News by UNICEF News
UNICEF and World Food Programme chiefs visit Pakistan's flood-stricken Punjab province
GUJRAT, Pakistan, 2 September 2010 – In a show of support for the victims of flooding in Pakistan, UNICEF and World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Directors Anthony Lake and Josette Sheeran visited the agencies' humanitarian operations in the Muzzafargarh district of Punjab, one of the worst-affected provinces of the country.
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On International Youth Day in Madagascar, film screening gives young people a forum
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, 2 September 2010 – A film set in Madagascar's arid south is helping young people develop life skills by sparking a debate on what it means to succeed in life.
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UNICEF UK Ambassador Martin Bell says children are the worst victims of acute crisis in Yemen
AL-MAZRAQ, Yemen, 31 August 2010 – UNICEF UK Ambassador for Humanitarian Emergencies Martin Bell witnessed the horrifying impact of conflict on children when he visited northern Yemen recently. Fighting between government and rebel forces has raged in the region for several years, displacing thousands of families.
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Emerging leaders: Timor-Leste inaugurates young parliamentarians
DILI, Timor-Leste, 1 September 2010 – As the day breaks in Dare 'suco,' or village, a jovial Rogue Santiago Braga De Araujo, 15, cannot wait to make the 30-minute bumpy road trip down the hill to the capital of Timor-Leste, Dili.
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UNICEF and IKEA partner for healthier babies in Jharkand state, India
KHUNTI, India, 2 September 2010 – Bilkani Sangha shakes her head in amazement when she recalls how she first fed her newborn baby. She remembers dipping a cloth into warm goat's milk mixed with honey and jungle herbs, then slowly dripping the concoction into her tiny child's mouth.
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Field diary: More efforts needed to help Somali families survive and thrive
BOSSASO and GAROWE, Somalia, 1 September 2010 – As soon as I arrived in Bossaso, the main port town located in northeast Somalia, the scorching heat, strong wind and barren plains brought back the memory of my past experience in Somalia.
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Life skills courses brighten the future for Syrian Arab Republic's refugees
DAMASCUS, Syrian Arab Republic, 1 September 2010 – Ibrahim, a refugee from Iraq, admits that he hasn't been this nervous since his arrival in Syria. His eyes flicker around a large room in the heart the Jaramana refugee suburb, which is filled to capacity with other young refugees.
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UNICEF Executive Director visits Pakistan's flood-stricken Charsadda district
CHARSADDA DISTRICT, Pakistan, 31 August 2010 – UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake's two-day visit to Pakistan, which wraps up today, has reflected the unprecedented scale of emergency the country faces, with more than 17 million people affected by floods caused due to exceptionally heavy monsoon rains.
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Christine's story: Escaping poverty through education in post-earthquake Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 31 August 2010 – Christine, 14, lives in a camp for displaced people near the international airport here in the Haitian capital. "The only thing I know is that I know nothing," says this energetic girl, who cites Socrates as her motivation for going to school.
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'Beyond School Books' Pakistan floods and education
NEW YORK, USA, 30 August 2010 – Pakistan has experienced some of the worst monsoon-related floods in history, devastating large parts of the country, wiping out towns and villages, and displacing entire communities. Millions of children have been affected, losing their homes, loved ones, and schools, leaving them vulnerable to disease and abuse.
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As Executive Director visits, UNICEF works to deliver safe water to flood-affected families in Pakistan
NEW YORK, USA, 30 August 2010 – Massive flooding continues to devastate Pakistan. Nearly 18 million people have been affected and about a fifth of the country remains underwater. The number of people killed has increased to almost 1,600 since the beginning of the flooding just over one month ago.
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In Singapore, Inaugural Youth Olympic Games provide competition and inspiration
SINGAPORE, 27 August 2010 – As the first-ever Youth Olympic Games comes to a close, a young female athlete quietly traces the outline of her hand on a piece of paper and writes, "I have a right to be educated and to play any sports I like."
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Media initiative brings Zambian youth to the front-line of climate crisis
LUSAKA, Zambia, 27 August 2010 – When Daniel Sichinga, 16, recently gathered a group of young Zambian Climate Ambassadors to record a radio talk show, he asked one guest, 17-year-old Tendai Nyirenda, about a burning issue in her community: climate change.
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Recovery continues six months after massive quake
TALCAHUANO, Chile, 27 August 2010 – Jessica, 12, used to live in Santa Clara, a neighbourhood in Chile's coastal city of Talcahuano. But her home was destroyed during a massive earthquake six months ago and her family was subsequently displaced.
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Improved sanitation catches on in rural Ghana one latrine at a time
TAMALE, Ghana, 26 August 2010 – Peering through the doorway of the Chief's hut in the village of Chirifoyili, into a courtyard littered with earthenware and ceramic cooking pots, it seems nothing has changed in this village for centuries.
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Child-friendly schools make a progressive leap in Cambodia
STUNG TRENG PROVINCE, Cambodia, 25 August 2010 – Long Kan Buthom, 11, performs a traditional Khmer dance with ease. Her radiant smile, expressive hand movements and precise choreography come from long hours of practice.
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New programme empowers Bangladeshi families to make more informed health choices
BANDARBAN, Bangladesh, 25 August 2010 – Chaity Tripura, 22, is the very picture of serenity as she stands outside her two-room home, cradling her one-month-old daughter in the warm afternoon air.
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With UNICEF and European Union support, young women lead the charge against cutting
IMDIBIR, Ethiopia, 24 August 2010 – When she was seven years old, Maeza Garedew, now 14, was blindfolded and her hands and legs tied behind her back. She was laid on a board and then taken outside to the garden.
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In a programme expanding across India, UNICEF and IKEA provide life-saving supplements
PAKAULI, India, 24 August 2010 – With promises of "sweet, sweet," health worker Rita Kumari eases a teaspoon of liquid into two-year-old Kajal's mouth. "There now, little one, you will be safe and feel better," said Ms. Kumari. The toddler swallows the last drops of the diluted zinc tablet, a supplement that will help her fight a potentially deadly case of diarrhoea.
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Field diary: In Pakistan, a doctor fights back flood waters to save his family
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 23 August 2010 – "Wake up and help me get the children!" my wife was screaming. "We have to leave the house immediately."
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For Vu Nguyen Ha Anh, new UNICEF ambassador in Viet Nam, appointment is a 'life-long dream'
HA NOI, Vietnam, 23 August 2010 – Internationally renowned model Vu Nguyen Ha Anh has joined the ranks of over 270 national UNICEF ambassadors, increasing public awareness of the rights of children and women.
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In Pakistan's Punjab province, millions are devastated and thousands living in camps
MUZAFFARGARH DISTRICT, Pakistan, 23 August 2010 – Flood waters flowing south from northern Pakistan have devastated the province of Punjab. Millions of people have been affected in 12 districts across the province, with thousands of home destroyed and dozens reported dead to date.
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UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia visits relief camps in Pakistan
SUKKUR, Pakistan, 20 August 2010 – The extent of the misery and devastation caused by Pakistan's recent flooding is unprecedented, said UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia Daniel Toole after visiting the area this week. The country is facing its worst disaster in more than 30 years.
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Urgent scale-up of interventions are urgently needed in flood-affected Pakistan
CHARSADDAH DISTRICT, Pakistan, 18 August 2010 – Flood waters have left behind a trail of destruction affecting some 20 million people in Pakistan, according to government estimates. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in the country's north-west, the floods have affected millions, with women and children representing the vast majority.
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Alongside Syrian health workers, UNICEF battles varied causes of malnutrition
AL-HASAKEH, Syrian Arab Republic, 18 August 2010 – Syria's Al-Hasakah governorate is just minutes away from Mosul, one of Iraq's most violent cities. Yet one of the biggest challenges facing children here is an alarming rise in malnutrition perpetuated by a constant drought.
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In remote Afghan mountains, Youth Information and Contact Centre empowers youth
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.
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National plan for the promotion of water and sanitation under way in Mali
SOUFOUROULAYE, Mali, 19 August 2010 – At the Soufouroulaye Primary School in Mali, a derelict water pump stands dry in the dusty playground, quenching no one's thirst.
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Field diary: Five days in Pakistan flood zone
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 15-19 August 2010 – This week UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia Daniel Toole has been visiting the provinces worst-affected by flooding in Pakistan. Here are his latest updates on the relief effort.
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Scale of flood crisis in Pakistan unimaginable
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, 17 August 2010 – UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia Daniel Toole visited Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province this week to survey the devastation caused by the country's severe flooding.
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Health workers build a network of support for new mothers in Uzbekistan
GULISTAN, Uzbekistan, 18 August 2010 – Two-month-old Abdulaziz is sleeping quietly in the arms of his mother, Dildora Rakhmankulova.
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In flood-devastated Pakistan, 3.5 million children are at risk of disease
KARACHI, Pakistan, 17 August 2010 – More than 3 million children are at high risk of deadly water-borne diseases in Pakistan, making them the most vulnerable victims of one of the worst natural disasters in history.
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UNICEF-supported child-friendly schools re-invent education in rural Ghana
TARIKPAA, Ghana, 17 August 2010 – Elizabeth, 12, is fighting to achieve a dream that was once also her father's – completing an education.
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Youth radio programme teaches production and life skills
SARAVANH PROVINCE, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 16 August 2010 – This month, UNICEF's interactive online community platform, Voices of Youth (VoY), and the International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) to explore an empowering youth radio project in Laos.
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In rural India, improved sanitation and iron supplements help girls stay in school
LALGANJ, India, 13 August 2010 – Rina, 16, has copper-painted toenails and a matching floral 'kurta,' or blouse. A pendant of the local tribal goddess Sarna hangs from her neck.
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Education reaches girls at a child-friendly school in rural Egypt
CAIRO, Egypt, 16 August 2010 – Yusriya, 13, wears her teacher-made crown with pride. A confident smile spreads across her face as she begins her class presentation on sanitation.
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Norwegian rap group 'Karpe Diem' brings music and inspiration to Rwandan children
KIGALI, Rwanda, 13 August 2010 – While in Rwanda recently, the renowned Norwegian rap group 'Karpe Diem' visited children benefitting from UNICEF programmes. The band was in the country with a film crew to shoot footage for an upcoming UNICEF fundraising concert in Norway.
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In Côte d'Ivoire, mothers start a club to invest in the future of girls' education
ABOBO, Côte d'Ivoire, 16 August 2010 – Habibata Ouattara was 17 years old when she was removed from school and forced to marry a man her family had chosen for her. Today, as the Secretary-General of a local School Girl Mothers' Club – known by the acronym CMEF – Ms. Ouattara strives to ensure that girls in her community stay in school and complete their education.
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'Beyond School Books'International Youth Day
NEW YORK, USA, 13 August 2010 – More than 2 billion people worldwide are under the age of 18, and nearly 90 percent of them live in developing nations, according to UNICEF's estimates. Yesterday, International Youth Day, kicked off the International Year of Youth, which aims to advance the full and effective participation of youth in all aspects of society worldwide.
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Schools in Southern Sudan offer new hope to children affected by war
JUBA, Sudan, 11 August 2010 – Mark, 19, is a young man of exceptional resilience and determination. He is also a former child soldier. Like many thousands of young people in his country, he comes from a family that was broken by civil war.
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UNICEF emergency aid arrives in Pakistan amidst continuing flood crisis
KARACHI, Pakistan, 12 August 2010 – As the worst natural disaster in living memory continues to unfold in Pakistan, a chartered airliner carrying 100 metric tonnes of UNICEF emergency relief arrived in the southern port city of Karachi early today. The shipment includes health kits, nutrition supplies, midwifery kits and tarpaulins for families affected by weeks of monsoon rains and flooding around the country.
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East Jersumalem's young people find inspiration in new programmes
East Jerusalem, 12 August 2010 – Growing up in East Jerusalem is not easy. According to a recent study, 65 per cent of the population – including some 95,000 children – live under the poverty line. Political tensions produce violence and interfere with a healthy, productive childhood. According to city data, half of post-elementary age children drop out of school.
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At New York launch, International Year of Youth kicks off with a diversity of voices
NEW YORK, USA, 12 August 2010 – Members of the international community marked the launch of the International Year of Youth today in the United Nations General Assembly Hall with an eclectic array of speeches, musical performances, videos and poetry. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon helped to kick off the Year under the theme 'Dialogue and Mutual Understanding'.
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Football star and Goodwill Ambassador Lionel Messi inspires earthquake-affected children in China
BEIJING, China, 11 August 2010 – While in Beijing, players from Football Club Barcelona took time out of their training schedule to meet a group of children from earthquake-affected Mianzhu county in China's Sichuan province.
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In video shorts, young Ukrainians tell their stories about HIV and AIDS
KIEV, Ukraine, 9 August 2010 – Fifteen children 12 to 18 years of age from across Ukraine recently gathered in the capital, Kiev, to participate in an innovative video workshop.
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David's story: Life and learning at a child-friendly school in rural Nicaragua
PUNTA ARENA, Nicaragua, 9 August 2010 – David Zamora Muñoz, 10, is a bright, motivated pupil who lives with his two older brothers and their parents in a one-room house without electricity, outside the village of Palacaguina in a rural area of Nicaragua.
