Our Mission

7-month-old Kumbaba is carried by his mother, Oumou Sy, and accompanied by a health worker at the UNICEF-supported nutrition centre in Kaédi Hospital, in the city of Kaédi in the southern Gorgol Region.
Mauritania
UNICEF/NYHQ2012-0465/MIA BRANDT

Putting children first all over the world

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s
lives than any other humanitarian organization by providing health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more.

UNICEF USA supports UNICEF’s work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working
toward the day when no children die from preventable causes, and every child has a safe and healthy childhood.

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Be the first to know about UNICEF's relief efforts in times of emergency.

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It takes Aysha, 13-years old, 8 hours each day, round trip, to collect water for herself and her family in Afar, Ethiopia.
How Long Does It Take to Get Water? For Aysha, Eight Hours a Day
Worldwide, women and girls spend 200 million hours every day collecting water.
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child survival
Child Survival
UNICEF has helped save more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization.
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emergency relief
Emergency Relief
UNICEF is the leader in responding to disasters affecting children.
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Zahira, 2, eats from a packet of RUTF, a high protein, vitamin-rich, peanut paste for malnourished children
The Malnutrition Miracle: What Is Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food?
The specially formulated peanut paste is nothing short of a miracle for malnourished children.
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Fast Fact
45
%
UNICEF helps immunize 45 percent of the world’s children.
+
50
%
UNICEF's lifesaving interventions have helped cut child deaths by more than 50% since 1990.
16
thousand
Despite progress, 16,000 children still die every day from causes we can prevent.
190
UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to save and protect children.
300
emergencies
Every year, UNICEF responds to more than 300 emergencies — from conflicts to natural disasters.
48
hours
UNICEF can ship lifesaving supplies to children almost anywhere in the world within 48 hours.
100
UNICEF works in more than 100 countries to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities
12
million
UNICEF implemented over 12 million diagnosis tests to prevent child deaths from malaria.
750
thousand
More than 750,000 people receive updates on UNICEF's lifesaving work. Stay informed: join our list!

What UNICEF USA Is Doing

UNICEF USA supports UNICEF, and other efforts in support of the world's children, through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States.

Where UNICEF Works

UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories all over the world. Here are a few regions where UNICEF has focused its work recently.

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What UNICEF Is Doing

Saving Children's Lives
Building Children's Futures
Emergency Relief

Stories About Our Mission

UNICEF is providing immediate lifesaving assistance to nearly 50,000 children living in Syria's Al-Hol camp in July 2019.
Tens of Thousands of Children in Syria's Al-Hol Camp Need Help Now
Unwanted, exploited and abused: UNICEF is providing lifesaving assistance to children stuck in limbo in the Syrian desert.
amal Hossain, 26, and his wife bring their 2 1/2-year old daughter, Jui, to work with them at the Northern Tosrifa Group garment factory in Gazipur, outside Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Family-Friendly Policies: a Winning Investment for Children & Society
In Bangladesh, UNICEF is supporting workplace early childhood centers to help parents give their children a healthy start in life.
A health worker wearing a gown, gloves, mask and goggles checks a child potentially infected with Ebola being carried on the back of a caregiver at the Ebola Treatment Center of Beni, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo on March 24, 2019.
Ebola Crisis in DRC Declared a Public Health Emergency
UNICEF and partners are on the ground working to stop the deadly outbreak in the embattled Democratic Republic of Congo.
UNICEF, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, Ebola
Survivors Care for Children Orphaned by Ebola in the DRC
Nearly 1,700 people — almost one-third of them children — have died since the outbreak began.
Sura, a young Rohingya refugee learning to make dresses, measures UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore at a UNICEF-supported Adolescent Center in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh in February 2019. 
A Youth Job Skills Program Is Building Futures in Bangladesh
Young Rohingya refugees and members of the host community in Bangladesh are learning valuable life skills to lift them out of poverty.
unicef, unicef usa, emergencies, hurricanes, disasters, emergency relief
Amid Hurricanes, Parents Everywhere Focus on Preparedness
These steps can help parents and children cope with impending disaster — and mitigate damage when it arrives.
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