal three brothers left standing on the railway platform. It's an image that lingers in the mind of the young filmmaker, and it was inspired by a harsh reality: Tudor was one of nine siblings abandoned when their mother moved to Russia to find work.
OneminutesJr’ workshop
Home for Tudor is now a large institution housing more than 300 children in Straseni
near Chisinau.

Of the 2 million children in institutionalized care around the world, more than 800,000 come from Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

In September, he took part in a ‘OneminutesJr’ filmmaking workshop here. Initiated several years ago by the European Cultural Foundation, the One Minutes Foundation and UNICEF. The OneminutesJr project has held workshops around the globe to develop new tools for youth empowerment and social change.
Tudor’s one-minute video, as well as others produced by youths at the Moldova workshop, were posted online. Tudor’s video was also shown on Moldovan television.
“This film was a great possibility for me to tell the world that I have a dream for my mother to come back home, and I would like other children to have this possibility to make a film about their lives," said Tudor.
Reforming child care systems
Out of an estimated 2 million children who are in institutionalised care around the world, more than 800,000 come from Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States. Many young and disabled children are abandoned in institutions or living at home without specialised care.
To help prevent the separation of children from their families, participants in the Conference on Child Care System Reform urged governments to accelerate reforms by reallocating existing social and family support resources.

The conference brought together delegates from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Government representatives agreed to start developing community-based services and phase out state-run children’s institutions.
“I hope this meeting will achieve, for the five countries that are here, a new energy and a commitment to reforming child care systems,” said UNICEF Regional Director Steven Allen. “It's important that children in institutions, separated from their families either by economic crisis or migration, can find a new way to be cared for – and. indeed, be reunited with their natural families."
Impact of global financial crisis
Poverty, migration and disabilities often pushes families to abandon their children. At the same time, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are among the most severely hit by the global economic crisis.
In 2008, approximately 210,000 children were living in various types of alternative care arrangements in all of the five countries. More than 110,000 of them were growing up in institutions.

Tudor hopes the story of his film will reach not only parents facing similar problems to his family’s issues, but also government leaders who can make a real difference in the lives of children living in institutions.

UNICEF in Australia

Australia’s best-known artist and designer Ken Done has been an active supporter of UNICEF Australia since 1988.

UNICEF Australia has been active since the early 1970s, defending the rights of children and raising funds to support UNICEF’s work for children worldwide. We are based in downtown Sydney but have a network of volunteers in other state capital cities, all committed to supporting our work on behalf of the world’s children.
Bold and inventive, reflecting the Australian national character, UNICEF Australia has pioneered a number of programmes that have subsequently been rolled out globally.
Most notable of these is Change for Good®, a partnership between UNICEF and the international airline industry which offers travellers an easy way to help the world’s children by donating their unwanted currency to UNICEF aboard their flights. To date, Change for Good® has raised nearly A$9 million (US$5.85 million) since it started on Qantas flights in 1991.
Our Global Parent monthly giving programme was launched in Australia in 2002, with plans to extend it to other countries in the UNICEF family. Global Parent offers a way to help many children in the developing world. By making regular donations, our Global Parents help UNICEF help the Global Child, in any of the countries where UNICEF works, by ensuring health, education, equality and protection. It’s a way of getting funds to go where they are needed most.
Our Parliamentary Association, established in 1987, brings together federal parliamentarians in support of UNICEF’s mission. It also encourages Government to give women and children a high priority in its overseas aid programme.
UNICEF Australia does not deliver basic services for Australian children. But, using the Convention on the Rights of the Child as our guide, we draw attention to the plight of the most disadvantaged in our community.
The funds we raise for UNICEF’s programmes come from government, and from corporations and individuals who support our campaigns and buy UNICEF cards and gifts. Our high profile ambassadors, such as actor Nicole Kidman and artist Ken Done, also play an important role in reaching out to the public and raising awareness in Australia of UNICEF’s vital work.

In Armenia, the chance to develop schools that children love to attend

A peer support group at the child-friendly school in the village of Lernadzor, Syunik province, Armenia.

Education experts from the Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States are meeting 24-27 April in Geneva to discuss how to provide quality education for all girls and boys through child-friendly schools. Here is one in a series of related stories from the region.
By Emil Sahakyan
SYUNIK PROVINCE, Armenia 17 April 2009 – Located 200 km from Armenia's capital, Yerevan, the village of Ishkhanasar in Syunik province represents a sad picture of rural poverty.
The village is now home to 250 people, most of whom are very poor and originally came to Armenia from Azerbaijan, fleeing the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.
Dangerous conditions
The village school is located in an old Soviet-style building that once was an entertainment club for collective farmers and still carries the name of Lenin. It's no wonder that the school has only 40 students, as conditions inside are far from child-friendly.
On the contrary, the school is dangerous for children to attend. Falling walls and ceilings, no heating in the winter, inadequate sanitary facilities and the absence of minimum supplies all make it a dangerous place not only for children, but for teachers as well.
"I was teaching history to children when suddenly I heard a crack and immediately a big piece of wall fell down just several steps from me," said school Principal Ara Davtyan.
A big difference
Just a few kilometres away from Ishkhanasar, the situation is different. The school in nearby Shaki village has been renovated and is well maintained by students and teachers alike. It has about 200 students and is a centre of community life.

This school in the village of Ishkhanasar, Syunik province, represents a sad image of rural poverty in Armenia.

However, that was not the situation until 2007, when a pilot project on child-friendly schools was introduced in Syunik province by UNICEF, the Goris Teachers' Union and the non-governmental organization Kapan Teachers.
"When we first heard about this initiative, we were hesitating about our participation," said Deputy Principal Rima Sargsyan. "But it was worth taking a risk and participating in the project, as it helped us to identify our strong and weak points, and put us on the right track."
Meeting standards for 'child friendly'
The roots of the project were laid down in 2006, when the Ministry of Education and Sciences, with support from UNICEF, developed a Child-Friendly School Framework outlining requirements that a school has to meet in order to be called child-friendly.
Such schools foster an environment in which children are motivated and able to learn. Staff members are friendly and welcoming, and attend to students' health, emotional and safety needs. Child-friendly schools recognize and encourage children's growing capacities as learners by providing a culture that focuses on meeting the needs of each individual child.
In the course of the pilot project in Armenia, seven schools that managed to meet the requirements were nominated as 'child-friendly' and received special prizes.
"The project helped schools to become more organized and improve the quality of lessons, and served as an effective self-assessment tool and a means to mobilize communities around education and child rights issues," said UNICEF Education Officer Alvard Poghosyan.
Hopes for a small village
In 2008, UNICEF – in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science, NGO partners and local branches of the National Institute of Education – rolled out the child-friendly school project in Armenia's Shirak and Lori provinces. The partners started by raising child-friendly school awareness among school administrators, teachers, parents and children themselves.
As a result, around 80 per cent of schools in the provinces are now developing plans to introduce child-friendly school standards.
This year, UNICEF is planning to assess progress made so far in introducing the child-friendly school concept in Armenia. Following the assessment, an action plan identifying steps to scale up the concept in the country will be devised. Globally, UNICEF is rolling out the 'Child-Friendly School Manual', a practical guidebook, which will help countries design and implement child-friendly schools that are most appropriate to their circumstances.
Looking at his shabby classrooms, the principal of the Ishkhanasar village school said provincial authorities promised to start construction of a new school building in 2009 – raising the hope in this small village that one day its school, too, will be child-friendly.

Goodwill Ambassador Leo Messi, star footballer, in new video spot on child rights

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Leo Messi, seen here at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, is one of the leading football players of his generation.

NEW YORK, USA, 29 June 2010 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lionel ‘Leo’ Messi, one of the biggest stars in football, has recorded a new public service announcement to raise awareness about children’s rights and promote equity.