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Unique education programmes brighten the future for Afghanistan's young women
HERAT, Afghanistan, 10 August 2010 – The city of Herat is the setting for 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' – Khaled Hosseini's powerful, best-selling novel about the harsh conditionsfaced bywomen in Afghanistan.
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With free birth registration, Angola promotes a child's right to legal identity
CUNENE PROVINCE, Angola, 10 August 2010 – In a province of southern Angola where poverty is prevalent and literacy is low, mothers are learning the unexpected importance of a simple document – the birth certificate.
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Birth registration for indigenous children in Peru's Amazonian region
CANAMPA, Peru, 9 August 2010 – Fermin Tetsa Sanchick, 35, has worked as a civil registrar in the indigenous community of Canampa, in Peru's Amazonas region, since 2000. He says that he is proud of his work, and that his greatest accomplishment is registering the births of 200 children among the 'awajun' indigenous group – his own community.
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Displaced by floods now reaching southern Pakistan, families seek shelter and relief
SUKKUR, Pakistan, 10 August 2010 – The floods that have inundated north-western Pakistan in recent weeks have now moved south, expanding the emergency into Sindh Province as torrential monsoon rains continue across wide areas of the country.
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In rural Ethiopia, health extension workers bring care home to new mothers
WONDO GENET, Ethiopia, 5 August 2010 – Beaming with pride, new mother Martha Getachew arrives at the Wosha and Soyama village health clinic in central Ethiopia. She is greeted fondly by community health workers, known here as 'health extension workers.'
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A campaign to promote exclusive breastfeeding makes strides in rural Niger
GIDAN NAWA, Niger, 6 August 2010 – A quiet revolution is taking place in this dusty village in Niger. Everywhere you look – in the courtyards of family compounds, under the big tree at the village gathering place, even at the well as they gather water – women are breastfeeding their children.
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Flood-affected women and children in north-western Pakistan urgently need life-saving aid
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, 6 August 2010 – "I spent four nights on top of a tree," says Araba Bibi, 70, a widow from Jala Bela village on the outskirts of Peshawar in north-western Pakistan's flood-ravaged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
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UNICEF updates guidelines for reporting on children's issues
NEW YORK, USA, 6 August 2010 – UNICEF has updated its guidelines for reporting on children's issues as part of the continuing global effort to ensure every child's right to protection and dignity.
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South African filmmaker wins UNICEF Child Rights Film Award at Zanzibar International Film Festival
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, 5 August 2010 – South African filmmaker Stefanie Sycholt's 'Themba: A Boy Called Hope' has won the UNICEF Child Rights Award at the 2010 Zanzibar International Film Festival.
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In rural India's 'cotton corridor,' UNICEF and IKEA partner to tackle child labour
RAICHUR, India, 5 August 2010 – Mani, 14, was beaten when she tried to chat with other children working in the cotton fields. If the children attempted to sing, play a brief game or slowed their work – due to dizziness from pesticide fumes or the intense heat – the landowner would hit them with a tree branch.
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A multi-cultural school in Bosnia and Herzegovina brings out the best in children
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 4 August 2010 – Eldina Ismailij, 11, loves to dance. The wild rhythms of Roma dancing set her free. Last year, she won a dance competition and her picture was in the newspaper. She blushes when asked about her accomplishment, and her mother, Dzemila Bostandzija, beams with pride. The best thing about winning, said Eldina, was the prize cake.
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Aid workers focus on staving off disease outbreaks in Pakistan flood zone
NEW YORK, USA, 4 August 2010 – As relief efforts accelerate in provinces of north-western Pakistan inundated by torrential rains this week, floodwaters are slowly receding and some stricken areas are finally becoming accessible. The Government of Pakistan and its humanitarian partners – including UNICEF – are now assessing the full extent of crisis, which has affected more than 3 million people, nearly half of them children.
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Supporting mothers to prevent child abandonment in Morocco
MARRAKESH, Morocco, 4 August 2010 - Karima (not her real name), 23, is struggling with the consequences of an unwanted pregnancy alone. The baby's father left her, and to hide her situation she left her parents' house in the Marrakesh countryside. Due to traditional views on pregnancy outside of marriage and fears of the repercussions, she has not told her father, only her mother.
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UNICEF programme in Afghanistan will provide thousands of schools with safe water
MAZAR, Afghanistan, 3 August 2010 – "My parents have told me that it is important to wash my hands when I come from the toilet, but at home I first have to look for water," said Sami, 8, a resident of the northern Afghan city of Mazar. "Every morning and evening, my two elder sisters and I go to the tap stand in front of our house to fetch water."
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UNICEF and partners respond as food crisis in Niger reaches a critical level
GAZOURA, Niger, 3 August 2010 – Much-needed rains have begun falling across this parched West African country, breaking one of the most devastating droughts in memory. But Niger remains in the grip of a severe food crisis whose effects have been especially hard on women and children.
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UNICEF responds as floods affect over 3 million in north-western Pakistan
NEW YORK, USA, 3 August 2010 – More than 1,400 people are dead and more than a million children are in need of emergency assistance after the worst floods to hit Pakistan in 80 years devastated large parts of the country in recent days. As floodwaters begin to recede, UNICEF and its partners are sending emergency aid to the flood zone.
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A Chadian mother discovers the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding
SAHELIAN REGION, Chad, 3 August 2010 – Exclusive breastfeeding – one of the best ways to protect an infant's health – means feeding a baby only with maternal milk from birth to six months, and giving it no other liquid. Breastmilk is easy for a baby to digest, fully meets its nutritional needs and protects against illness by transferring a mother's immunity or disease resistance to her child.
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UNICEF-supported programmes help families living with HIV in Angola
LUANDA, Angola, 2 August 2010 – The bright red train carriage looks slightly out of place beside the square concrete architecture of Luanda's Bernardino Paediatric Hospital, but the children love it. Inside the carriage, a group of toddlers are happily playing with building blocks under the supervision of social worker Frangueira Bernado António.
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During concert in Syria, rock sensation Gorillaz visits with young photographers
DAMASCUS, Syria, 30 July 2010 – There was nothing typical about the visit of Gorillaz –one of the world's biggest rock bands – to Syria, a country that is usually not a top tour priority. But the event was perhaps most unusual for 20 budding photographers from the struggling Damascus refugee community of Bebila.
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Calling for accelerated action, UN and Zimbabwe Government launch nutrition survey results
HARARE, Zimbabwe, 30 July 2010 – The Inclusive Government of Zimbabwe, the United Nations and the Zimbabwe Food and Nutrition Council (FNC) have launched new data on the nutritional status of Zimbabwe's children, revealing that more than one third of Zimbabwe's children under the age of five are chronically malnourished and consequently stunted.
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In Somalia, a Public-Private partnership provides safe water to thousands
BOROMA, Somalia, 29 July 2010 – Residents of Boroma town in north-west Somalia don't take access to safe water for granted.
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Support for Malaysian children affected by HIV and AIDS
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, 29 July 2010 – Thirteen-year-old Aina (name changed) is determined to be a filmmaker when she grows up. She knows she's talented and isn't too shy to talk about it.
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Life in war-torn Yemen slowly returns to normal
SA'ADA, Yemen, 29 July 2010 – When you walk down the Al-Shara'a Al-A'am main road to the old town of Sa'ada, through the main gate of Bab Al-Yaman and pass by the ancient mosque of Emam Al-Hadi, you are immediately drawn into the past. The town, deeply rooted in history, used to be a beacon of Islamic teaching and a symbol of tolerance. From there you idle through the small but bustling 'souq,' or traditional market, and into the maze of the ancient mud houses where you can literally smell the scent of history.
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Delegation from Nepal sees child-rights initiatives supported by UNICEF in Brazil
BRASILIA, Brazil, 28 July 2010 – Senior representatives of the Government of Nepal visited Brazil recently to learn about initiatives developed by UNICEF and its partners here. The visit was an example of cooperation between developing countries, in which they share knowledge, experiences and best practices on various aspects of development.
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IKEA Social Initiative helps children from nomadic communities in Pakistan
FAISALABAD, Pakistan, 27 July 2010 – Only a year ago, Nazdana, 8, spent her days picking paper, bottles and metal pieces from the heaps of garbage littered around the city. Today, her world has changed completely. She sits reading from a textbook, dressed in a tidy school uniform, at the Education and Counselling Centre in Ghaziabad –enjoying her newfound freedom from hazardous work.
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Cases of children accused of 'witchcraft' rising in parts of West and Central Africa
AKWA IBOM STATE, Nigeria, 28 July 2010 – One child is given a slice of mango and is asked to commit murder in return. Another admits to killing 800 people while flying with other witches on a piece of tree bark.
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Free, universal health care rolls out for mothers and children in Sierra Leone
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 28 July 2010 – Early each morning, queues start to form outside the Princess Christian Memorial Hospital in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Pregnant women, mothers and young children wait patiently. Health-care workers trawl the lines for priority cases that need immediate attention.
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In the wake of conflict, polio immunization campaign protects children in Krygyzstan
TOICHEBEK-CHEK, Kyrgyzstan, 27 July 2010 – An outbreak of poliomyelitis in Tajikistan earlier this year is potentially threatening the health of children across the border in southern Kyrgyzstan. In the wake of the ethnic violence that tore through the region in June, communities here are coming together in support of a national immunization campaign to protect children from the deadly disease.
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Vaccination campaign conducted in response to resurgence of measles in Zambia
LUSAKA, Zambia, 26 July 2010 – In the Matero neighbourhood here in the Zambian capital last week, three-year-old Kaseko led her Aunt Sarah by the hand to the health clinic. Once there, they joined the long queue of mothers and crying babies.
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UNICEF Spain Ambassador and NBA star Pau Gassol visits children in Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, 26 July 2010 – Los Angeles Lakers basketball star and UNICEF Spain Ambassador Pau Gasol has just spent a week visiting UNICEF-supported education, nutrition and child protection programmes in Ethiopia – and sharing his time with children who live under very difficult conditions here.
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UNICEF and partners open child-friendly spaces in Qinghai earthquake zone
In the wake of violence, home visits ensure social assistance for families in Kyrgyzstan
OSH, Kyrgyzstan, 23 July 2010 – From the outside, the walled compound of the Kozybaeva household looks relatively undamaged, raising hopes that unlike most of the neighbouring houses, this one might be intact. But just beyond the gate is the burnt-out shell of what used to be the family car. And beyond that are the ruins of what was once the family home.
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African Youth Forum delegates set to deliver their call to action to AU Summit leaders in Uganda
MUNYONYO, Uganda, 23 July 2010 – Bonolo Cebe, 18,of South Africa is one of the three young delegates selected by their peers to present a call to action to leaders at the 15th session of the Assembly of African Union Summit this Sunday, 25 July. Over 100 young people from 40 countries drafted the message earlier this week in Uganda, at the first-ever African Youth Forum, or AYF.
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'Letter to a friend' campaign promotes healthy pregnancies in Indonesia
UNICEF statistics expert honoured for research on the needs of children affected by AIDS
VIENNA, Austria, 22 July 2010 – When UNICEF statistics expert Dr. Priscilla Akwara looked at the usual ways of assessing a child's vulnerability in the face of HIV and AIDS, what she saw wasn't true to her own experience. And so, collaborating with nine co-authors, she became a detective, combing through data to find out which factors can reliably be seen to make a child vulnerable.
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Afghanistan reaffirms commitment to protecting child rights amidst conflict
KABUL, Afghanistan, 21 July 2010 – The Government of Afghanistan has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting children affected by the ongoing conflict here through the establishment of a Steering Committee that will address and respond to grave violations against children.
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UNICEF supports efforts to end sexual harassment of girls and women in Bangladesh
NARSINGDI, Bangladesh, 21 July 2010 – Hundreds of people, many of them adolescents, rallied in the streets of Narsingdi district recently to call for an end to 'Eve teasing' – a term used to describe the public bullying of girls and women by boys and men.
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African Youth Forum issues call to action for leaders at Uganda summit
ENTEBBE, UGANDA, 20 July 2010 – A group of more than 100 young people from across Africa are ready to deliver a clear message to leaders of the countries in the African Union, who will be attending the 2010 AU Summit in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.
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FIFA World Cup 2010 champion Sergio Ramos of Spain inspires children in Senegal
DAKAR, Senegal, 20 July 2010 – Just days after becoming a champion as a member of the victorious Spanish national football team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Sergio Ramos chose to spend his time off the field visiting UNICEF projects in Senegal.
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UNICEF releases report on children affected by HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
NEW YORK, USA, 19 July 2010 – As thousands of experts from around the world gather at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, UNICEF is drawing attention to one the most pressing concerns in the struggle against HIV – the marginalization of those affected by the disease, especially children.
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'Mother-Baby Pack' helps prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission in Lesotho
LESOTHO, 19 July 2010 – Malekena George lives in arural area in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho. Four months ago, she set out on a trip to a distant clinic, determined to protect the health of her unborn child.
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UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lionel 'Leo' Messi visits earthquake-ravaged Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 16 July 2010 – For the people of Port-au-Prince, the last six months have been fraught with difficulties in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake that left their lives in shambles. But while the images out of Haiti still show displacement and poverty, they were replaced yesterday – at least for a few hours – by a sense of uncontainable excitement, as Haitians poured into the streets to greet UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lionel 'Leo' Messi.
