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.
285
emergencies
In 2018, UNICEF responded to 285 humanitarian emergencies in 90 countries.
72
hours
UNICEF can ship lifesaving supplies to children anywhere in the world within 48 to 72 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

GoBlue for UNICEF for World Children's Day 2018
The Convention on the Rights of the Child — Still Critical 30 Years On
Happy Anniversary to the Convention on the Rights of the Child — still a powerful guiding force behind UNICEF's work.
On February 25, 2019 in Bangladesh, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore speaks with a group of Rohingya children outside a learning center in the Kutupalong-Balukhali refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
The World's Children Need Clean Water, Clean Air and a Safe Climate
Climate change has the potential to undermine most of the gains made in child survival and development over the past 30 years.
'Everything Is Destroyed': Dorian Survivors Face a Grueling Recovery
The clock is ticking for the 68,000 people who've lost their homes, loved ones and livelihoods. Here's how UNICEF and you can help.
On September 7, 2019, in Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas, 10-year-old Torres talks to UNICEF’s Regional Emergency Specialist Hanoch Barlevi in the ruins of his classroom at the Central Abaco Primary School, now serving as a temporary shelter for disp
A Struggle for Survival in the Bahamas After Hurricane Dorian
Homes, schools and whole neighborhoods lie in ruins. Survivors need safe water, sanitation and more. UNICEF is there to help.
"Honduras needs you!" says a mural outside the UNICEF-supported Belen Reception Center for Returned Migrants in western Honduras.
UNICEF Is Helping Build a Better Future in Honduras
Violence forces families and children to flee Honduras every day. UNICEF is working to make the country safer for all.
The first shipment of UNICEF Emergency Supply arrives at the Nassau International Airport, along with IRC supplies, via UPS aircraft. The Bahamas. © UNICEF/UN0341905/Noorani
1.5 Tons of UNICEF Supplies Land in Dorian-Devastated Bahamas
As families struggle to cope amid the ruins, the delivery of safe water supplies will meet the most urgent needs of mothers and children.
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