VIDEO: Watch now
Mr. Messi, who plays for FC Barcelona and Argentina's national team, was named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009. He also won the Golden Ball award for the best European footballer last year. While his accomplishments as a player are well known, he is also determined to use his fame to help the world´s most vulnerable children.
A few weeks before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Mr. Messi recorded the video PSA.
“Football has given me a lot of joy and opportunities, and I feel grateful to UNICEF for this chance to give support to children," he said. ”I hope that in my role as a global Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, I will be able to support children who need our help.”
UNICEF and FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona last year achieved a historic sweep of the football championships, winning the UEFA Champion’s League, the FIFA Club World Cup, La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the European Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup.
In 2006, FC Barcelona and the FC Barcelona Foundation signed a global agreement with UNICEF. Since then, FC Barcelona has worn the UNICEF logo on its jerseys, broadcasting a message about the rights and needs of children as a symbol of the club’s values and its solidarity with children.
It’s the same message Leo Messi conveys in this video PSA, reflecting his commitment to the most vulnerable.
For more than half a century, UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassadors have helped improve the lives of children and women around the world by creating public awareness of children’s issues and helping to mobilize resources on their behalf.

Thousands take part in Argentina’s ‘Race for Education’

Participants in the UNICEF-supported Race for Education in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, 5 April 2010 – A few days before the start of classes, some 5,000 people took part in Argentina’s ‘Race for Education’, a three- and seven-kilometer foot race that was organized by UNICEF for the third consecutive year.
The Race for Education is designed to mobilize families in support of education. The event aims to increase awareness of children’s basic right to receive quality education, as well as to strengthen adults’ commitment to this right. The 14 March race also generated support from the private sector, local artists, public officials, journalists, youths and families, who all came together to run for children.
A symbolic event
The runners – children, adolescents and adults of all ages – gathered in Buenos Aires’ Palermo Park at nine in the morning and prepared for the start. The first wave of runners were public school students aged 9 to 12, who inaugurated the first 50 meters of the track as onlookers applauded enthusiastically.

Andrés Franco, UNICEF Representative in Argentina (left), and Argentina’s Minister of Education of Alberto Sileoni display a UNICEF Race for Education team shirt in Buenos Aires.

UNICEF Argentina ambassador Julián Weich coordinated the start of the race and encouraged the participants. Throughout the event, the runners symbolically covered the whole education cycle, from the 1st grade to 5th year. Those who made it to the finish line ‘graduated’.
Since Argentina’s National Education Law 26.206 was passed in 2006, UNICEF has organized the race as a call for the law’s implementation. Among other things, the law increased the period of mandatory schooling from 10 to 13 years, established a common education structure for all the regions in the country and promoted bilingual, intercultural education for Argentina’s indigenous population.
Bringing partners together
“This year the Race for Education exceeded our expectations,” said Andrés Franco, UNICEF Representative in Argentina. “Five thousand people were mobilized for education in the country and supported the work of UNICEF in Argentina.”
He added that the qualities of personal effort and commitment – just like those necessary to run a race – were essential to creating a strong and unified education system. “Contributing to improving education is a job for everybody – families, the Government, the teachers, the private sector, the media and the children,” he said.

Students from Government-funded schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina, ranging from ages 9 to 12, participate in a UNICEF-supported Race for Education.

Among the winners were Eugenia Arias Cebollada and Natalia Castillejo, a mother and daughter who train together every day. Ms. Cebollada, a doctor, won third place in the ladies’ category for seven kilometers, while her daughter Natalia, 16, was second in the shorter version of the race, which is three kilometers long.
“Educating also means accompanying your children, seeing them grow, and sharing activities with them,” said Ms. Cebollada. “The UNICEF Race for Education is a good opportunity to run with one’s children… [and highlight] the importance of accessing and completing school.”
Funds for education
The Race for Education raised approximately $100,000 for UNICEF education projects in Argentina. Among other goals, the projects seek to improve the quality of education, reduce drop-out rates, and promote the inclusion of children and adolescents in school.
The Race received the significant support from the private sector, including Cablevisión, Coca-Cola de Argentina, Procter & Gamble, the Government of the City of Buenos Aires and other partners.

South African match referee meets with young HIV/AIDS activists in Antigua

ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 Match Referee Mike Procter listens intently as ‘Teen Talk’ TV producer Mitzi Allen describes the HIV/AIDS situation faced by youth in Antigua.

By Robert Dabney
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, 10 April 2007 – Mike Procter, a former member of the South African cricket team and current International Cricket Council (ICC) Match Referee, officiated at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 matches played in Antigua over the past two weeks. But what really held his attention were the efforts of young people in Antigua working to reduce the spread of HIV among teens.
Mr. Procter visited with the hosts and producers of ‘Teen Talk’, a UNICEF-sponsored half-hour local television talk show that challenges youth to talk openly about HIV prevention.
The group of eight young people also included members of the Rotoract Club, the youth arm of the local Rotary, who have produced public service announcements targeting teens with messages on HIV/AIDS prevention. The PSAs were funded by the UNICEF Eastern Caribbean office.
‘A need to give something back’
Mr. Procter’s visit came as part of the alliance between the ICC, UNICEF, UNAIDS and Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS to spotlight children and AIDS during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 games. The partnership supports the ongoing Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS global campaign.
“As a sportsman, I’ve always felt a need to give something back to the sport and the communities that have been so good to me during my career,” said Mr. Procter, who was a member of the South African squads of the 1970s and ’80s.
“There are some things in life that you just have to do,” he continued. “Visiting with these young people in Antigua and seeing how they are taking the fight against HIV and AIDS to their peers directly is one of those things.”

‘Teen Talk’ host Denesha Whyte (left) and other members of the UNICEF-supported show’s production team talk with Mike Procter about the need for young people to reach out to their peers to help stem the spread of HIV in the Caribbean.

Influential visitor
During his visit, the young people presented Mr. Procter with video copies of both ‘Teen Talk’ and the PSAs. Taking part in the presentation were the show’s producer Mitzi Allen, its host Denesha Whyte and Rotoract Club President Keita Mason.
“We’re really happy that Mr. Procter took his day off to spend some time with us,” said Ms. Allen. “Teen Talk is very important to the youth of Antigua. We don’t rehearse the show beforehand. We just give teenagers the opportunity to talk about issues that are important to them.
“With so many teens in the Caribbean facing difficult choices today, learning how to protect themselves against HIV and how to make the right decisions regarding their sexuality is very important,” she added.
UNICEF was also pleased at the decision of the ICC to involve the referees in these outreach visits during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.
“Having a match referee meet with young people in the region is a highlight of this World Cup,” said Heather Stewart, UNICEF Child Protection Specialist and Focal Point for Antigua and Barbuda. “Mr. Procter’s visit demonstrates the full commitment of the ICC for the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign.”

New Zealand cricketer encourages Antiguan youths

New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor prepares delivery during a pickup game of cricket with Antiguan schoolchildren.

By Robert Dabney
ANTIGUA, 27 March 2007 – As the New Zealand cricket team began their workouts in Antigua for the Super Eight round of the ICC World Cup 2007, Blackcap Ross Taylor visited local youths involved in the UNICEF-sponsored Health and Family Life Education Programme here.
Among the issues highlighted in the training programme is the prevention of HIV transmission.
The visit by Mr. Taylor was organized as part of the alliance between the International Cricket Council (ICC), UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS to raise awareness of the issues facing children and young people affected by HIV. Trisan, 16, a student at the T.N. Kirnon School, was one of those who had an opportunity to interact with the New Zealand player.
Talk about preventing HIV
“Mr. Taylor is the superstar, but today I felt like a star,” Trisan said while joining in a pickup game of cricket with him on the YMCA basketball court.
“It was so special for him to come out here and talk to us about his life and how hard he worked and how much he sacrificed to become a cricketer,” Trisan continued. “I'm glad that I was able to talk to him and that he shared some positive things with us about preventing HIV and how to get ahead in life.”

Ross Taylor (centre) during his visit with Antiguan youths participating in the UNICEF-supported Health and Family Life Education Programme.