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New child-friendly schools bring new hope to communities in Sri Lanka
AMPARA DISTRICT, Sri Lanka, 15 July 2010 – Thousands of schoolchildren in Ampara district, eastern Sri Lanka, recently cheered in a new era in education, with marching bands playing and UNICEF flags waving during official ceremonies in their villages.
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Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow visits Ugandan children affected by conflict
GULU and KOTIDO, Uganda, 16 July 2010 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow has made a round of visits to Uganda communities this week, in advance of her participation in the first-ever African Youth Forum, which begins tomorrow in Entebbe.
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'Hermano' film director partners with UNICEF on violence prevention in Venezuela
NEW YORK, USA, 15 July 2010 – The UNICEF-supported film, 'Hermano' – which last month won the Grand Prix for Best Film at the International Film Festival in Moscow, as well as the audience and critics' prizes – will now be used to help spur conversations about violence prevention in Venezuela's poor urban communities.
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Free primary education: A steeping stone towards a better future for children in Liberia
GANTA, Liberia, 15 July 2010 – At 6 a.m., Atleta Suomie is already hard at work sweeping the floor and arranging the merchandise in her family's small store. Atleta is a top mathematics student and this comes in handy through the morning's roaring trade. But come lunchtime, she hands the shop over to her stepmother, changes into her school uniform, collects her books and leaves the shop.
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Panama launches national handwashing campaign to improve child health and hygiene
PANAMA CITY, Panama, 14 July 7, 2010 – "Wash our hands, it´s time to wash our hands," sang a group of second graders at Los Andes II school in Panama City's San Miguelito district. While they chanted the popular tune, hundreds more children waved handmade banners for health officials who were present at their school to inaugurate a national handwashing campaign.
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'Second-chance' examination for schoolchildren affected by conflict in South Darfur
SOUTH DARFUR, Sudan, 14 July 2010 – UNICEF and the Ministry of Education in the South Darfur region of Sudan have witnessed the successful completion of a key goal: providing a 'second-chance examination' for eighth-grade students affected by conflict in the locality of East Jabel Marra.
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Educating Haiti's children, six months on
NEW YORK, USA, 12 July 2010 – Today marks the six-month anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti, killing more than 220,000, displacing many more and severely affecting the education system.
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Life skills-based education builds young Somalis' self-confidence
NAIROBI, Kenya, 12 July 2010 – Muna Ali Hirsi, 24, is a vibrant and motivated life-skills mentor who works with young people aged 12 to 21 in north-west Somalia (Somaliland).
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Universal blood tests hunt down the malaria parasite in Sabang district, Indonesia
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.
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Bamyan maternity waiting home: A safe place to give birth in Afghanistan
BAMYAN, Afghanistan, 12 July 2010 – "This place is needed in Bamyan like water in the desert," said Dr. Hamed Nazim, head of Bamyan Provincial Hospital. "In the past, not enough care was taken of mothers. This will change now."
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Child-friendly spaces for learning and playing without fear in Osh, Kyrgyzstan
OSH, Kyrgyzstan, 13 July 2010 – After weeks of violence in southern Kyrgyzstan, Osh is beginning to witness tiny signs of a return to normal life: The streets are filling up with people and cars. Some rush to the market to buy food, others go to visit their relatives and share their blankets and clothes with those who lost everything.
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Ugandan delegates prepare to speak out on development at first African Youth Forum
KAMPALA,Uganda, 13 July 2010 – At first glance, it seems an ordinary day in the UNICEF country office here – until the cameras zoom in and reporters begin interviewing young people selected as the Ugandan delegates to the first-ever African Youth Forum, or AYF. The Forum will be held in Entebbe from 17 to 19 July.
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Six months on, UNICEF reviews Haiti quake-relief milestones, and looks forward
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 12 July 2010 – Six months after the earthquake that ravaged Haiti on 12 January, UNICEF has released a detailed report chronicling relief efforts to date. Titled 'Children of Haiti: Milestones and looking forward at six months,' the report begins by implicitly asking the question: What did not happen following the earthquake?
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UNICEF photojournalist Marta Ramoneda documents recovery efforts in Haiti
NEW YORK, USA, 9 July 2010 – It has been six months since a devastating earthquake killed over 220,000 people and disrupted the lives of millions more in Haiti. UNICEF freelance photographer Marta Ramoneda recently returned from a two-week trip to the Caribbean nation, where she documented the recovery efforts now under way there.
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UN Secretary-General visits a child protection centre in Gabon
LIBREVILLE, Gabon, 7 July 2010 – On a recent trip to Gabon, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with children living in a child-protection centre supported by UNICEF in Angondgé, a neighbourhood of Libreville, the capital.
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UNICEF helps to raise HIV awareness along the Ethiopia-Djibouti transport corridor
DJIBOUTI VILLE, Djibouti, 6 July 2010 – In the scorching heat of a June morning, boys and young men from the PK 12 neighbourhood, on the outskirts of Djibouti Ville, are gathered in front of a large container competing in a game of babyfoot, a.k.a. table football.
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Olympic Gold Medallist Yuna Kim, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, thanks Haiti donors
NEW YORK, USA, 9 July 2010– UNICEF is delighted to announce the appointment of international figure-skating star Yuna Kim as its newest Goodwill Ambassador. In a special video messagemarking her appointment. Ms. Kim thanks donors who have supported a cause she herself holds dear: UNICEF's earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti.
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On the ground in Haiti, after the quake
NEW YORK, USA, 9 July 2010 – Kent Page left New York for Port-au-Prince on 20 January, just over a week after the earthquake that shattered Haiti's most densely populated areas – and the lives of its most vulnerable children. He had been asked to leave his UNICEF headquarters post for a month-long assignment as the agency's chief media spokesperson in the Haitian capital.
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Breaking the cycle: Iraqi refugee students in Syria need help to go back to school
DAMASCUS, Syrian Arab Republic,6 July 2010 – Lulls in conversation with 16-year-old Iraqi refugee Gailan are soon filled with the gentle inhale-exhale of sleep. Outside, the Damascus streets are silent, except for the shuffling of those woken early by the intense morning heat.
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Vulnerable children get behind the lens in South African photo workshop
ESTCOURT, South Africa, 29 June 2010 – Slightly built Nokwanda Mchunu, 12, buried her head in her hands every time someone asked her a question. Her participation in a recent UNICEF-supported photography workshop here looked like it would be limited.
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A child labourer leaves the streets behind and returns to school in the Philippines
NEW YORK, USA, 30 June 2010 – Arcy Nino Ortonio, now 19, is in his second year of college in the Philippines, taking courses in maritime studies so that he can work on a ship as a deck officer and move up the ranks. But less than 15 years ago, when Arcy was just a young child, he worked two jobs to help pay his grade-school fees and his future was uncertain.
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In tea country, Indian mothers learn the importance of breastfeeding
DIBRUGARH, India, 24 June 2010 – Durowpadi Bedia, an 'Angawadi' community health worker at the Nahortoli Tea Estate in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, takes her job very seriously.
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Protecting mothers and newborns from HIV and AIDS in post-quake Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 30 June 2010 – Jeanne (not her real name) looks lovingly at her baby daughter Marie and carefully covers her cot with a mosquito net. She is sitting in the living room of a relative's home in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, in the heat of the afternoon. For Jeanne, the birth of Marie in May was an extraordinary event.
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At Chad conference, UNICEF Advocate for Children Affected by War Ishmael Beah pens high-profile article
N'DJAMENA, Chad, 28 June 2010 – On the inside walls of one of the centres for former child soldiers in N'Djaména, the capital of Chad, are images that start with the horrors of war and gradually become those of anticipated hopes and dreams.
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In post-earthquake Haiti, children's voices are integrated into reconstruction effort
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 21 June 2010 – Over the buzz of children chatting excitedly in Creole, nine-year-old Marie-Ange hunches over her poster paper, meticulously tracing the outline of a school. "This is the school of my dreams," she says.
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Kiwanis and UNICEF launch 'The Eliminate Project' on maternal and neonatal tetanus
NEW YORK, USA, 25 June 2010 – Kiwanis International has selected UNICEF to be its partner in a $110 million effort to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) globally by 2015.
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Call centre responds to needs of separated children in Haitian quake zone
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 15 June 2010 – "Hello, Separated Children Call Centre, how can I help you?" an operator asked. "Where exactly did you say the child is currently? He is at the health Centre? Did the child come by himself or was he brought in by someone? Thank you for calling – we will dispatch two case workers who will arrive at the centre in 30 minutes."
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In Rwanda, free mosquito nets save lives
MAYANGE, Rwanda, 29 June 2010 – Seraphine Kabasinga, mother of four, has always been scared of malaria. She lives in an endemic zone, just an hour east of Rwanda's capital, Kigali.
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In Istanbul, UNICEF and UNESCO Institute for Statistics launch joint education project
ISTANBUL, Turkey, 30 June 2010 – While Turkey has made significant progress in reducing the number of out-of-school girls in recent decades, the number of girls in school continues to decline sharply by the fifth and sixth grades.
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Prince Harry's UNICEF visit reflects commitment to humanitarian aid
NEW YORK, USA, 29 June 2010 – As part of his official visit to New York this past weekend, Prince Harry of the United Kingdom visited the Emergency Operations Centre at UNICEF headquarters to see how the organization operates strategically during global crises.
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Young fans see FIFA World Cup 2010 on the big screen in remote Zambian villages
NAMUSHAKA, Zambia, 2 July 2010 – More than 600 km from Zambia's capital, Lusaka, the local school's sandy football pitch is being converted to a soccer fan park. Football fever is hitting even the most remote villages in Africa as the FIFA World Cup is played for the first time on the continent.
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UNICEF honoured for short film on 'Protecting Childhood' in Occupied Palestinian Territory
NEW YORK, 28 June 2010 – UNICEF has been honoured for its coverage of the challenges facing Palestinian children in 'Protecting Childhood', a short film that recently won the Award of Excellence in the 2010 Communicator Awards, which are sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts.
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Letter from Mogadishu: UNICEF Representative visits national staff delivering for children in Somalia
NAIROBI, Kenya, 25 June 2010 – I went to Mogadishu to visit the UNICEF compound and spend time with our colleagues there. I was told that it was the first visit by a UNICEF Representative to the Mogadishu office since 2007, due to a deterioration of security conditions in the city.
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Goodwill Ambassador Leo Messi, star footballer, in new video spot on child rights
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.
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UNICEF trucks supplies to ethnic Uzbeks fleeing violence in Kyrgyzstan
NEW YORK, USA, 15 June 2010 – UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan Jean-Michel Delmotte has described a chaotic situation as thousands of ethnic Uzbeks, mostly women and children, flee ethnic violence in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan.
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Brick by brick and doctor by doctor, Angola rebuilds its health care system
LUBANGO, Angola, 22 June 2010 – In the newly opened red brick Lubango health clinic, a mass of Angolans line up to see one of the two Cuban doctors working here. The doctors were assigned to provide health care to some 30,000 people in the southern province of Huila.
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South Asian cricketers bowl UNICEF's 'healthy hat trick' for children
DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka, 24 June, 2010 – Besides batting overs, taking runs and losing innings, South Asia's top cricketers were bowling a hat trick of another kind during the Asia Cup – which wrapped up here today as India prevailed over Sri Lanka in the final match.
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Algeria's forgotten refugees: After 35 years, conditions in Sahrawi camps remain harsh
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.
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Capturing a vision: Rwandan student films premier during FIFA World Cup 2010
GISENYI, Rwanda, 23 June 2010 – Aspiring filmmakers in a remote village in Rwanda now have an exciting opportunity to share their vision of the world.
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Protecting South Africa's children during the FIFA World Cup 2010 and beyond
SOWETO, South Africa, 18 June 2010 – As the most-watched sports event worldwide, the FIFA World Cup 2010 is expected to attract more than a billion television viewers around the world. Across the host country, South Africa, fan parks known as FIFA 'Fan Fests' have set up huge TV screens and stages for live entertainment.
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With few resources, creative thinking saves lives in Ugandan hospital
GULU DISTRICT, Uganda, 23 June 2010 – For the past 25 years, a member of the Comboni Catholic missionary service by the name of Brother Helio Croce has been devising unique, low-cost ways to help save lives in Uganda.
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In Liberia, UNICEF and partners take fight for better nutrition to community clinics
MONTSERRADO COUNTY, Liberia, 16 June 2010 – In an effort to reduce child mortality, UNICEF and its partners in Liberia are working with several community clinics to provide daily outpatient therapeutic feeding for children suffering from under-nutrition in several Liberian counties.
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Polio-eradication partners monitor life-saving immunization drive in Tajikistan
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, 22 June 2010 – The fourth round of a national immunization campaign against polio has just been completed in Tajikistan, targeting almost 3 million children under the age of 15.
