News from the Field
April 15, 2013
In Syria, Children's Lives on Hold
There are about 200,000 persons in need of humanitarian assistance in Tartous governorate in Syria, but the actual number is expected to be higher. New arrivals from other parts of Syria continue to flow into Tartous on a daily basis. “You see children coming with nothing,” says one volunteer. He adds that the situation of both the displaced families and the host communities in Tartous is only going to get more desperate, if aid doesn’t keep up with the needs.
April 10, 2013
Fighting Child Labor in Pakistan
Six years ago, Iqra’s father went missing. At the age of seven, Iqra was forced to drop out of school and for five years helped her mother pick cotton and assisted as a domestic worker. But then Iqra’s mother was invited to a meeting in her village set up by UNICEF and the IKEA Foundation to help promote child rights. Iqra’s mother learned about the importance of education, and decided to enroll her children back in school. The same program helped Iqra’s mother start her own business.
April 8, 2013
Slideshow: Katy Perry and Kids in Madagascar with UNICEF
Singer and songwriter Katy Perry visited Madagascar to bring attention to the hardships faced by children in the tropical island country, one of the poorest in the world. On her first visit in support of UNICEF, Perry saw a full range of programs, from education, nutrition, health and child protection, to water, sanitation and hygiene.
April 5, 2013
In Myanmar, Reaching Across Ethnic Lines to Help Children
The ethnic conflict that erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in June and October 2012 displaced 115,000 people. For months, displaced persons were living in overcrowded temporary sites without adequate access to basic services. The Rohingya minority in Rakhine State are in an increasingly desperate situation and are becoming more and more dependent on international aid. In Myanmar, they are not recognized as an official minority and are without citizenship rights. UNICEF is stepping up to the needs of children across ethnic lines.
April 3, 2013
Slideshow: Ending Measles in Mongolia
UNICEF is a leader in the Measles & Rubella Initiative, a global partnership that has helped reduce measles deaths by 71 percent since 2001. A 2012 immunization campaign against measles and rubella in Mongolia extended into the country's most remote areas and immunized over 95 percent of the targeted children.