Normally the number-three batsman on the New Zealand side, Mr. Taylor is out of the line-up for the immediate future with a tear to his hamstring. But the youngest member of his country’s team (he is 23) was visibly moved by his visit with the youth of Antigua.
“It was really good for me to interact with the children and to share with them some of the facts about preventing the spread of HIV,” Mr. Taylor said as he concluded his visit on Monday.
Encouraging a positive self-image
“I was close enough in age to these kids that I could relate to them in a real way,” he added. “I was especially glad to hear that they have gotten a pretty good grounding in how to keep themselves safe – and also that so many of them expressed some very positive life goals that they are working towards.”

Through the Health and Family Life Education Programme, UNICEF works with teachers in Antigua to provide a holistic range of topics that help children build their life skills and self-esteem.
Health Education Specialist for the Eastern Caribbean Elaine King explained that UNICEF works with educators in Antigua to make sure appropriate HIV education is a part of the lives of young people. Encouraging a positive self-image, she added, improves their decision-making and negotiating skills with regard to sexuality, violence and drug abuse.

In Angola, UNICEF-supported programmes spread HIV awareness through sports

By Steve Felton
VIANA, Angola, 21 October 2010 – If it's Saturday, there’s football in Angola. Today the match is a derby between the ‘Black Eagles’ and ‘Otrack’ – both local girls’ teams.

Like most township pitches, this one is bare earth, and before the game begins the girls sit in groups for an unexpected pep talk. Instead of focusing on the match, the talk is about HIV.
HIV education
A semicircle forms around Anabella Chimbinde, who works for the non-governmental organization ‘Cuidados da Infância,’ or ‘Caring for the youth.’ Ms. Chimbinde knows a lot about the topic – two of her male cousins are HIV positive. She wants the girls to know: you can protect yourself, and you can live a normal life even if you have the virus.

On a football field in Angola, girls listen intently during a discussion about preventing HIV infection.

Cuidados da Infância’s mission to involve young people in sports and help them avoid teenage pregnancy, drugs, and above all, contracting HIV. For the group’s Executive Director, Arnoldo Camolacongue, the issue is simple. "Everybody loves sport, and through sport we can change behaviour," he explained.
Compared to many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Angola‘s estimated adult HIV prevalence rate is relatively low at around 2 per cent. But most experts agree that the figure is rising. In the south of the country it has already reached about 9 per cent.
The news is not all bad for Angola’s neighbouring countries, however. In nearby South Africa there is encouraging news: While the HIV prevalence among young people remains alarmingly high, it is lower than that among adults. Many experts believe this is because young people know the risks and are acting to reduce them.
Sport is key
Ms. Chimbinde’s work in HIV prevention education takes her to schools and onto the streets of Viana. It’s rarely easy, she says. "[People] don't accept the facts at first. We have to be patient," she said.

Anabella Chimbinde of the non-governmental organization ‘Cuidados da Infância,’ or ‘Caring for the Youth,’ talks to female footballers about HIV.

With each new group, Ms. Chimbinde works to build a rapport. Sport is the key, she says. If children want to play basketball – which is also a national obsession in Angola – she will arrange for the municipality’s basketball court to be available.
Most of the young people that Ms. Chimbinde works with are poor, however, and cannot afford balls for soccer, handball and basketball. Playing in proper teams with decent equipment makes all the difference to their pride. To help bolster this simple yet effective intervention, UNICEF is supporting Cuidados da Infância and several related NGOs. And its funding does more than pay for balls and shoes – it also funds training for coaches and HIV educators.
Before the game kicks off today, there is another pre-match event, this time including boys. Cuidados da Infancia also hosts a theatre group, which is performing a lively skit discouraging stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. The audience hoots with laughter as young people play out the roles of ignorant adults who refuse to shake hands with people infected with HIV or who throw them out of the house.
The day ends happily – with a fast-paced football match and new knowledge all around.

Safe water saves lives in Angola

By Steve Felton
KAMIKOTO, Angola, 15 October 2010 – Deep in the heart of Angola, a boy runs, jumps and splashes with friends in a river. Women wash their clothes under the cool shade of a large tree. A canoe passes by, its owner looking for fish.

In Angola rivers are plentiful but no longer fit for drinking. Before a UNICEF-supported programme known as ‘Agua Para Todos,’ (‘Water for All’) arrived here to set up a water treatment plant, many people in the area died from drinking dirty water – especially children.
Safe water, vast improvements
By the riverside in the village of Kamikoto is a bright blue water treatment plant, one of several currently being piloted in Angola. The welcome addition brings fresh, safe water to the villagers.

Residents of Kamikoto, Angola pour treated water into buckets on a truck to transport home.

Antonio Manuel, who lives in Kamikoto, gives a sharp tug at the generator cord and the machine jumps to life, pumping water from the river into its pipes and tanks. He casts an experienced eye over the joints, checking for leaks caused by blockages, and then switches the treatment machinery on. It's a job he does every day, and he enjoys the responsibility.
"People don't get ill anymore," said Mr. Manuel. Before the plant arrived, some villagers did treat the water with chlorine, but it didn't taste good and not everybody could afford it.
Village Chief Miguel Francisco founded Kamikoto, having moved here when the Portuguese were leaving the area in 1960. Since then, he has also been the area coordinator, working directly with the local government of Cacuaco municipality. As the village grew from its original two houses into a sizeable community with its own school and health centre, dirty water became a big issue in village life.
Children were often sick with diarrhoea – one of the main killers of children in Angola.
Water paves the way
Mr. Francisco took the matter up with the local Cacuaco government. At the time, the UNICEF-supported ‘Agua Para Todos’ programme was just getting underway and Kamikoto joined the list for a water treatment plant.

UNICEF is working with the Government of Angola to provide clean, safe water to thousands of people every day.

Today, the plant serves some 2,500 people daily. While it was installed by UNICEF, it is owned and maintained by a local ‘Grupo de Agua e Saneamento’ – a water and sanitation group composed of citizens from the area in coordination with the Cacuaco municipality. The plant filters water and adds just the right amount of chlorine for disinfection. Maintenance is minimal.
With the new treatment plant, safe water has come to the Kamikoto health centre and has paved the way for other important changes in the village. The chief is looking forward to building a secondary school. For now, older students must travel to Cacuaco or even further, to the capital, Luanda, an hour's drive away.
Mr. Manuel receives about $64 per month in return for maintaining the water treatment machine. The income helps to pay for his children's clothes and schooling.
Precious resource
On the river bank, the women have finished their washing and a truck pulls up with drums to fill with water. Mr. Manuel explains that the treated water costs money – it has to, or the people might waste it.
The village has two water points which are fenced off in order to keep animals out and prevent contamination. Every bucket is paid for. The chief has his own tap with a water meter, not because he is the chief, but because he wanted to pay for his own supply.
But the river is still free, and provides ample water for washing clothes, watering garden crops and for animals to drink. The treatment plant has been turned off and Mr. Manuel is relaxing under the tree. When asked if the water technicians come here often, he says no. There has been no need – everything is fine here.

Algeria's forgotten refugees

Algeria's forgotten refugees: After 35 years, conditions in Sahrawi camps remain harsh

Maimouna, 10 (right), listens attentively in class. She has lived in a Sahrawi refugee camp 1,600 km south-west of Algiers, Algeria, all her life.

By Abdel-Rahman Ghandour
UNICEF’s Regional Communication Chief for the Middle East and North Africa sends the following firsthand account of conditions facing refugee children of the Sahrawi people, who fled the Western Sahara 35 years ago.
TINDOUF, Algeria, 24 June 2010 – “I want to become a teacher,” says Maimouna, 10. Yet in her fifth-grade math class, she is struggling to sum the three parts of her triangle. She finally does, with a little help from a classmate.
Maimouna and her older sister are in the same primary school in the Smara refugee camp, close to the town of Tindouf, about 1,600 km south-west of Algiers. She does not know anything or anywhere else. Smara camp has been her whole life.
And so it is for all Sahrawi refugees below the age of 35. In 1975, the Sahrawi people fled a conflict across the Algerian border. The conflict was sparked by competing claims to their ancestral homeland, a piece of the Sahara formerly controlled by Spain.
Although no exact count exists, the Sahrawi refugee population is estimated at more than 150,000, about 80 per cent of whom are women and children. The overwhelming majority know only the sight of the camps – vast, flat wastelands with the harshness of one of the hottest deserts in the world. On a spring day, the temperature is 37 degrees Celsius at 7 p.m.
“Wait until July and August,” a Sahrawi refugee told our delegation during a recent visit to the Samra camp.
Austere conditions
Prior to the visit, we kept hearing that the Sahrawis were not used to complaining or asking for charity. This proved to be true, as we visited family after family in their tents, or in the mud houses many have ended up building because they see no end to their exile.