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UNICEF Syria supports vocational training centre for adolescent refugees at risk
DAMASCUS, Syrian Arab Republic, 22 June 2010 – Rana came to Syria in 2005. She and her family joined the ever-increasing Iraqi community in the Jaramana suburbs of Damascus. Heavily dependent on humanitarian aid and deprived of any regular income, the family exhausted their savings last year, and Rana's parents had to return to Iraq temporarily.
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Health centres focus on treatment of undernourished children in Niger
MIRRIAH, Niger, 18 June 2010 – When Baraka, a young mother in Guidimouni, southern Niger, took her 13-month-old son Abdul to the local health centre, tests showed that he was suffering from severe acute malnutrition and malaria. He spent a week in an outpatient feeding programme but continued to lose weight.
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Governments, donors and UN commit to 'Delivering as One' at conference in Viet Nam
HA NOI, Viet Nam, 17 June 2010 – "Much has been achieved, more needs to be done. 'Delivering as One' is the future for UN development activities."
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Young Zimbabwean featured in 'Music by Prudence' champions disability rights
NEW YORK, USA, 15 June 2010 – The second Millennium Development Goal calls for universal primary education for all boys and girls, and Article 23 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child says that all children with disabilities have the right to special care and support so they can live full and independent lives. But for many children with diabilities in developing countries – especially in rural areas – few opportunities for education are accessible.
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Reducing dangers of pregnancy in Sierra Leone
BO, Sierra Leone,7 June 2010 – In late April, just after her baby boy was born at Bo Government Hospital in southern Sierra Leone, it was by no means certain that Hawa Barrie would survive to raise him. Ms. Barrie, 40, was suffering from eclampsia, a pregnancy-related complication characterized by seizures and convulsions.
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Ban Ki-moon and adolescents discuss urban inequities in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, 7 June 2010 – On a recent trip to Brazil to attend the third UN Alliance of Civilizations Forum, a partnership promoting global cross-cultural relations, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with adolescents living in a low-income neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro.
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Polio campaign finds ways to vaccinate every child in Afghanistan
MAZAR, Afghanistan, 11 June 2010 – During a recent polio immunization campaign in north-eastern Afghanistan – organized in response to an outbreak of the disease in neighbouring Tajikistan – thousands of vaccination teams fanned out across the region in an effort to reach all children at risk.
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Tackling exclusion through Special Olympics in Indonesia
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.
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In India, pregnancy comes with a high price
KHARIAR, India, 11 June 2010 – Her face contorted in pain, Triveni Patel, 27, hobbled into the health centre in an advanced stage of labour with her mother-in-law at her side. Ms. Patel was suffering from acute complications and dangerously high blood pressure. She was frighteningly close to death.
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Barbados works to change attitudes, implement positive discipline in schools
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,10 June 2010 – Beyond the postcard-perfect beaches of Barbados, there is a controversial issue dividing much of this small island nation. A debate is raging about whether to continue using corporal punishment when disciplining children.
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In Somalia, 'Child Health Days' campaign throws a lifeline
BOROMA, Somalia, 9 June 2010 – Among the many mothers who came with their children to the Child Health Days campaign site, Abdi Ibrahim was one of very few fathers to be seen. He came early in the morning with his 16-month-old daughter, Sahra, to make sure she is vaccinated against preventable diseases.
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A female doctor tackles maternal health in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan,8 June 2010 – For Dr. Sumaira Yaftali, medicine is more than just a career. It's the culmination of her life-long ambition.
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Developing vision: Young people in South Africa photograph their communities
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa,8 June 2010 – Across some of South Africa's most impoverished neighbourhoods, a youth photography programme is helping students document their lives – while also raising wider awareness of their communities' struggles.
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Syrian students lead the way in improving schools
DAMASCUS, Syrian Arab Republic, 14 June 2010 – When it comes to the needs of the local school, everyone has an opinion.
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As FIFA World Cup 2010 kicks off, young Zambians speak out
MONGU, Zambia, 11 June 2010 – For Inonge Sitali, 14, a radio dialogue with peers about the FIFA World Cup 2010 – which kicked off today in South Africa – is more than a casual conversation. It is an opportunity to discuss important gender issues in her local community of Mongu, in western Zambia.
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Second round of polio vaccines launched in Uzbekistan
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, 9 June 2010 – Following a major polio outbreak in Tajikistan –Europe's first since the region was declared 'polio free' in 2002 – a committed global partnership is working hard to keep neighbouring Uzbekistan free of the disease.
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As FIFA World Cup 2010 festivities begin in South Africa, Angélique Kidjo visits Soweto
SOWETO, South Africa, 10 June 2010 – With football fever gripping fans across the globe, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo is using this moment to highlight the immense needs of South African children made vulnerable by poverty, violence, and HIV and AIDS.
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Chad and five other Central African countries pledge to end use of children in armed conflict
N'DJAMENA, Chad, 11 June 2010 – At a regional conference here this week, Chad and five other Central African nations signed a declaration on ending the use of child soldiers. In a recorded video address to the participants, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake offered fervent support for the move.
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Support centres protect children from violence and abuse in Mozambique
MAPUTO, Mozambique, 15 June 2010 – The girl was only 12 years old when her father took her to a guest house and raped her. She told her mother, but her mother did not believe her. Unable to deal with the trauma, the girl reached out for help at the Alta Mae Support Centre in a crowded neighbourhood of Maputo, Mozambique's capital city.
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Refugees pour into camps in Uzbekistan, escaping Kyrgyz clashes
ANDIJAN, Uzbekistan, 16 June 2010 – Navruza, 14, seems calm but her eyes are full of sorrow. Along with her mother and two brothers, she managed to escape deadly clashes in the town of Osh, in southern Kyrgyzstan, and find refuge across the border in neighbouring Uzbekistan.
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Amidst violence in southern Kyrgyzstan, a mother and son seek refuge
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan 16 June 2010 – At 3 a.m. last Sunday, Malika and her son Emil, 8, left their house in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. The moonless night concealed ruins and dead bodies scattered near their home. Caustic fumes spread from the neighbouring burning houses, reminders of the atrocities that had been raging in the town for days.
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For displaced families in Kyrgyzstan, a difficult road back from the brink
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, 25 June 2010 – The civil unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan has not spared any household in Djalal-Abad province.
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As Uzbek refugees return to Kyrgyzstan, UNICEF airlifts aid to affected region
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, 28 June, 2010 – Mashura Mamakhanova's thumb and index finger seem impossibly large as they caress her daughter's tiny hand in the incubator where the newborn sleeps. Born 10 weeks premature, the baby weighs just 900 grammes, but doctors at the Perinatal Centre in Andijan, Uzbekistan had no choice but to induce her birth.
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Aid reaches displaced and refugee families in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, and KURGANPATA, Uzbekistan, 24 June 2010 – Despite concerns about security, UNICEF has organized a continuing airlift and overland distribution of supplies to people displaced by violence in Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, a significant proportionof the ethnic Uzbek families that fled the country into neighbouring Uzbekistan have now returned home –though thousands are still refugees.
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UN and UNICEF take humanitarian action in response to Kyrgyzstan crisis
NEW YORK, USA, 18 June 2010 – As the crisis in Kyrgyzstan enters its second week, there are reports that violence against ethnic Uzbeks in the southern part of the country is gradually declining. However, the situation remains volatile and could still deteriorate.
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Brittle calm after violent ethnic riots tears apart lives in Kyrgyzstan
OSH, Kyrgyzstan, 1 July 2010 – All along the Alisher Navoi Street, the scene is similar from house to house. Some of the buildings are just charred walls. Some have collapsed completely. Others bear bullet holes from intense gunfire.
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UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake brings a wealth of experience to his new role
NEW YORK, USA, 1 May 2010 – As Anthony Lake assumes his new role as UNICEF's sixth Executive Director today, he builds upon a solid foundation formed by the organization's 60-plus years of child-rights advocacy, as well as his own wealth of international experience.
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United States: Nicholas Kristof tackles gender inequity
NEW YORK, USA, 29 April 2010 – Best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has told a UNICEF conference that gender inequity is the central moral challenge of the 21st century.
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Rwanda: Empowering youth to prevent HIV
NKANKE PARISH, Rwanda, 29 April 2010 – Situated in the lush green hills that surround Lake Kivu in southwest Rwanda, Nkanke Parish church is working toward a future free of HIV and AIDS.
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Moldova: Juvenile solitary confinement cells to be abolished
CHISINAU, Moldova, 29 April 2010 – On an advocacy visit to Moldova this month, French Senator Robert Badinter, known for overseeing the abolition of the death penalty in France, called on the Moldovan Government to advance reforms in the country's juvenile justice system.
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Haiti: Young survivors discuss their lives in the camps
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 28 April 2010 – Miratson Guerrier and Ricardo Rocourt have been best friends for as long as they can remember. But when the 12 January earthquake destroyed each of their homes, they also became neighbours.
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Liberia: Partners work to eradicate polio and measles
MONROVIA, Liberia, 28 April 2010 – "Don't cry, baby. This will keep you healthy and strong," Princess Togba told her eight-month-old daughter, Agatha, as the baby received two drops of oral polio vaccine.
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Zambia: Youth delegates at climate conference take lessons home to their communities
LUSAKA, Zambia, 28 April 2010 – Nearly 200 children from all of Zambia's nine provinces are heading back to their hometowns after attending the country's first Children's Climate Conference in Lusaka this week.
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Nigeria: Text messages bolster world's largest distribution of mosquito nets
World Malaria Day, 25 April, focuses this year on the challenge of achieving universal coverage with essential malaria-control interventions. Here is a story of progress and challenges in one malaria-endemic country, Nigeria.
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Sierra Leone: Free health care for mothers and children
BONTHE DISTRICT, Sierra Leone, 27 April 2010 – Sabatu Koroma, 28, groaned as she lay helplessly on the stretcher of the motorcycle ambulance. She had just arrived at the United Brethren in Christ Hospital in Mattru Jong – a fishing village in Sierra Leone's Bonthe district – where she was rushed following complications with her pregnancy.
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Afghanistan launches first ever vaccination week
KABUL, Afghanistan, 27 April 2010 – Many thousands of Afghan children can expect better health as the country launches its first-ever vaccination week.
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Tanzania: Zanzibar leads the charge against malaria
ZANZIBAR CITY, Tanzania, 27 April 2010 – As the world celebrated World Malaria Day this past weekend, some regions reflected on recent strides made toward eradicating the disease. Among the world's malaria success stories is the Island of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous partof Tanzania, off the coast of eastern Africa.
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China: Survivors recount earthquake's toll on schools in Qinghai Province
JIEGU, China, 26 April 2010 – When this small town in remote western China was hit by an earthquake on 14 April, 13-year-old Sangqiuyixi was sweeping the floor of her classroom at Yushu No.2 Ethnic High School. He broke the window and managed to escape.
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Mozambique: Malaria prevention and treatment save children's lives
TETE PROVINCE, Mozambique, 23 April 2010 – After Bonita Gomes, 3, was rushed 30 km by motorbike to a rural health clinic, her blood test confirmed the worst: severe malaria with complications. Bonita was taken to Tete Provincial Hospital for further care, but fell into a coma despite blood transfusions and quinine treatment.
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United States: At UNICEF panel, indigenous young people speak up for their rights
NEW YORK, USA, 23 April 2010 – Two Brazilian youth advocates have travelled from their small village in the Bahia region of north-eastern Brazil to United Nations headquarters in New Yorkto make an impassioned appeal for the rights of indigenous peoples.
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United States: International seminar puts girls' rights in the spotlight as key to development
NEW YORK, 26 April 2010 – International experts have gathered in New York this week to find new ways to strengthen the rights of adolescent girls.
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China: UNICEF Executive Board gets first hand glimpse of health care in remote region
NINGXIA HUI AUTONOMOUS REGION, China, 22 April 2010– A journey to the north-western Chinese region of Ningxia offered members of UNICEF's Executive Board a firsthand look at health care for mothers and children in one of the most disadvantaged parts of the country.
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India: UNICEF-EC programme gives a second chance to a would-be child bride
RAJASTHAN, India 22 April 2010 – Bablu, 14, lives with her family in a small village in rural Rajasthan. She was 13 when her community decided she should be married. "I did not want to get married," she said. "I thought my life would be completely ruined."
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'Beyond School Books' – a podcast series on education in emergencies
NEW YORK, USA, 21 April 2010 – The global economic downturn, escalating conflicts and widespread disasters threaten to reverse advances made in the last decade in increasing enrolment and reducing the gender gap in schools around the world.
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Syria: Support for every child's right to education
AL-HASSAKAH, Syrian Arab Republic, 21 April 2010 – Schools are similar across the world: boisterous students, playground noise and homework to be done.
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Benin: It takes a community to educate a girl or a boy
BEMBÉRÉKÉ, Benin, 20 April 2010 – Going to school can be a long, lonely walk for a young girl in Benin. That's if her parents even let her pursue an education. But a UNICEF-supported scheme of 'big sistering' in 16 districts of this West African country makes the journey enjoyable – and serves as a monitoring system to ensure that girls get to school each day.
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Afghanistan: Justice for girls and support for those who defy social norms
MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan, 20 April 2010– The six girls huddle together over tea, giggling and pulling at each other's veils and talking 'girl talk'. They're keen to show off their English, talking about their favourite Bollywood stars and imitating their moves. But under the veils, behind the lightness, there's tragedy here.