Refugee children attend classes in a Sahrawi refugee camp in Algeria.

“We do not need anything more, by the grace of God,” we heard from the heads of many refugee families.
But when you see the austere conditions, however, you wonder how that could be. There is no electricity in the camps – barring a few hours per day – and no latrines, and very few goods or food available in the market. As a result, people live almost exclusively from humanitarian aid.
Call for greater support
Since 2004, UNICEF has reinforced and diversified its support for the refugees around Tindouf, bolstered by financial support from the European Union and the Spanish Government. The support has focused on consolidating vaccination coverage, establishing family centres where fresh food items are provided to mothers and children, distributing school kits, supporting the printing of text books and improving teacher training.

Maimouna, 10, at school in the Sahrawi refugee camp near Tindouf, Algeria, says she wants to become a teacher.

Despite these efforts, one out of three Sahrawi children in the camps is not fully immunized. Anaemia affects 1 in 10 women because of the lack of fresh food and a diversified diet. And about half of primary school-aged children drop out, while the quality of education leaves much to be desired.
It’s clear that more support from partners is needed if UNICEF is to address such gaps.
The head of the local Red Crescent in the camps, Bouhabini Yihya, is well placed to understand the needs of the refugee population. He called for more international aid to help these forgotten refugees.
Pride in status of girls
While acknowledging the challenges facing the Sahrawi people, Mr. Yihya told us he always comes back to his source of pride: the status of girls in this community.
Harmful social practices, such as female genital cutting – which can be found in other areas of the sub-region – are non-existent here.
“This is alien to our society. We value women and girls in their full physical and mental integrity,” says Mr. Yihya. “Here, we have more girls than boys in schools. It’s only natural, since girls are more numerous. And all our schools are mixed.”
The benches in Maimouna’s school are filled with both girls and boys, happily blended and actively participating in the math class.
Finally overcoming her shyness, Maimouna, with her big hazelnut eyes and her wide smile, speaks to us as she prepares for her next lesson, Spanish. “My favorite subject is really Arabic, but I also like volleyball,” she says, as several girls around her nod enthusiastically.

Algeria launches UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS

UNICEF Representative Raymond Janssens and Algeria’s Minister of Health and Population, Amar Tou, looking at a UNICEF display during the UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS campaign launch.

By Faycal Oulmi
ALGIERS, Algeria, 23 December 2005 – Algeria launched the UNICEF UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS global campaign in a ceremony chaired by Algeria’s Minister of Health and Population, Amar Tou, and UNICEF Representative Raymond Janssens on 20 December 2005.
“The AIDS virus is among us; there is still no treatment, only prevention,” said Raymond Janssens who introduced the campaign by calling attention to the children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS and the importance of recognizing children as the hidden face of AIDS. “We need to act now and inform all young people to protect themselves”.
UNICEF’s Representative also stressed the importance of the participation of all sectors of society in the campaign, from civil society, NGOs, the media, private and public sectors to children, parents and teachers. Janssens also addressed the country’s adolescents and children, calling them into action and encouraging them to talk about HIV/AIDS so they can inform and protect themselves.
Also speaking at the launch Algeria’s Minister of Health and Population, Amar Tou, assured the full participation of the government in the campaign and announced the creation of a National Committee on children and HIV/AIDS in the Algerian National Committee for fighting HIV/AIDS.
The campaign launch was attended by over 200 people, including representatives of UN agencies, NGO’s, members of the diplomatic corps, school directors, teachers, students and scouts. The President of the Algerian Muslim Scouts, and parliamentarian, Noureddine Ben Braham, spoke about how the country’s scouts will help mobilize civil society in support of the campaign.
The event, which attracted much media coverage, ended with a live performance from a group of teenagers from the national NGO ‘Association Santé Sidi El Houari’ from Oran. They performed a self-penned Hip Hop song about HIV/AIDS, adding a unique Algerian touch to this latest launch of UNICEF’s UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS global campaign.

Executive Director promotes the rights of Roma children in Albania

UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman promotes the rights of Roma children during a two-day visit to Albania.

TIRANA, Albania, 3 October 2008 – UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, on a two-day visit to Albania, highlighted the plight of Roma children and efforts to strengthen the juvenile justice system.
Veneman visited a Roma community where approximately 100 families were living in makeshift housing by a large landfill in Tirana.
“An 11-year-old girl told me that she does not go to school because she has to work scavenging through the garbage,” said Veneman. “A recent study found that there are approximately 5,000 Roma children between the ages of 3 and 16 years old. Results showed that only about 27 per cent of Roma six-year-olds are enrolled in school and that, on average, 43 per cent of Roma children between the ages of 15 and 16 are illiterate.”
In a meeting with the Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, the situation of the Roma community was discussed. Prime Minister Berisha expressed serious concern over the marginalization and discrimination faced by Roma, especially the children.
Encouraging Roma children to go to school
The Albanian Government is working closely with UNICEF to encourage Roma children to go to school. The government is implementing policy to provide housing for the Roma community, as well.
Veneman also visited a juvenile detention centre in Tirana supported in part by UNICEF. One teenage boy accused of theft had been in the detention centre for seven months awaiting disposition of his case.
“UNICEF is working with the Justice Ministry to ensure expeditious handling of juvenile cases and flexible sentencing alternatives where appropriate,” said Veneman.

The Executive Director met with President Bamir Topi, who has overseen recent justice reforms, especially in the area of juvenile justice.

She also visited Youth Albania Professional Services (YAPS), a sustainable enterprise that trains and employs marginalized youth and persons with disabilities. YAPS runs several businesses, including a cleaning and courier service that operates throughout Tirana.

‘Albania Reads’ – IKEA donation brings new books to schoolchildren in need

A boy reads a book in the library at Edith Durham Compulsory School in Tirana, the Albanian capital. With support from IKEA, UNICEF has donated new books to the school through the ‘Albania Reads’ initiative.

By Rachel Bonham Carter
NEW YORK, USA, 25 February 2008 – UNICEF and IKEA are re-igniting enthusiasm for reading amongst a generation of children in Albania who have been deprived of books.
For almost two decades, libraries have been repurposed and school budgets slashed while the government has focussed on transitioning to democracy. Books have become a scarce and expensive commodity, out of reach for many poor families. The resulting dearth of literature has left well over half of Albanian 15-year-olds unable to complete more than the simplest reading tasks.
“At home I only have three books,” explains Ermedina Hoxha, 13. “The last books the school library received was six years ago but they are inappropriate. We also have books from the old Communist era. If you go to Peshkopi Library they have few books for children – sometimes only one copy.”
‘Learn to read, read to learn’
With €1 million from UNICEF’s largest corporate donor, the Swedish home furnishing retailer IKEA, the ‘Albania Reads’ project aims to open a library in each of 850 schools. In collaboration with the government, libraries have already opened in 160 schools – to the delight of children and teachers alike.

Three boys read, sharing a desk at Tomin Compulsory School in the town of Peshkopia, located in one of Albania’s poorest regions. The school has not yet received books through the ‘Albania Reads’ project.