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Roll Back Malaria partnership launches Africa Update at UNICEF House event
NEW YORK, USA, 19 April 2010 – UNICEF and the Roll Back Malaria partnership today launched the World Malaria Day 2010 Africa Update, a report highlighting progress towards curbing the deadly mosquito-borne disease in Africa.
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China: Earthquake relief efforts continue despite altitude, cold and other obstacles
NEW YORK, USA, 19 April 2010 – High altitude is creating an obstacle for rescue teams delivering supplies to people affected by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in north-west China's Qinghai Province on 14 April.
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Pakistan: Non-formal education aims to end cycle of poverty for kiln workers
LAHORE, Pakistan, 13 April 2010 – Mohammad Kabir and his family struggle to earn a living at the brick kilns on the outskirts of Lahore, the provincial capital. Toiling in the oppressive heat, the Kabir family is paid $4 for every 1,000 bricks they produce.
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Nigeria: Millions of children immunized in a renewed effort to eradicate polio
LAGOS, Nigeria, 16 April 2010 – Nigeria recently joined 19 other countries in West and Central Africa in a synchronized campaign to immunize more than 85 million children under the age of five against polio.
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India: Reaching mobile populations with polio vaccine
LUCKNOW, India, 14 April 2010 – A recent polio immunization campaign in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh succeeded in treating some of the most difficult to reach families in this area – mobile labourers.
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Afghanistan: Leaders meet to address juvenile justice
KABUL, Afghanistan, 15 April 2010 — The Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Afghanistan, states that putting a child in detention should be a last resort.
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China: UNICEF stands ready to help, if needed, following Qinghai earthquake
NEW YORK, USA, 14 April 2010 – Following this morning's deadly earthquake in northwest China's Qinghai province, UNICEF has extended its deepest sympathies to the Chinese people and is ready to assist if help is needed.
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Webby Awards: UNICEF named an Official Honouree
NEW YORK, 15 April 2010 – The UNICEF micro site '20 Years of Child Rights' – commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) – has been named an Official Honouree of the 14th Annual Webby Awards.
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Guinea: Acrobatics help to keep children off the streets
CONAKRY, Guinea 15 April 2010 - Bangali just turned 19. He lives in a very poor neighborhood of Conakry, next to a garbage dump. But, recently, Bangali's life took an exciting new turn when he began learning acrobatics at Tinafan Centre.
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Benin: Engaging communities to prevent malnutrition
ALIBORI DEPARTMENT, Benin, 14 April 2010 – More than one in three Beninese children under the age of five show signs of chronic malnutrition. In the drier, northernmost part of the country, most families harvest crops for both income and their own consumption, feeding their children whatever is available from this yield.
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Philippines: Mobile theatres helps children recover from tropical storm's effects
LAGUNA PROVINCE, Philippines, 13 April 2010 – Loud music is playing in the covered basketball court at Aplaya Elementary School. About 200 children and their teachers have gathered around an improvised stage, where members of a mobile theatre troupe led by Perlyn 'Lakan' Bunyi are preparing for their performance.
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Pakistan: Non-formal education aims to end cycle of poverty for kiln workers
LAHORE, Pakistan, 13 April 2010 – Mohammad Kabir and his family struggle to earn a living at the brick kilns on the outskirts of Lahore, the provincial capital. Toiling in the oppressive heat, the Kabir family is paid $4 for every 1,000 bricks they produce.
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Japan: UNICEF House offers visitors a window into the agency's global work
TOKYO, Japan, 13 April 2010 – UNICEF House in the Minato ward of Tokyo is unlike any other building or museum in the world.
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Madagascar: Rebuilding lives after Tropical Storm Hubert
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, 12 April 2010 - After weeks of complete isolation for thousands of people in south-eastern Madagascar, aid continues to arrive in those areas worst affected by Tropical Storm Hubert.
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Haiti: Creating a Haiti fit for children, three months after the earthquake
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 9 April 2010 – As Haiti slowly moves forward after the 12 January earthquake, UNICEF is set to release a comprehensive report taking stock of humanitarian efforts on behalf of the children of Haiti.
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Afghanistan: Promoting girls' empowerment through sport
BAMYAN, Afghanistan, 8 April 2010 – On the occasion of International Women's Day, UNICEF, the Bamyan Provincial Department of Women's Affairs and the local Youth Information and Contact Centre (YICC) joined forces to promote girls' empowerment through sport – by organizing a female football match.
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Senegal: Promoting dialogue amongst young people in Senegal and beyond
DAKAR, Senegal, 7 April 2010 - Mame Arame Mbaye, 17, is part of a group of girls at the John F. Kennedy High School who come to the computer lab each afternoon to exchange ideas with students from many countries. Today, they are writing about their opinions on health and climate change.
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Thailand: Parliamentarians in Thailand for 122nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly
BANGKOK, Thailand, 6 April 2010– More than 600 parliamentarians from over 120 countries gathered in Bangkok from 27 March to 1 April to discuss how to betterrealize children's rights.
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Youth voices resound on the airwaves in Nigeria and Malaysia
NEW YORK, USA, 6 April 2010– On Sunday, 7 March, radio and television audiences around the globe tuned in as local stations took part in the 19th annual International Children's Day of Broadcasting – and reports about young voices resounding over the airwaves have been coming in for the past month.
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Lesotho: UNICEF Executive Director launches 'Facts for Life'
MASERU, Lesotho, 9 April 2010 – During a visit to Lesotho, a country entirely landlocked by South Africa, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman this week launched 'Facts for Life', a publication that delivers life-saving information to families and communities on how to prevent child and maternal deaths, diseases, injuries and violence.
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Viet Nam: UNICEF supporter Patricia Lanza sponsors new day-care centre
DA NANG, Viet Nam, 9 April 2010 – Over 150 UNICEF partners, children with disabilities and their families gathered in Hoa Nhon commune, central Viet Nam, to celebrate the opening of a new day-care centre for disabled children.
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Nigeria: African Union leaders and international experts launch campaign to combat human trafficking
ABUJA, Nigeria, 8 April 2010 – An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide each year for sexual exploitation and cheap labor. Child trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar industry that affects every country in the world – either as a source of trafficked children or a destination for them – and the global economic crisis has only exacerbated this grave violation of human rights.
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Zambia: Executive Director's visit focuses on impact of HIV and AIDS
LUSAKA, Zambia, 9 April 2010 – On a two-day trip to Zambia, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman advocated for greater HIV and AIDS awareness and for scaling up voluntary testing.
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UNICEF distributes early childhood development kits in Jacmel, Haiti
JACMEL, Haiti, 6 April 2010 – When the earthquake shook the mountains outside this port city in southern Haiti on 12 January, rural schools throughout the area were destroyed or damaged. Not only were classes cancelled for the short term, but looking ahead, parents were afraid to send their children back into damaged classrooms that they feared might collapse.
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Haiti: A nationwide call to return to school brings hope to children
JACMEL, Haiti, 5 April 2010 – Almost three months after the massive 12 January earthquake that devastated the country, the Haitian Ministry of Education, with the support of UNICEF and its partners, has issued a nationwide call for children to return to school.
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Uzbekistan: Child-friendly schools making inroads
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, 5 April 2010 – Children from 850 schools in Uzbekistan will enjoy reading the classics as part of a child-friendly schools programme being implemented there with UNICEF and IKEA Social Initiative Fund support.
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Argentina: Thousands take part in 'Race for Education'
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.
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Planned 'Call to Action for WASH in Schools' aims to promote water, sanitation and hygiene education
NEW YORK, USA, 1 April 2010 – Every child has the right to water, sanitation and hygiene education and facilities. In many countries, consistently providing this is a major challenge for policy makers, schools and communities.
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India: Female mountaineer inspires Indian children to greater heights at 'Meena Radio' event
LUCKNOW, India,1 April2010 – Santosh Yadav twice accomplished her dream of climbing Mount Everest, so it is fitting that she was chosen to address the crowd at a launch event for Meena Radio, a radio programme that aims to inspire young girls to stay in school and achieve their own dreams.
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Côte d'Ivoire: Improving chances for malnourished children
ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire, 1 April 2010 – Since her ninth child was born, Silué Kewa Tchewa's breasts have not produced a drop of milk. As a result, her six-week-old, Fatoumata, is underweight.
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Field Diary: Camp's children excited about going back to school in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 31 March, 2010 – You only have to mention the word 'school' and a sparkle comes into Taïma Celestin's dark brown eyes. It's not hard to understand why. The scheduled reopening of Haiti's schools on 5 April will be the first real opportunity for this confident 10-year-old to leave what is today her home – a tiny lean-to covered with a blue tarpaulin in a former sports ground in the suburbs of Port-au-Prince.
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Japan: Child rights advocates seek to strengthen laws against child pornography in Japan
TOKYO, JAPAN, 31 March 2010 – In recent months, the Japan Committee for UNICEF has been building momentum with its 'Say "No" to Child Pornography' campaign. The campaign seeks to reform Japanese law and criminalize not only the sale and manufacture of child pornography, but also its possession and purchase.
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'A Haiti Fit for Children' - UNICEF and NGO partners make plans to build back better
NEW YORK, 31 March 2010 – Six international aid organizations met in a public session at UNICEF headquarters yesterday, planning ways to make children the focus of rebuilding Haiti in the aftermath of the 12 January earthquake.
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Haiti: Rescued by a neighbour, a young Haitian earthquake survivor dreams of normalcy
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 29 March 2010 – When the earth began to shake on 12 January 12, Rachel Lunique, 17, sprinted out the door of her family's second-floor apartment. Rachel was just a few steps from the safety of the street, when she heard the desperate cries of the woman in the apartment next to hers.
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Haiti: After the earthquake, protecting Haitian women and girls from violence
ANSE-A-PITRE, Haiti, 29 March 2010 – The effects of the earthquake that struck Haiti some two and a half months ago have reverberated across the country. Both in and beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince, progress made in tackling long-standing human rights issues – including the problem of gender-based violence against women and girls – seems a distant memory.
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Syrian Arab Republic: Syrian students spread the word about safe water
DAMASCUS, Syrian Arab Republic, 29 March 2010 – The message of World Water Day, celebrated here and around the globe last week,is more pressing than everinthe northern regions of the Syrian Arab Republic, whichhave received exceptionally low levels of rainfall in recent years.
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Guinea: Immunization drive aims to stop polio, once thought eradicated
CONAKRY, Guinea, 26 March 2010 – Yeninka, 5, was born in a poor fishermen's neighbourhood in the suburbs of Conakry, the Guinean capital. She was healthy until a couple of months ago. Her father Soumah, a widowed fisherman, remembers what happened then.
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Cameroon: Simple techniques help ensure safe water for families
BERTOUA, Cameroon, 25 March 2010 – Mbelé Jeannette, 38, a mother of nine children – including a three-month-old – has recently learned a simple technique to provide safe water for her family at home in Mbidja village, eastern Cameroon. And she has noticed a big difference in their health.
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Chad: Severe food shortages lead to rising malnutrition in children
MAO, Chad, 24 March 2010 – Adam Abdulai is just over a year old, but he can barely move, let alone stand up and walk. He and a dozen other emaciated children lie on mattresses at a feeding centre in Mao, western Chad, with their mothers and grandmothers watching over them helplessly.
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Haiti: Former US President Bill Clinton praises crisis response by UN and UNICEF
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 24 March 2010 – During a visit to Haiti yesterday, former US President and UN special envoy Bill Clinton praised the United Nations for its response to the devastating 12 January earthquake, saying now was the time to help the country escape its impoverished past and build a better future.
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Namibia: UNICEF encourages cricket for boys and girls
WINDHOEK, Namibia, 23 March 2010 – Hundreds of people gathered at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek, Namibia for the launch of Kwata Cricket. The partnership between UNICEF and Cricket Namibia promotes sport and play as vital elements in the health and well-being of children and young people.
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UNICEF partner 'Heal Africa' treats survivors of sexual violence in eastern DR Congo
NEW YORK, USA, 23 March 2009 – In the war-ravaged eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, UNICEF is working with Heal Africa, a local non-governmental organization, to provide free health and psycho-social services to survivors of rape and gender-based violence.
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Afghanistan: UNICEF Regional Director highlights challenges for girls in visit
KABUL, Afghanistan, 23 March 2010 – UNICEF Regional Director Dan Toole has highlighted the challenges facing children and families during a six day visit to Afghanistan.
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UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Japan reflects on her work and travels on behalf of UNICEF
TOKYO, JAPAN, 22 March 2010 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Japan Agnes Chan – a renowned Asian pop singer, doctor of education and television personality – has made more than a dozen trips to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East since she began working with UNICEF Japan in1998. Alongside her work with UNICEF, Dr. Chan also promotes peace and lobbies on behalf of women and children's rights.
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Global event brings the urgent need for safe water into focus
NEW YORK, USA, 22 March 2010 – Three quarters of the planet is covered by water, yet only about one per cent is available for human agricultural, manufacturing, community and personal use. This year's World Water Day theme – 'Clean Water for a Healthy World' – aims to raise awareness and spur action on improving water quality worldwide.
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India: Children spearheading safe water practices
JHARKHAND, India, 19 March 2010 – Soon after their classes are over, a dozen students from Pathargora Upper Primary School in Jharkhand are busy packing up their portable water testing kit.
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Liberia: Children celebrate the International Children's Day of Broadcasting by using the airwaves to advocate for their rights
MONROVIA, Liberia, 19 March 2010 – Children across Liberia celebrated International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) on March 7. All FM Radio Stations and 20 Community Radio Stations provided opportunities for the children to air their views and advocate on the issues that affect them.
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Guinea: UNICEF supports Guinea's health authorities in their fight against child malnutrition
CONAKRY, Guinea, 18 March 2010 - In the bustling atmosphere of the Therapeutic Nutrition Unit at the Ratoma Health Community Centre, a medical team is examining children who, when they first arrived here, were all suffering from malnutrition.
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Yemen: Helping young people help themselves through peer education
ADEN, Yemen, 18 March 2010 - It's not easy to be young in Yemen. At least not according to Yunis, who is 20 years old and has six brothers and sisters. Yunis's father died several years ago and his two older brothers had to support the family.
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Madagascar: Tropical storm Hubert leaves dozens dead and thousands affected
MANANJARY DISTRICT, Madagascar, 19 March 2010 – One week after tropical storm Hubert wreaked havoc on south-eastern Madagascar coastal towns, the flood waters have receded and families are returning to their homes in the district of Manajary.
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'Beyond School Books' - Podcast 23: Technology helping schoolchildren in disaster areas
NEW YORK, USA, 17 March 2010 – The earthquake that shook Chile on 27 February reportedly killed hundreds of people and caused widespread damage to homes, hospitals, schools, roads and other infrastructure.
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Cuba: Hospitals friendly to newborns and their mothers are widely realized in Cuba
SANCTI SPÍRITUS, Cuba, 17 March 2010 – With a history of poverty and political strife, Cubans have experienced much deprivation over the years. But access to basic services, such as healthcare, is available to all – especially children – whose first right is to the best start in life.
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Senegal: Joint Global Polio Eradication Initiative aims to eliminate polio
DAKAR, Senegal, 17 March 2010 – When two-year-old Mamadou fell ill, neither his mother nor his father knew what was ailing him. They took him to the nearest hospital, but the doctors there said that they needed to take Mamadou to Dakar – the capital of Senegal – more than two hours away.
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Afghanistan: Forced and early marriages still common for girls
KABUL, Afghanistan, 17 March 2010 - Narwin is just 14 years old, but she is already engaged to a man that she has never set eyes on.
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Mexican youth activist Mariel García Montes speaks about the Voices of Youth online forum
NEW YORK, USA, 18 March 2010 - Voices of Youth (VoY) is UNICEF's interactive online community platform where, since 1995, children and young people have found a safe and supportive space where they can explore, discuss and take action on issues related to human rights and social change.
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Lesotho: New campaign to help prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV
BEREA DISTRICT, Lesotho, 16 March 2010 – Malekena George is eight months pregnant, living with HIV, and exhausted from the five-hour trek she endured to get here, to the Pilot Health Clinic, for her first antenatal check-up. But because her journey to the clinic was so difficult, this visit may also be her last.
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Côte d'Ivoire: Reducing gender-based violence against girls and women in Côte d'Ivoire
ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire, 15 March 2010 – While Côte d'Ivoire is steadily working towards a sustainable peace after years of conflict, many children and women continue to be victims of rape and other forms of gender-based violence here.
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Jamaica: Olympic gold medallist looks forward to working as a UNICEF Ambassador
KINGSTON, Jamaica, 15 March 2010 – Shelly-Ann Fraser, 23, is the first Jamaican woman to win Olympic gold in the 100 meter dash. Now, she has also achieved a significant first for the children of her country.
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Uganda: Emergency assistance reaching thousands after landslides
BUDADA DISTRICT, Uganda, 16 March 2010 – Two weeks after deadly landslides engulfed three villages in eastern Uganda, emergency assistance is reaching those who need it. But continued heavy rains and flooding have raised the fear that similar landslides may occur in neighbouring districts.
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Haiti: Field Diary: Tent schools provide a refuge for quake-affected Haitian children
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 15 March 2010 – In and around Haiti's devastated capital city, UNICEF-supported 'tent schools' are opening for children affected by the 12 January earthquake.
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Haiti: Field Diary - A family reunited after the earthquake
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 12 March 2010 – On assignment as a UNICEF photographer in Haiti, I had the pleasure of meeting five-year-old Sterling Vincent – a child who had been separated from her family in the aftermath of the 12 January earthquake. I only came to know her over two days, and yet her joy, grit and determination will stay with me forever.
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'Beyond School Books' – Podcast #22: Learning to be leaders in Uganda
NEW YORK, USA, 12 March 2010 – This year, UNICEF's flagship Humanitarian Action Report – launched in February – estimates that at least 1.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Uganda due to droughts, flooding, internal displacement and the return of at least 300,000 Ugandans following the cessation of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) activities.
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Syria: Capoeira brings joy to displaced Iraqi children
AL-TANF REFUGEE CAMP, Syria, 12 March 2010 – The closure in February of the Al-Tanf refugee camp on the Syrian-Iraqi border ends one of the most painful chapters in the post-war story of Iraq's refugee community.
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Chile: Amidst aftershocks, an appeal for aid to children
NEW YORK, USA, 12 March 2010 – A 6.9-magnitude tremor shook Chile yesterday, just before the inauguration of the country's new President. Severe enough to trigger a tsunami alert, it was the worst of the many aftershocks that have kept Chileans on edge since a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck on 27 February.
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Spain: FC Barcelona's Messi named Goodwill Ambassador
BARCELONA, Spain, 11 March 2010 – Lionel 'Leo' Messi, one of FC Barcelona's bright young stars – and a member of the Argentine national football team – joined the ranks of celebrated UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors today.
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Kenya: Young people contribute to report on their future
NAIROBI, Kenya, 11 March 2010 – Kenyan young people have been given a say in the future of their country, following the divisive and violent riots that took place in the aftermath of the disputed 2008 elections.
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Republic of Congo: UNICEF helping to keep displaced children in school
DONGOU, Republic of Congo, 11 March 2010 – Tens of thousands of children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been seeking refuge in the neighbouring Republic of Congo since October 2009, when inter-communal clashes sent their families fleeing across the border.
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Iraq: UNICEF and government look to new country programme
BAGHDAD, Iraq, 10 March 2010 – UNICEF's Iraq office recently held a strategic meeting with its official counterparts in Baghdad to define the theme and parameters of the office's 2011-14 Country Programme of Cooperation with the Government of Iraq.
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Bangladesh: Vaccination campaign targets 20 million children
PANCHAGARH, Bangladesh, 10 March 2010 – On a foggy February morning in Nayabari village, north-western Bangladesh, Johura Begum and her two grandchildren awoke at dawn. They dressed and went to a neighbour's house, joining some 30 other women and children for 'khesra teeka', or measles vaccinations.
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Jordan: 'Regional Media Award 2010' focuses on child rights
AMMAN, Jordan, 10 March 2010 – UNICEF's Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) launched a media campaign last month to promote its Regional Media Award, an annual prize that encourages better representation of children in the media.
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Haiti: After disaster, celebrating women's rights
JACMEL, Haiti, 9 March, 2010 – Women have been hit hard by the devastating earthquake in Haiti. But they are not alone.
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Haiti: Children central to recovery and development
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 9 March 2010 – At the Automeca Hyundai lot, tents, tarpaulins and cloths slung across wooden sticks compete for space with the damaged shells of sedans, pick-up trucks and SUVs. What was once a car dealership is now an encampment for more than 15,000 Haitians, many of them children.
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Archbishop Tutu concerned for children's future
NEW YORK, USA, 9 March 2010 – Today, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited UNICEF House, where he met with UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman and launched a new publication, which explores why any successful transition from war to peace must ensure that children have a place – and a voice – in helping to build a peaceful and stable future.
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Panel cites women's critical role in building sustainable peace in Afghanistan
NEW YORK, USA, 9 March 2010 – More than eight years after the fall of the Taliban regime, the women of Afghanistan still face enormous challenges. Perhaps the greatest of these are the continuing violence and insecurity that disproportionately impede women's access to essential rights and services for themselves and their children.
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Chad: UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow highlights polio vaccination campaign
N'DJAMENA, Chad, 8 March 2010 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow recently visited Chad to highlight the importance of vaccinating the country's children against polio.
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Uganda: Landslide leaves 77 dead and hundreds missing
BUDADA DISTRICT, UGANDA, 8 MARCH 2010 – A swift, deadly landslide buried three villages in Budada District, in eastern Uganga, on 1 March, killing 77 people and leaving some 2,000 others displaced.
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USA: International Women's Day podcast discussion focuses on girl's education
NEW YORK, USA, 8 March 2010 - This year, International Women's Day is focusing on the theme: 'Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all.' Though significant progress has been made towards gender parity and equality in education, many challenges remain.
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USA: Event in New York addresses persistent and growing gender inequalities
NEW YORK, USA, 4 March 2010 – A UNICEF-organized event in New York marked the 15th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action. Adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, the Beijing Platform is the world's most comprehensive framework for achieving gender equality.
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USA: UNICEF event focuses on involving boys and men in the promotion of gender equality
NEW YORK, USA, 5 March 2010 – Research indicates that the societal definitions of masculinity and of men's gender identities can be contributing factors to the persistence of gender inequalities worldwide.
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Broadcasters prepare for the International Children's Day of Broadcasting
NEW YORK, USA, 5 March 2010 - Around the world, broadcasters and youth media organizations are preparing to celebrate the 19th annual International Children's Day of Broadcasting, taking place Sunday, 7 March. This year's theme, 'All Rights All Children,' continues UNICEF's celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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USA: Event in New York addresses persistent and growing gender inequalities
NEW YORK, USA, 4 March 2010 – A UNICEF-organized event in New York marked the 15th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action. Adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, the Beijing Platform is the world's most comprehensive framework for achieving gender equality.
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Mozambique: Vulnerable children benefit from child-friendly schools in Mozambique
BUZI, Mozambique, 1 March 2010 - Muchindo Alberto, the fifth-grade teacher at 3 de Fevereiro Primary School, is proud of his child-friendly school.
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Chile: UNICEF and partners stand ready to help after massive earthquake strikes Chile
NEW YORK, USA,1 March2010 – UNICEF and itsUN partners are monitoring events and stand ready to help in the aftermath of an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Chile early Saturday, 27 February.
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Afghanistan: New country programme helps children achieve their rights in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan, 4 March 2010 – UNICEF and the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently signed the new UNICEF Country Programme Action Plan for 2010-2013. The ceremony took place on 25 February at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was attended by Mohammad A. Anwarzai, the Head of the Afghan Government's United Nations Department, and UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Catherine Mbengue.
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Viet Nam: CRC in Viet Nam 20 years on: Children better off but new challenges emerging
HANOI, Viet Nam,3 March2010 – Viet Nam was the first country in Asia – and just the second in the world – to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, or CRC. The20th anniversaryof CRC ratificationwas celebrated recently at a high-profile event in Hanoi, organized by the Vietnamese Government with support from UNICEF.
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Yemen: Cold weather and poor nutrition face children affected by conflict in northern Yemen
AMRAN CITY, Yemen,4 March 2010 – Ever since the raging conflict in northern Yemen drove her from her home in Sa'ada to the city of Amran, Fatma has been praying day and night for the fighting to end. She longs to be reunited with her two married daughters who stayed behind, one of whom is a mother of 10 children.
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Zambia: Local children take field trip to UNICEF's offices
LUSAKA, Zambia,4 March 2010 – For Little Mukali, a seventh grader at Kabulonga Basic School in Lusaka, the visit to UNICEF was an opportunity he had long been waiting for.
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Mauritania: Mauritania tackles tetanus with UNICEF help
BOUMBRY, Mauritania,3March 2010 – With their immunization cards in hand, Aichatou, 16, and her mother, Fatimatou, recently visited a vaccination site in their village to receive an injection to protect them from tetanus.
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Lao PDR: Helping children overcome language barriers at schools
TAMY VILLAGE, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 2March 2010 – Breakfast in the household of a rice farmer named Mr. Sutcha is a hearty affair that includes grilled fish cooked over a fire, a mound of sticky rice, and fresh spring onions dipped in a hot chilli sauce. It's the kind of sustenance that Mr. Sutcha's eldest daughter, Chapa, 9, needs for the school day ahead of her.
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'Beyond School Books' - a podcast series on education in emergencies: Podcast #21: Sudanese child soldiers
NEW YORK, USA, 1 March 2010 – As a teenager, Abraham Kur Achiek served in the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the rebel group that fought Sudan's Government for more than20 years. Today, he's in his thirties and working as a Child Protection Officer for UNICEF in his native Southern Sudan.
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Haiti: Protecting HIV-positive mothers and children after the quake
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 2 March 2010 – Jeanne (not her real name) sat on a mattress in her tent in a makeshift settlement for displaced people that has sprung up in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. As the afternoon sun burned through the plastic walls of the tent, she told her story.