“What’s best is that the Albania Reads project works with the Ministry of Education so that the books we receive are the same books that children need in literature classes,” says Musa Nikolai, the teacher in charge of the new library at the school in Katundi i Ri.
Forty minutes from Ermedina’s hometown, Katundi i Ri is a small farming community and typical of the target communities at the heart of Albania Reads. Many children have no books at home, and it is not uncommon for girls to drop out of school at the age of 13.
“We know reading is very important for learning,” says UNICEF Representative in Albania Carrie Auer. “First you learn to read and then you read to learn. So if we want continuous achievement in school, reading is important.”
Re-establishing the culture of literacy
It is not only schoolchildren who benefit from the project. With the ability to check out books to take home, children are able to share them with parents and siblings. Extending the reading experience to the whole family can help to raise literacy levels across the entire society.
At the same time, teachers are being trained in new techniques to encourage reading, and an Albania Reads awareness campaign is planned to help re-establish the country’s culture of literacy. Also in the works are a children’s magazine and a national literary award with winners to be decided by young people.
IKEA’s contribution to Albania Reads was part of a $10.5 million donation to UNICEF in 2007. Since 2001, IKEA has given UNICEF a total of $46.2 million to help improve the lives of children around the world.

In remote Afghan mountains

In remote Afghan mountains, Youth Information and Contact Centre empowers youth

Kamela, 15, traveled some eight hours to Nili, the provincial capital of Afghanistan’s Daikundi province, to attend a UNICEF-supported youth training.

By Aziz Froutan
DAIKUNDI PROVINCE, Afghanistan, 19 August 2010 - Kamela, 15, lives in the Shahristan district of Afghanistan’s Daikundi province – a remote mountain area of the country’s central region. In an unprecedented journey, she recently travelled eight hours on foot and by car to reach Nili, the provincial capital, to participate in an innovative training session for young people.
“I was very excited when I heard about the training,” said Kamela, referring to a UNICEF-supported Psycho-social Counseling Training, which was organized by the Youth Information and Contact Center (YICC) in Nili.
New opportunities
Daikundi is a priority area for UNICEF, as it has been marginalized for many years and does not have strong international or national non-governmental presence. The socio-economic indicators for the area are poor, especially those affecting the women and children. However, it is one of the few safe areas in Afghanistan with strong community commitment and participation.

Boys and girls discuss gender violence, useful skills and other issues during a UNICEF-supported training in Nili, the provincial capital of Afghanistan’s Daikundi province.

The four-day Psycho-social Counseling Training workshop in Nili is funded by UNICEF with technical support from the United Nations Population Fund. About 30 girls and boys are attending. During this workshop, young people discuss common psycho-social problems, receive counselling for family conflict and gender violence and learn useful support skills.
It is also a unique opportunity for Kamela to interact with girls and boys her age.

“Before the YICC was established there was nothing for us,” said Jamludin, 19. “Many young people are addicted to drugs. Take a look around – most young people are jobless. They should have a job or an occupation. But there are no opportunities in Daikundi.”
Marginalized youth
Afghanistan’s children and youth under the age of 25 comprise more than 65 per cent of its population. Yet young people are generally disenfranchised, lack educational and employment opportunities and rarely participate in decision-making at the community, provincial, or national level.
“There are no internet clubs, no sport clubs, and no official library,” said Youth Department Director Mansour Ghulami. “It took a while to activate this youth centre, but we are slowly progressing, and I hope we can do more to improve the situation.”
Since the opening of the YICC in September 2008, 80 young people have completed a four-month-long computer course and 350 have completed a course in intermediate English. The YICC has also established federations for youth in remote areas in order to facilitate the discussion between young people. In these federations, boys and girls gather to talk about their needs and problems and try to find solutions.
Tangible progress
Most of Daikundi’s population of about 500,000 live in extreme poverty, and the vast majority of children under 18 work in farming or shepherding for a low daily wage to supplement the income of their families.
UNICEF-supported Youth Information and Contact Centres aim to empower young people to make informed and responsible decisions about their lives. By providing fast and easy access to a wide range of information in an informal, supportive and interactive environment, they enable young people to take advantage of opportunities, develop their skills and abilities, solve their daily problems and actively participate in society.
“If these youth centres existed in our [home] district, parents would bring their children,” said Sediqa Sharifi, 18. She is excited about her first visit to the YICC in Nili.
And not least of the strides made by the YICC is the growing membership of a particularly under-represented youth group: girls.
“There were only 10 girls in this centre in the beginning,” recalled Jamuldin. “But now around 300 girls are members. This is a real progress.”

Raising clean hands in Afghanistan's 'WASH' friendly schools

Call to Action on water, sanitation and hygiene

From left: UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Peter Crowley and Afghan Ministers of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and Education

By Cornelia Walther
KABUL, Afghanistan, 16 September 2010 – Designed to increase investment in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for Afghan schools, a new Call to Action has been jointly issued by the government’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), the Ministry of Education (MoE), the Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. Its intent is to engage policy makers at all levels, involve multiple stakeholders and monitor WASH in schools.
Every child has the right to safe water, improved sanitation facilities and hygiene education. Yet fulfilling this right is a major challenge in some countries. According to MoE data, only 45 per cent of schoolchildren have access to safe water and only 40 per cent of schools have separate sanitation facilities for girls and boys.
Bolstered investment
The number of schools offering general education in the country has increased from 6,039 in 2002 to 10,998 in 2008, and the MoE predicts that number will rise to 16,500 by 2014. The net enrolment of girls and boys in general education has also increased, trending upward from 2.3 million in 2002 to 6.2 million in 2008, with an estimated 10 million children to be enrolled by 2014.
These increases will require bolstered investment to support WASH in schools. The new standard school designs include safe water and improved sanitation facilities for all children, including children with disabilities. There are also plans to include these facilities – including privacy walls – in existing schools for girls.
WASH in schools instills pride in students by affording them a high measure of dignity and privacy. In turn, it enables these children to become agents of change for improving water, sanitation and hygiene practices within their own families and communities.
Present and future health
Through these practices, young people realize their full potential now, while they prepare for the future as healthy adults. Most important, they will be able to share this legacy with their own children when they become parents.

With support from the donor governments of Japan, Finland, Sweden, Canada and other partners, UNICEF is:
Introducing menstrual hygiene and health in schools
Standardizing school sanitary toilet designs, separate for girls and boys, including facilities for children with disabilities
Grading schools into categories based on WASH parameters, and targeting those with the lowest grades
Developing school WASH plans to be implemented by the school community (including teachers, students, school management committees and parent-teacher associations)
Preparing guidelines and standards for WASH in schools jointly with the MRRD.

Raising awareness
Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development Jarullah Mansoori said the joint Call to Action for WASH in schools would change the situation for Afghan children.
“I am confident that this initiative will raise general awareness on the importance of WASH in schools,” he said, adding that it will “encourage our government and partners to take necessary actions aiming at covering all schools with WASH facilities by 2015.”
According to UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Peter Crowley, WASH in schools provides healthy, safe and secure school environments that can protect children from health hazards, abuse and exclusion. It helps ensure quality education, which in turn, leads to better health and nutrition outcomes, especially for girls.
“WASH in schools significantly reduces hygiene-related disease, increases students’ attendance and learning achievements, and contributes to dignity and gender equality,” said Mr. Crowley. “In pursuing this vision, UNICEF is pleased to be able to work in close collaboration with the MRRD, the MoE and the MoPH, and is grateful for the support of donors.”

Afghan Female Literacy Centres bring knowledge and new priorities to remote areas

By Farida Ayari
NILI, Afghanistan, 11 October 2010 – Around 30 girls and women ranging in age between 12 and 70 sit in a small room in Nili, the capital of Afghanistan’s remote Daikundi province. Some have brought their children to the class, where they are learning to read for the first time.

Video: UNICEF reports on Female Literacy Centres that are helping to educate women in remote regions of Afghanistan. Watch in RealPlayer

“Before I had enrolled in this literacy course, I mistakenly strayed in the wrong direction each time I was visiting a hospital,” recalled Razia, 24, who said she couldn’t read the street signs. “A doctor had to show me the correct way. I was so embarrassed of being uneducated,” she added.
Thanks to the Female Literacy Centre, which receives support from UNICEF, Razia can now read – and doesn’t get lost anymore.
Enthusiasm for learning
A little boy observes with curiosity as two older women work at practicing spelling. Nearby, Nouria, a 19-year-old teacher, teaches life skills.

Nouria, 19, is a young teacher at a Female Literacy Centre in Nili, the capital of Afghanistan's remote Daikundi province.

“Our students were registered in their area and they come from far,” said Nouria. Emphasizing her students’ enthusiasm to learn, she added: “These women say that they do not want to remain blind as they were in the past.”
According to the National Risk and Vulnerability Report (2007-2008), the estimated national adult literacy rate is approximately 26 per cent – 12 per cent for women and 39 per cent for men. In rural areas such as Daikundi province, the situation is more acute with an estimated 93 per cent of adults, mostly women, lacking basic reading and writing skills.
This province, with a population of 500,000, is a priority area for UNICEF, where the presence of international and national non-government agencies is scarce. Work toward educating women in remote regions is part of a global push to reach the most vulnerable and ultimately to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals – a set of internationally recognized targets for reducing poverty – by the year 2015.
Influence on families
Almost 125 Female Literacy Centers (FLCs) have been established in Daikundi. Some 3,750 young girls and women are enrolled in these centres, which are supervised by the Department of Education. Around 30 students are enrolled in each nine-month literacy course.

Women, many with their children, attend a class at Female Literacy Centre in Nili, Afghanistan.

In Daikundi province, UNICEF provides learning materials and textbooks to all students and teachers in the FLCs, in addition to supplying classroom material such as black board and floor mats. UNICEF also sponsors and organizes periodic trainings for teachers.
Information from the courses also filters back to the women’s families, infusing new ideas into communities.
“Through my lessons, I teach these women to change their behaviours within their family,” said Nouria. “In the past, they would be beaten by their husbands if they tried to go out, but now the husbands allow them to attend these courses as they learn useful life skills.”
Changing priorities
And the impact on children is palpable, as well.
“When women in the family know how to read and write, children can learn from them,” said Rahima, 23. “Children feel that if my mother does this, it is a good thing and I will do the same.”
Head of the Education Department in Daikundi Abdul Waheed Vasseq said that the FLCs have changed many people’s thinking in this remote area, with more community members valuing prioritizing education.
“Parents who participate in these literacy courses have begun to send their children to school,” he said. “Despite their financial problems, they have understood the importance of education and have decided to work hard to fund their children’s education.”

Rebuilding hope in Afghanistan

Author: UNICEF
Price: Free
No. of pages: 43
Publication date: November 2003
Publisher: UNICEF

In March 2002, more than 3 million children - one third of them girls - flooded the classrooms in Afghanistan. The massive campaign to get schools up and running is documented through photographs and the voices of the Afghan people. A testament to the courage and resilience of the Afghan people, this book shows how education can be the bridge that transforms an emergency situation into one of hope and promise.

Statement attributable to UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman on the attack on the UN guest house in Kabul

NEW YORK, 28 October 2009 - " UNICEF is outraged at the attack on a UN guesthouse in Kabul which has killed five UN staff and wounded nine others. We are shocked and saddened at the targeting of UN workers who are in Afghanistan to support the Afghan people. We are also gravely concerned about a UNICEF colleague who was in the guesthouse and is unaccounted for at present.
"UNICEF is working in Afghanistan to assist women and children in urgent need of our support especially in health and education. Attacks like this one set our work back and inflict further damage on an already fragile state.
"UNICEF extends its condolences to the families and friends of the victims."

Afghanistan first in world to use new vaccine against polio

UNICEF and polio partners see new tool as a critical step in the face of entrenched challenges to global eradication

Kabul, 15 December 2009 – A new vaccine against polio will be used for the first time today in polio immunization campaigns in Afghanistan. The bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV), recommended by the Advisory Committee on Poliomyelitis Eradication, the global technical advisory body of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative as a critical tool to eradicate polio, can provide the optimal concurrent protection needed by young children against both surviving serotypes (types 1 and 3) of the paralysing virus. This will vastly simplify the logistics of vaccination in the conflict-affected parts of this country. This sub-national immunization campaign, from 15-17 December, will deliver bOPV to 2.8 million children under five in the Southern, South-Eastern and Eastern Regions of Afghanistan.
Of the three wild polioviruses (known as types 1, 2 and 3), type 2 has not been seen anywhere in the world since 1999. This achievement led to the development of monovalent vaccines, which provide protection against a single type with greater efficacy than the traditional trivalent vaccine. To determine whether a bivalent vaccine could effectively protect children living in areas where both types circulate, a clinical field trial completed in June 2009 compared bOPV with the existing vaccines. For both types 1 and 3 polio, bOPV was found to be at least 30 per cent more effective than the trivalent vaccine and almost as good as the monovalent vaccines, yet in a package that could deliver both at once.
The bOPV allows countries to simplify vaccine logistics and to optimize protection using a mix of the available polio vaccines according to local needs. In southern Afghanistan, where access to children can be limited depending on the security situation, using bOPV helps maximise the impact of each contact with a child.
Most of Afghanistan is polio-free: 28 out of the 31 children paralysed by polio this year come from 13 highly insecure districts (of 329 districts in the country). In 2009, polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan have focused on improving operations and creating a safe environment for vaccination teams. Nongovernmental agencies have been contracted and local leaders involved to ensure that parties in conflict are approached, safe passage for vaccinators assured and children reached. Due to such preparations and strengthened supervision and staffing, the proportion of the nearly 1.2 million children under five years old in the Southern Region who could not be reached was reduced from more than 20 per cent in early 2009, down to 5 per cent during the July and September 2009 campaigns. The availability of bOPV multiplies the effect of such improvements. However, in the 13 highest-risk districts of Kandahar and Helmand provinces in the Southern Region, the proportion of children who are still unimmunized is well above 20 per cent – and more than 60 per cent in some areas.
Four countries in the world have never stopped polio transmission – Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. Types 1 and 3 polio circulate in limited parts of all these countries, and the others will follow Afghanistan's lead in using bOPV during the coming months, marking the adoption of a major new tool in the international effort to eradicate polio. While the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a public-private partnership leading the effort, has reduced the incidence of polio by more than 99 per cent (from an estimated 1000 children affected daily in 1988 to 1483 children in all of 2009 to date) polio still has a foothold in the four endemic countries. The consequences are severe beyond those areas: 16 previously polio-free countries are currently suffering outbreaks following importations of the virus; in four of these, polio transmission has lasted more than a year.
The availability of bOPV is part of a range of new and area-specific tactics in 2009 to reach eradication more quickly. The swift production of the vaccine was the result of extraordinary collaboration between the World Health Organization, UNICEF, vaccine manufacturers and regulatory agencies.
The vaccination campaign in Afghanistan is financed by the Government of Canada, the second-highest per capita donor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with US$260 million in contributions. Canada, which assumes presidency of the G8 in 2010, first placed polio on the group's agenda when it last held the presidency in 2002. The G8 is the single-largest donor bloc to polio eradication.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF.