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Haiti: A long term commitment to children
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti,25 February 2010 – I arrived in this country after the earthquake as part of an emergency team, and today is the last day of my assignment here.
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France: Workshops seek solutions to protect children
PARIS, France, 26 February 2010 – French Secretary of State for Family and Solidarity Nadine Morano recently launched the 'General State of Childhood Affairs' – a series of workshops on the condition of vulnerable children here. The workshops involve local officials, government partners and professionals working in the field of child protection.
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Yemen: Volunteers bring hygiene awareness to displaced communities
HARADH, Yemen, 25 February 2010 – According to the UN refugee agency, some 250,000 civilians in Yemen have been displaced since internal fighting broke out in this country in 2004 – more than double the number recorded just six months ago.
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Haiti: Help for those outside Port-au-Prince
LEOGANE, Haiti, 24 February 2010 – Pierre Fuijee used to be a lawyer in the small town of Leogane, an hour's drive from the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. But like many others in the town, he lost everything in the 12 January earthquake.
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Global economic crisis is the focus of child friendly budgets forum in New York
NEW YORK, USA, 24 February 2010 – UNICEF and Fordham University, with the support of the European Commission, hosted a two-day policy forum and workshop – Child Friendly Budgets for 2010 and Beyond.
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Bangladesh: Providing safe water for families
BAGERHAT DISTRICT, Bangladesh, 24 February 2010 — Defying stifling heat and humidity, Maya Begum walks more than an hour from her village to fill two large plastic containers with drinking water for her family of four.
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Philippines: Young campers find healing after Typhoon Pepeng
LA TRINIDAD, Philippines, 23 February 2010 – Harry, age 10, and 84 other children from Sto Nino Elementary and Pre-school recently took part in a two day resiliency camp at Benguet State University, which was organised by the Sunflower Children's Centre, a long-time UNICEF partner.
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Syria: Fundraising cyclists visit UNICEF child-friendly space
DAMASCUS, Syrian Arabic Republic, 23 February 2010 – Fundraisers worldwide go to extraordinary lengths to help UNICEF alleviate child suffering. And going to great lengths is something Andreas, Øyvind and Jørn, three UNICEF fundraisers from Norway, know a lot about.
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Haiti: Young people help improve sanitation
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 22 February 2010 – Sanitation is among the most urgent concerns in Haiti following January's earthquake. UNICEF estimates that overall, 1.1 million displaced people require emergency latrines. The agency and its partners plan to install over 10,000 latrines in the short term and another 20,000-plus within six months.
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Haiti: A father's account of the earthquake and its aftermath
FOND PARISIEN, Haiti, 19 February 2010 – Dieuveil Marcelin Aristide and his 12-year-old son Lemark are encamped in a small tent with a dozen other strangers located some 50 kilometers from their former home in Port-au-Prince.
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Haiti: 'Baby tents' offer mothers a safe place to breastfeed
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 18 February 2010—Amidst the collapsed buildings and temporary camps of this battered city stand 12 special tents dedicated to providing mothers and their infant children a safe and calm place to breastfeed.
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Dominican Republic: Field Diary from a children's hospital ward
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, 18 February 2010 – The moment I arrived at the children's ward of Dario Contreras Hospital, I heard cries from the wounded. About a dozen injured young people lay in one room, some crammed two to a bed. Some had a parent by their side, some were alone. Amputated arms or legs were common, and it looked like almost everyone was in a cast. Blood-stained bandages were wrapped tightly around some heads. Other children were hooked to IV drips with medicines. One little boy had lost an eye.
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Pakistan: Helping homeless children get off the streets
KARACHI, Pakistan, 19 February 2010 – Tens of thousands of children live or work on the streets of Pakistan's largest city. For Ali (not his real name), these streets were once his home. He left his family because of physical abuse. At the age of fourteen he came to one of the child centres run by the Azad Foundation, a UNICEF-supported non-governmental organization. Now eighteen, he works as a peer educator for street children.
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Haiti: Child protection in the earthquake zone
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 16 February 2010 – An estimated 1.26 million children – approximately 700,000 of them school-aged – have been directly affected by the earthquake in Haiti. They urgently need support and assistance to rebuild their lives.
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Haiti: School for all is the goal
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 17 February 2010 – The first day of school in a UNICEF tent classroom was a happy day for Yolanda Senatus, 9 – andafar cry from the tragic day she had experienced just a month earlier.
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Dominican Republic: UNICEF and partners protect unaccompanied Haitian children
JIMANI, Dominican Republic, 16 February 2010 – Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 13-year-old Loveson has such a small frame that he could easily pass for 9 or 10. Outside the makeshift UN headquarters here, 5 km from the Dominican Republic's border with Haiti, he plays with a plush Tiger hand puppet and a toy cell phone.
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Nepal: Last group of Maoist child soldiers discharged in Nepal
ROLPA, Nepal, 17 February 2010 – The remote and rugged setting, high in the hills of Rolpa, was fitting for the historic scene. This mountain district was the place where Maoist rebels fired their first salvo against the Nepalese monarchy and army in February 1996.
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Yemen: Displaced by conflict, students crowd a village school
HARADH, Yemen, 17 February 2010 – Just a few months ago, the Yarmouk school at the heart of al-Mazrak, a village in north-western Yemen catered to fewer than 200 students. Now it serves more than 2,000.
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Haiti: One month on
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 12 February 2010 – A month after the 12 January earthquake that levelled densely populated areas of Haiti, UNICEF Director of Emergency Operations Louis-George Arsenault travels by helicopter over the cities of Port -Au-Prince and Leogane, and on to the southern port of Jacmel.
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Chad: 'Red Hand Day' spotlights children caught in conflict
MOUSSORO, Chad, 12 February 2010 – Hameed (not his real name), 16, has a glazed look on his face when he talks about his life as a child soldier in Sudan's troubled Darfur region. "I've lost count of how many people I have killed, and I don't think about it," he says, shuffling his feet nervously.
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DevInfo human development database
NEW YORK, USA, 11 February 2010 – DevInfo is a database system that harnesses the power of advanced information technology to compile and disseminate data on human development. The latest version – 6.0 – was officially launched in 2009 and is the most powerful and user-friendly version to date.
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China: Goodwill Ambassador Leon Lai raises rural youth awareness
BEIJING, China,11 February 2010 – Hong Kong pop star and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Leon Lai visited Longling County in south-west China's Yunnan Province late last month, rallying support for Local Action for Rural Children, a programme aimed at strengthening community-based education and awareness of HIV and AIDS.
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Haiti: Promoting infant and young child nutrition in post-quake
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 10 February 2010 – Under normal circumstances, February is Carnival time here in the Haitian capital, including its centrally located park, Champs de Mars.
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Moldova: Youth Media Centre provides training and confidence
NEW YORK, USA, 9 February 2010 – Although it's only six years old, the Youth Media Centre in Chisinau, Moldova already boasts some impressive numbers: The centre has trained over 1,500 young people; it currently puts out 75 school publications with a readership totalling 45,000; and it has produced more than 130 radio shows.
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Somalia: Health campaign reaches children amidst fighting
MOGADISHU, Somalia, 9 February 2010 – Despite fighting that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people here, a large-scale Child Health Days campaign has succeeded in reaching children and women with high-impact health services in all of the Somali capital's 16 districts.
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Haiti: Aid for the most vulnerable children
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 9 February 2010 – Four weeks after the earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince and other parts of Haiti, the capital's Louverture International Airport never sleeps. Supply flights arrive 24 hours a day with essential aid for the hundreds of thousands left homeless by the quake, including the most vulnerable survivors: orphaned and separated children.
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Haiti: Supplies for every child
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 8 February 2010 – On a dusty, hot day here in the Haitian capital late last week, UNICEF's new logistics hub was buzzing. Fifty people were loading trucks with hygiene kits for immediate dispatch to quake-stricken communities in Port-au-Prince and Jacmel.
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Haiti: Evolving child health needs
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 8 February 2010 – Dr. Gerlant Van Berlaer is a paediatrician with B-Fast, a Belgian non-governmental organization and UNICEF partner specializing in rapid medical deployment to large-scale emergencies. His team arrived in Port-au-Prince one day after the 12 January earthquake, setting up a field hospital complete with surgical suite on the grounds of the Laboratoire National de Santé Publique.
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Mali: Mobile cinema changes attitudes in Mali
BOUGOUNISSABA, Mali, 5 February 2010 – When the Cinéma Numérique Ambulant came to Djènèba Doumbia's village, the young women had no idea how it would change her life.
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Haiti: Haitian-American doctor cares for families evacuated to Dominican Republic
JIMANI, Dominican Republic, 4 February 2010 – Down a dusty dirt road, amidst small houses, grazing goats and dirt yards, there's an oatmeal-coloured cement church. Inside, the chairs are pushed back to the walls, the polished wooden pews are lined up in rows at the far side, and people are resting on ragged mattresses on the floor.
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Christine Lloyd: Building tomorrow's UNICEF today
NEW YORK, USA, 4 February 2010 – UNICEF's newly appointed Director of Human Resources, Christine Lloyd, majored in geology at university and became fascinated with the dynamic cycles of water flow. When she earned her degree and moved into the workforce, however, Ms. Lloyd's attention was gradually drawn to the dynamic flow of human talent.
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Haiti: UNICEF and partners increase safe-water access
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 3 February 2010 – Safe water is flowing in earthquake-affected areas of Haiti. Overall, UNICEF and its partners are now distributing more than 2.6 million litres of drinking water daily to over half a million people here in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and in the cities of Leogane and Jacmel.
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Haiti: Immunization drive launched
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 3 February 2010 – Magalie grimaces as the needle pierces her skin, and her four-year-old son screams as it pierces his. Despite the pain, this needle has the potential to save both of their lives – and right now, their lives are precarious.
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UNICEF Humanitarian Action Report emphasizes power of partnerships
NEW YORK, USA, 4 February 2010 – As much of the international community continues to focus attention on the disaster in Haiti, UNICEF's flagship Humanitarian Action Report emphasizes the critical role of partnerships in assisting vulnerable children and families caught in crisis situations worldwide.
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Haiti: Keeping the children's emergency in the public eye
NEW YORK, USA, 2 February 2010 – Best-selling author and one-time child soldier Ishmael Beah is the latest UNICEF supporter to add his voice to the worldwide appeal for donations to help children in Haiti, in the wake of the 12 January earthquake there.
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Afghanistan: Literacy centres empower women and girls
MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan, 2 February 2010 – Farida Dastgeer, 65, is learning how to read. She is one of 20 women and girls who gather six times a week for two hours, in the living room of one of the students, to improve their literacy.
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Haiti: Radio provides a vital link to earthquake survivors
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 2 February 2010 – A cacophony of songs and voices drifts from the tented camp as thousands of handheld radios transmit entertainment and, more important, information.
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Haiti: A UNICEF photographer bears witness to the children's emergency
NEW YORK, USA, 1 February 2010 – Award-winning freelance photographer Roger LeMoyne has been taking pictures for UNICEF since 1990, and has spent a great deal of time on assignment in Haiti. He was one of the first photographers to arrive in the country after the earthquake struck on 12 January.
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Lao PDR: UNICEF supports 'Schools of Quality' programme
TAMY VILLAGE, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 1 February 2010 – The director's office at the Tamy village primary school is adorned by a simple map. It's not a map of Lao PDR, or even of the remote, northern Luang Nam Province where Tamy is situated, close to the border with China. Instead, it shows the village's 66 wooden stilt houses, neatly depicted in black ink.
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Haiti: A day in the life of UNICEF staff on the ground
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 1 February 2010 – UNICEF has maintained a presence in Haiti since 1949. The earthquake that struck this country with such disastrous force on 12 January has significantly affected the agency's capacity to respond, but staff members have been adapting to difficult conditions on the ground.
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South Africa: UNICEF organizes visit by football legend Diego Maradona to secondary school
SOWETO, South Africa, 28 January 2010 – On a rain-drenched afternoon, the football legend and head coach of Argentina's national team, Diego Maradona, took time out from his whirlwind visit to South Africa to visit the Selelekela Secondary School in Soweto, where he hosted a UNICEF-organized soccer clinic.
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Haiti: Helping orphaned and separated children find their families
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 29 January 2010 – Rodrigue wipes away his tears and carries on talking. It's an astounding act of bravery for the 12-year-old Haitian boy, who saw his parents die in the 12 January earthquake here.
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Haiti: UNICEF staffer reflects on the children's emergency
PANAMA CITY, Panama, 28 January 2010 – After a week in Port-au-Prince immediately following the earthquake, it was time for me to return home. Entering the city had been an ordeal; leaving was just as stressful.
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Haiti: UNICEF overcomes logistical challenges to help hundreds of thousands
NEW YORK, USA, 28 January 2010 – More than two weeks after a powerful earthquake struck Haiti, UNICEF's emergency relief effort is reaching hundreds of thousands of survivors. As of last night, 13 planes had brought health, nutrition, and water-and-sanitation supplies to Haiti and the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
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Kenya: TV drama, 'Shuga', entertains as it raises AIDS awareness
NEW YORK, USA, 27 January 2010 – Partnerships play a vital role in UNICEF's efforts against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. When it comes to delivering messages about HIV prevention, the organization's work with media and entertainment partners such as MTV provides a valuable – and credible – connection to young audiences.