UNICEF supporting government response to the needs of children affected by floods in central and eastern Afghanistan

KABUL, 2 August 2010 – UNICEF is distributing emergency assistance in the provinces that have been worst affected by recent floods, ensuring that the urgent needs of children are met.
The flooding follows torrential rains that have hit central and eastern parts of Afghanistan in the course of the last week. Afghan officials say the floods are the worst the region has experienced in more than 80 years, and further rain is forecast.
According to estimates by the Afghan Government the floods have left several thousand individuals homeless in northeast Kapisa, central Ghazni, Laghman, Nangarhar, Kunar, Logar, Khost and northern Parwan Provinces where over 4.000 houses have been destroyed. Much of the arable land and crops on which the local population relies have been devastated. The destruction of road and bridges by the heavy rainfall, combined with insecurity have hindered the response. The death toll so far is reported as 80.
As of today UNICEF has provided 430 tents to Nangarhar and Kunar Provinces. Water family kits, water storage items and chlorine for water purification for 2,000 families and high energy biscuits for 10.000 children under five and pregnant and lactating women are expected to reach Kapisa today.
“Children are always the most affected by emergencies. It is critical that they have access to clean water. They must be protected from the threat of diarrhoea and the outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles,” said UNICEF Country Representative in Afghanistan, Peter Crowley. “But we must not forget that other services such as education are to re-start as soon as possible, to help children regain a sense of normalcy.”
Working with the government of Afghanistan as well as other United Nations agencies and partners, UNICEF is responding to the hygiene, nutrition and primary health needs of up to 4,000 families in central and eastern regions. Oral rehydration salt to prevent diarrhoeal death, chlorine for water purification, high energy biscuits to cover immediate nutritional needs, and equipment for hygiene and water storage had already been prepositioned .earlier this year and are expected to reach the worst affected areas in the next 48 hours. A measles campaign is scheduled for the coming days.
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About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments

Universal blood tests hunt down the malaria parasite in Sabang district, Indonesia

Nurse Ibu Noua (left) takes a blood sample from a child at a school in the village of Aneuk Laot in the Indonesian district of Sabang. The blood-testing programme, supported by UNICEF, aims to eliminate malaria in the district by targeting the whole population – not just people showing symptoms.

By Edward Carwardine
SABANG, Indonesia, 13 July 2010 – Mohamed Safrina, 22, has never suffered from malaria, but he knows it’s a dangerous illness. However, the labourer from Sabang, an island district off the north-west coast of Indonesia, is terrified of needles and a little apprehensive of the gloved nurse kneeling beside him.
Mohamed shuts his eyes and turns his head away from the nurse and the needle. The children in the room watch with fascination as the drops of crimson blood gather on a glass slide.
A few minutes later, it’s over. His sample is recorded and safely stored for transport back to the laboratory, a few kilometres from this village of Aneuk Laot, which has been the focus of this special malaria elimination campaign.
The campaign is targeting everyone in some 14 villages – a population of 24,000 people. Routine malaria testing only covers those demonstrating symptoms of the disease, but the current exercise sets out to ensure that no potential carrier is missed.
“We want to identify the human reservoirs of malaria and stop them passing on the disease,” explains local health worker Ibu Nazaria. “If someone is carrying the parasite, and is bitten by a mosquito again, that mosquito can pass on malaria to someone else in the same family, or same community.”
Testing and treatment
Because not everyone with malaria immediately displays the symptoms, or may not come forward for medical help, the risk of transmission can be high – but hunting the malaria parasite means that infected patients can receive treatment quickly, helping to eliminate the disease.

Amir Faisal drops staining agent onto a slide as part of a UNICEF-supported blood-testing programme that aims to eliminate malaria in the Indonesian district of Sabang. Any positive cases will receive free treatment within 24 hours.

“Using bed nets and spraying against mosquitoes all bring the caseload down to a low point – but at that stage you have to focus on finding the parasite and wiping it out before it can be transmitted again,” says UNICEF Malaria Officer Bill Hawley, who leads the organization’s malaria programme in Indonesia.
“Sabang is the first district in Indonesia to take on this approach, with a clear focus on tracing the parasite through universal testing, and then treating carriers before the disease can be spread by another mosquito,” he notes. “Ultimately, this is going to make malaria a thing of the past.”
‘Everyone wants to be healthy’
In Aneuk Laot the whole community is involved in the testing campaign. The team of six testers comes from the district, and includes a village volunteer, Saiful Bahri. His role is instrumental in securing the confidence of his neighbours and explaining why blood testing saves lives.

Ibu Suparni (centre) holds her newborn son while surrounded by other family members under an anti-malaria bed net in her home in Batee Shak village, in Indonesia's Sabang district.

“Everyone wants to be healthy,” he says. “In the team, I collect information from the villagers as they are tested. I find out what they need – like bed nets – and pass on information to the authorities. When someone from the community is involved, things are more organized, easier to manage.”
Saiful adds: “I can also help by ensuring people get proper advice and that they understand what malaria is. People used to think you could catch malaria from fruit like papaya. That’s why giving accurate information to the community is the real strength – people need to know that if they have the malaria parasite they will get sick again and again if not treated.”
Community outreach
Saiful is not medically trained. He is normally a daily labourer, whose income is now supplemented by the 200,000 rupiahs (approximately $20) monthly stipend that is provided to malaria volunteers in the district. It’s a small cost, considering the value that these volunteers bring to the initiative – not least in providing a trusted source of reassurance for local people.

Community volunteer Saiful Bahri wears an awareness t-shirt while talking to villagers in Aneuk Laot, Sabang district, Indonesia. Local volunteers are essential to spreading information about health issues, in this case a malaria-testing initiative.

“These volunteers are vital,” says team member Pak Hasballah, “especially for social mobilization, knowing where to find people, to identify who has been missed by the testers. And we have to reach everyone, as this is what builds confidence amongst the community.”
This team alone has tested 11,000 people in the last month, finding just nine positive cases. But Pak would like to see the initiative running on a regular basis.
“There are at least six malaria-endemic villages in the district that should be screened every three months,” he says. “We need to be more proactive if we are to stop malaria here.”
Malaria elimination is possible
The testing programme is showing results. Prior to 2005, there were an estimated 80 malaria cases for every 1,000 people in Sabang. After massive investments by organizations such as UNICEF, Care International and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – amongst others – that figure fell to 10 per 1,000 in 2009.
This year, the caseload has dropped even further to just 2 per 1,000. At this point, the shift in focus towards malaria elimination is of paramount importance.
Dr. Maria Meldi, a local government health official, is confident that elimination is possible.
“We organize public awareness campaigns about malaria every quarter, which result in a noticeable increase in the number of people coming to be tested,” she explains. “We have a programme of distributing bed nets for pregnant women and children, and we have plans next for malaria education in schools.”
The mass testing campaign is a model that could be introduced to other districts in the province. The Sabang initiative is being supported by UNICEF in the hope that its success – and the lessons learned from the experience – will encourage other areas to adopt the same approach, led by local government bodies.

Special Olympics Indonesia and UNICEF promote social inclusion

Juliwati Japi listens to her trainer during preparations for the National Special Olympics Games in Indonesia.

By Regi Wirawan
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 14 June 2010 – The sun was just rising over a Jakarta sports stadium one recent morning when Juliwati Japi, 16, arrived for her regular training session, organized by Special Olympics Indonesia.
Juli, as she is known, has almost never skipped her Saturday training routine. But she was especially excited to arrive on the day she would be meeting Marcos Diaz, a world-champion ultra-distance swimmer from the Dominican Republic. He was scheduled to visit the training session to meet and talk with the young athletes of Special Olympics Indonesia.
Juli joined the programme in 2004 and, like all of the athletes here, is a child with intellectual disabilities. She was born with Down’s Syndrome, a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops both mentally and physically.
Despite the challenges of her disability, Juli has participated in many international sports events – including the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China, where she placed fourth in athletics.

‘Keep on training’

When Mr. Diaz arrived at the training session, a big smile crossed Juli’s face – it was clear that she is a huge admirer – and he told the children how he used to suffer from a chronic asthma in his early years but has overcome it since he became a swimmer.

Ultra-distance swimming champion Marcos Diaz (centre-right) with Special Olympics Indonesia athletes during a recent visit to a training session for the national games.

“I encourage you to keep on training, because sports help you to make you strong and confident,” he said.
Mr. Diaz, who is also a trainer for Special Olympics children in his country, added: “There are many children out there don’t have the opportunity to develop their potential. You are lucky to be with the Special Olympics, who can help provide that opportunity.”
Importance of inclusion
Special Olympics Indonesia is a non-governmental organization accredited by Special Olympics International, which targets almost 200 million people with intellectual disabilities through sport activities worldwide. Indonesia became the 79th member of the Special Olympics in 1989 and now organizes a National Special Olympics Games every four years, normally one year ahead of the global games.
The next National Special Olympic Games are slated to be held in Jakarta from 26 through 30 June.
This year, UNICEF Indonesia has partnered with Special Olympics Indonesia to help promote the importance of inclusion for children, regardless of their circumstances. Social and economic exclusion are major barriers to development for millions of Indonesian children in areas such as education, health and protection.
‘Role models to us all’
“Disparities in Indonesia are a critical challenge that we need to address if Indonesia is to move closer to achieving the Millennium Development Goals – and if we are to ensure that every child benefits from the incredible economic progress that the country has enjoyed in recent years,” said UNICEF Representative in Indonesia Angela Kearney.
“Special Olympics Indonesia is demonstrating in a very tangible way just how much Indonesian children can achieve when provided with equality of opportunity, free of stigma or exclusion,” she noted. “These young athletes themselves are role models to us all.”
Juli has also been inspired by her own new role model, Mr. Diaz, the champion swimmer. She has been training hard for the upcoming National Special Olympics Games, where she will compete in running and swimming.
Given her determination to excel, Mr. Diaz might be forgiven for worrying about the potential competition.

'Letter to a friend' campaign promotes healthy pregnancies in Indonesia

By Ahmad Pathoni
TIDORE, Indonesia, 22 July 2010 – Nafisa, 30, lost two of her four children before they turned one year old. They had fever and she took them to the local community health centre. “They could not be saved,” she says. “I was very sad.”

VIDEO: 8 July 2010 - UNICEF correspondent Nina Martinek reports on the 'Letter to a friend' initiative that promotes healthy pregnancies in Indonesia.

Nafisa is pregnant again, but this time she has every reason to believe that her baby will be born healthy, because she recently received a written invitation to attend an antenatal clinic in Tidore.
She can’t read, so she took the note to a neighbor who could. It came just in time. A check-up by village midwife Siti Fara revealed that Nafisa had an extremely low red blood cell count – an indication of severe anemia, which could lead to potentially fatal complications during pregnancy.
“So they gave me pills for my blood and asked me to eat a lot of vegetables and fish,” says Nafisa.
‘Respected and honoured’
Ms. Fara and two other health workers are behind a new UNICEF-supported campaign to send formal invitations to pregnant women asking them to come in for ante-natal check-ups. They developed the idea for the ‘Letter to a friend’ campaign at a UNICEF-sponsored workshop in 2008.

Midwife Siti Sara monitors Nafsia's pregnancy at a community health centre in Tidore, eastern Indonesia, where UNICEF is promoting innovative ways to lower child mortality and improve maternal health.

The programme is having a significant impact in Tidore, a small island town in the far flung eastern Indonesian archipelago that suffers from a lack of skilled midwives.
“In our society, people feel respected and honoured when they are invited through a letter,” says the head of the Tidore Kepulauan Health Office, Dr. Harun Konaras, “so it’s an innovative way to encourage women to have pregnancy check-ups.”
Inequalities in maternal health
Almost 20,000 women die from every year in Indonesia from complications relating to pregnancy, the rate is amongst the highest in Asia.

After receiving a formal invitation from UNICEF, Nafsia has an antenatal check-up at a community public health centre in Tidore, Indonesia.

And while the latest data show that more than 70 per cent of deliveries in Indonesia are attended by skilled medical practitioners, it also reveals the deep inequalities between provinces. Jakarta has 97 per cent coverage compared to just 33 per cent in the Maluku islands, where Tidore is located.
Tidore Kepulauan’s district officer for maternal and newborn health, Sukma Albanjar, says past reliance on traditional birth attendants, or ‘dukuns’, was also complicating efforts to improve maternal health in remote areas. UNICEF is helping to address that issue.
Under a new local partnership between traditional birth attendants and midwives, dukuns no longer assist delivery directly. Instead, they refer their patients to skilled midwives or doctors. Dukuns also help deliver the ‘Letter to a friend.’
“Through the partnership, deliveries assisted by skilled health workers have reached nearly 100 per cent,” says Ms. Fara, “and so far in my village no mother has died during childbirth.”
Averting needless tragedy
Ms. Albanjar notes that Nafisa’s case highlights how effective a simple idea can be. Without the invitation campaign, she says, “it would be very difficult to reach women like her because there’s a shortage of health workers.”

Fahria Mustafa 29, and her daughter Aisha Gurabati village, located in the Maluku islands of Indonesia, where UNICEF's 'Letter to a friend' initiative promotes maternal and young child health.

Meanwhile, Nafisa remains optimistic that her fifth pregnancy will not end in needless tragedy as two others have done.
“I was proud and happy to receive the letter,” she recalls, smiling broadly. “I hope my baby is healthy.”

Tens of thousands of Indonesians forced to flee homes after deadly quake

UNICEF deploys humanitarian staff to quake-zone to support Government emergency relief efforts

JAKARTA, 1 October 2009 – UNICEF Indonesia is deploying emergency staff to the province of West Sumatra to assess the immediate health, water, sanitation, education and critical protection needs of children who survived yesterday’s deadly earthquake. According to initial estimates, a 7.6 Richter-scale earthquake killed at least 500 people on 30 September. The death toll is expected to rise sharply. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes in the coastal provincial capital of Padang and surrounding highlands. One third of those affected are estimated to be children.
“The needs of thousands of children are vast and urgent. They must have access to clean water, shelter, and get help in overcoming the aftermath of the earthquake,” said Angela Kearney, UNICEF Country Representative in Indonesia.
“Children who survived the quake are at extreme risk of illnesses, including diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory infections and outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, and polio. The risk of tetanus is very high due to injuries and open wounds,” she said.
UNICEF is ready to support the Indonesian government tackle immediate needs such as ensuring the availability of clean water, sanitation facilities and hygiene kits, providing protective services and safe places for children, and by providing emergency early childhood care kits, school tents, school-in-a-box and recreational kits which help get children back to school quickly and build a sense of normalcy.
UNICEF has been present in Indonesia almost continuously since 1948. In cooperation with the government and local non-government organizations, UNICEF has assisted children with the difficult challenge of adjusting to a radically altered life after emergencies. This includes the world’s biggest humanitarian assistance effort for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed more than 130,000 people in Aceh, Indonesia, the northernmost tip of Sumatra island.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

UNICEF ready to meet urgent needs of children affected by Indonesia quake

Health, water, sanitation, education and protection are main priorities

JAKARTA, INDONESIA, 2 October 2009 – UNICEF emergency personnel are on the ground in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra to ensure that the urgent needs of children are met in the aftermath of Wednesday’s earthquake – up to one-third of those affected are believed to be children.
“Every one of those children is acutely vulnerable to potential disease, lack of shelter, disruption to education, and the traumatic effects of living through such an experience,” said UNICEF Country Representative in Indonesia, Angela Kearney.
UNICEF is working with the Indonesian government and other UN agencies to provide assistance for up to 50,000 families – including making available water pumps, water storage equipment, 40,000 jerry cans and 40,000 hygiene kits, the provision of protective services and safe places for children, supplying 250 school tents, schools-in-a-box, and recreational kits which help children re-establish a sense of normalcy. These initial supplies are expected to reach the quake zone in the next 24 hours.
“Children are always the most affected by emergencies, and it is critical that they have access to clean water, and are protected from the threat of diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory infections and outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, polio and tetanus,” said Ms. Kearney. “At the same time, we must ensure that other services such as education are re-started as soon as possible, to help children regain a sense of normalcy in the aftermath of this tragedy.”
According to initial government estimates, Wednesday’s earthquake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter-scale, left nearly 500 people dead and forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes in the coastal provincial capital of Padang and surrounding highlands. Access to the affected area is limited due to the availability of only a single airstrip.
UNICEF has been present in Indonesia almost continuously since 1948. In cooperation with the government and local non-government organizations, UNICEF has assisted children with the difficult challenge of adjusting to a radically altered life after emergencies. This includes the world’s biggest humanitarian assistance for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed more than 130,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh, the northernmost tip of Sumatra island.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.