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Haiti: Young filmmaker recounts earthquake and documents aftermath
NEW YORK, USA, 26 January 2010 – Jean Bernard Bayard, 29, is a second-year film student at Ciné Institute, the only film school in the southern port city of Jacmel, Haiti. Since the devastating earthquake struck Haiti on 12 January, Mr. Bayard and other film students have used their cameras to document the events and stories unfolding around them.
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Haiti: UNICEF and partners provide safe water for children and families
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 26 January 2010 – Two weeks after the earthquake that devastated Haiti, UNICEF continues to reach children with life-saving support, including urgently needed safe water.
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Haiti: To help children heal, build back education better than before
NEW YORK, USA, 25 January 2010 – With nearly half of the country's population under the age of 18, children have been significantly affected by the 12 January earthquake in Haiti. Schools have been destroyed, and children are taking shelter in camps for the displaced. Many have been orphaned or separated from their families.
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Haiti: UNICEF and Haitian volunteers working together to protect children at risk
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 25 January 2010 – UN representatives and leaders from 15 nations are meeting today in Montreal, Canada, to discuss the long-term reconstruction of earthquake-shattered Haiti – with the aim of building back better than before.
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Haiti: A young earthquake survivor uses art to cope with disaster
NEW YORK, USA, 22 January 2010 – Until their home was destroyed in last week's earthquake, Bruno Rene, 18, lived with his mother in the southern Haitian port city of Jacmel. Since then, Bruno, an aspiring artist, has been working on art projects to cope with the impact of the disaster.
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Haiti: Crisis response aims to overcome challenges that pre-date the earthquake
NEW YORK, USA, 23 January 2010 – Aid is getting through to parts of Haiti devastated by the 12 January earthquake, but huge humanitarian challenges remain. Many of the disaster's worst effects – including its impact on child health and safety – are aggravated by the country's longstanding impoverishment and instability.
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Haiti: Sebastien's story: A young Haitian earthquake survivor speaks
NEW YORK, USA, 21 January 2010 – The earthquake in Haiti has wiped out the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people and crippled essential services for some 3 million Haitians from all walks of life – ranging from the desperately poor to middle-class and the affluent.
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Tanzania: Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo visits child mothers
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, 20 January 2010 – West African singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo recently visited Tanzania to highlight issues related to girls' education, particularly early pregnancies, which have forced many girls to drop out of school.
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Haiti: Young, injured Haitian quake survivors cross Dominican border for treatment
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, 21 January 2010 – Nine days after the earthquake that devastated Haiti, UNICEF is delivering life-saving support to children and families in need. Several planeloads of aid have landed in Haiti and the neighbouring Dominican Republic. Half a dozen more supply flights are scheduled to arrive before the end of the week.
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Haiti: The stars come out for Haiti relief
NEW YORK, USA, 21 January 2009 – The two-hour, star-powered 'Hope for Haiti Now' global concert benefiting Haiti earthquake relief – scheduled for broadcast on Friday – features more than 100 artists, many of whom have shown a long-time commitment to supporting UNICEF's work in emergencies.
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Haiti: Field Diary: Supplies and protection for unaccompanied children
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 19 January 2010 – One week has gone by since an earthquake turned what was already a desperately poor part of the world into a full-fledged humanitarian emergency. The race against time to bring relief to the people of Haiti continues.
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Haiti: Delivering supplies and protecting young quake survivors' lives in Haiti
NEW YORK, USA, 20 January 2010 – A powerful aftershock struck Haiti early this morning, adding to the stress of children and families affected by the 12 January earthquake there but apparently causing little further damage. Relief operations are ongoing.
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Haiti: Donors worldwide support Haiti relief efforts of UNICEF and partners
NEW YORK, USA, 19 January 2010 – As the full magnitude of the crisis in Haiti continues to unfold, donors have rushed to provide UNICEF with funding to meet the needs of children and families at risk.
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UN Secretary-General visits Haiti as emergency supply efforts continue
NEW YORK, USA, 18 January 2010 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other UN and government officials visited stricken areas of Port-au-Prince yesterday, amidst continuing international efforts to help 3 million people – perhaps half of them children – affected by the 12 January earthquake in Haiti.
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Haiti: UNICEF steps up supply effort to protect child health in quake zone
NEW YORK, USA, 16 January 2010 – Thousands have died, an unknown number are injured and an estimated 300,000 are homeless following the earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince and other densely populated areas of Haiti on 12 January, affecting a total of more than 3 million people.
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Haiti: Aid appeal launched to overcome massive challenges in quake zone
NEW YORK, USA, 15 January 2010 – The people of Port-au-Prince and other areas affected by this week's devastating earthquake in Haiti are living outdoors, surrounded by the ruins of their homes. Picking through the rubble, they try to salvage what they can from a tragedy that defies comprehension.
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Haiti: Angélique Kidjo appeals for earthquake relief donations
NEW YORK, USA, 15 January 2010 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo has added her voice to the global call for donations to bring urgently needed assistance to the children of Haiti and their families. The singer and activist took time out from her European concert tour to record a fundraising appeal in Paris.
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Somalia: Essential education and health supplies reach Somali children
HARGEISA, Somalia, 14 January 2010 – Until the most recent school semester, every textbook at Sheikh Nur Primary School was shared by at least four students. But thanks to a new supply, students can now follow their lessons in their very own textbooks.
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Haiti: Aid begins to arrive in Haiti for earthquake survivors in dire need
NEW YORK, USA, 14 January 2010 – UNICEF is part of a massive international relief effort now under way to assist up to 3.5 million people affected by Tuesday's 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti.
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Kazakhstan: Thousands gather for UNICEF's Adolescent and Youth Forum
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, 13 January 2010 – Over 2,500 people attended the first-ever Adolescents and Youth Forum called 'We are the Peers of Our Country's Independence', held in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on 7 December 2009. In front of an audience including the Minister of Education and senior Government officials, young Kazakhs spoke about issues that directly affect their lives.
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Haiti: Supplies on the way to survivors of the earthquake
NEW YORK, USA, 13 January 2010 – The first shipment of UNICEF supplies for survivors of yesterday's devastating earthquake is on its way to Haiti. The emergency aid is urgently needed, as basic services and infrastructure in the western hemisphere's poorest nation were already close to collapse even before the 7.0-magnitude quake struck.
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Togo: Youth media activists unite to broadcast the Convention on the Rights of the Child
LOMÉ, Togo, 12 January 2010 – Inspired by a UNICEF video on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a group of young journalists have produced a video about children's rights that will be screened on Togolese national television.
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Syria: Adolescents find their identity through photography
DAMASCUS, Syria, 12 January 2010 – Last summer, a six-weekphotography workshop invited 24 young peoplefrom Syria, Palestine and Iraq to bring their perspectives to issues affecting their region. The participants addressed issues including identity, gender equality, children's rights and integration. Thousands of photos emerged, many of which were exhibited in galleries in Damascus and London.
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UNICEF Commences Executive Board for 2010
NEW YORK, 12 January 2010–The UNICEF Executive Board has elected the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh Ambassador Abdul Momen as President to replace the Permanent Representative of Mali, Ambassador Oumar Daou.
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Haiti: UNICEF gears up relief efforts for earthquake-stricken Haiti
PANAMA CITY, Panama, 13 January 2010 – Despite heavy damages to its own offices in Port-au-Prince, UNICEF is ready to provide immediate support to the victims of the unfolding humanitarian crisis following the earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday.
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Liberia: Liberian youths report on injustices of education system
MONROVIA, Liberia, 11 January 2010 – As Liberia slowly recovers from a 14-year-long civil war, its educational system retains some of the lawlessness that reigned during the conflict.
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UK: Young people awarded the chance to join world renowned photographers on a trip to Ethiopia
LONDON, United Kingdom, 11 January 2010 – To mark the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on 20 November 2009, the World Photography Organisation, Sony Corporation and UNICEF are giving six young photographers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Ethiopia for a photography workshop complete with mentoring from acclaimed photographer and humanitarian activist Reza.
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West Bengal: Examples of 'positive deviance' in habits leading to malnutrition
DUMURDI, India, 11 January 2010 – Bharati Mandi walks to her local 'Angawadi' – a government sponsored centre for mothers and children in India – each day with her four-month-old son Biswajit and her three-year-old daughter Shampa. Together with other mothers, she prepares herself a healthy mid-day meal of lentils, rice and vegetables.
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Shelter provides hope for abused women in western Afghanistan
HERAT, Afghanistan, 11 January 2010 - Nafiza Popal, 45, manages Herat's only women's shelter, providing a refuge for women in distress, the vast majority of whomhave fled their husbands after experiencing physical violence.
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UK: UNICEF UK launches Child Friendly Communities initiative
NEW YORK, USA, 08 January 2010 – UNICEF UK's new Child Friendly Communities initiative aims to realise and embed child rights at the local level throughout the UK, improving the well-being of children and young people.
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Angola: Protecting children during the Africa Cup of Nations
LUANDA, Angola, 08 January 2010 — Angola is preparing to host the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN2010) football tournament later this month and UNICEF is working with its partners to ensure that children are not exploited or endangered in the run up to the event.
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Nepal: First group of Maoist child soldiers begin process to rejoin civilian life
SINDHULI DISTRICT, Nepal, 8 January 2010 - In a flurry of colour, flowers and blessings, a group of some 200 young people – some former child soldiers – left behind them their military barracks in Maoist army cantonment here and took their first steps back into civilian life.
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Trinidad and Tobago: UK Government, UNICEF and the British Council launch International Inspiration
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, 07 January 2010 – On a sunny morning in Port of Spain, about 40 children took part in a mini sports festival on a football field. It was the launch of 'International Inspiration', a programme aiming to use sport and physical education to transform the lives of children and young people of all abilities.
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Guinea: Health campaign critical to child survival
CONAKRY, Guinea, 07 January 2010 - Statistics are showing that the health situation for children in Guinea has been worsening.
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Massive bed net distribution in DR Congo
KISANGANI, DR Congo , 07 January 2010 – Whenever a mother arrives at the Umoja Health Centre near Kisangani with a young child who is running a temperature, vomiting, or convulsing, the health workers there know the diagnosis is likely to be malaria.
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Rwanda: Childs rights advocates help young people stay in school
HUYE, Rwanda, 07 January 2010 - Aphrodite, 14, and her friend Joselin used to spend their days working on a rice plantation. It was back-breaking work, toiling in the hot sun from dawn until dusk.
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Senegal: Saving underweight babies with human contact
DAKAR, Senegal, 06 January 2010 - Olivier was born last September at a health post in rural Senegal. He weighed just one kilogram at birth, and his mother, Lourdes Gomez, cried because she thought he would not live.
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Somalia: Water and sanitation upgrades improve life for Somali children and women
DHEENTA VILLAGE, Somalia, 06 January 2010 - The people of Dheenta village didn't have safe water until two months ago. But now, thanks to the UNICEF-supported new water system, about 300 families are benefiting from a regular supply of clean and safe water.
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Montenegro: Convention on the Rights of the Child printed in Braille alphabet for the first time
PODGORICA, Montenegro, 06 January 2010 – On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UNICEF Regional Director for CEE/CIS Steven Allen, together with the Minister of Education Sreten Skuletic and Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Suad Numanovic, gave blind and visually impaired children in Podgorica copies of the Convention printed in the Braille alphabet.
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Tanzania: Young Journalists workshop helps children raise awareness on HIV stigma in Zanzibar
ZANZIBAR CITY, Tanzania, 05 January 2010 - During a seven-day Young Journalists Workshop at the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) Children's Panorama, 24 children who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS had an opportunity to share their experiences.
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India: One girl's stand against early marriage
PURULIA DISTRICT, India, 04 January 2010 – Jakir Ansari used to work in the circus as a clown, and his face and arms are studded with scars from where the knives that were thrown at him missed their mark. Today he works as a day labourer, earning about 1,200 rupees($26) per month to support his family.
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Niger: Giving young women the skills to earn a safer living
AGADEZ, Niger, 4 January 2010 – Three years ago, Soueba was a young girl collecting animal parts from the slaughterhouse to sell at the local market. Today, she and her friends are earning a better living making and selling batik pieces.
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Uganda: A second chance for children living on the streets
KAPUAT, Uganda, 4 January 2010 – At first sight, John Bosco Abura is a carefree 15-year-old boy. Happy and cheerful, he enjoys his studies at Kapuat Primary School. Yet behind his bright eyes and wide smile, the boy masks the scars of two traumatic years spent on the streets of the capital, Kampala.
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Philippines: UNICEF distributes school supplies to typhoon-affected children
PANGASINAN, Philippines, 4 December 2009 – Puelay Elementary School in Villasis was one of many schools flooded when Typhoon Pepeng (known internationally as Parma), hit the region in October.
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Malawi: Rapid short message service speeds health data collection and feedback
LILONGWE, Malawi, 05 January 2010 - The short message service (SMS) is proving to be a great ally in Malawi's battle to contain malnutrition and improve the lives of the country's children.
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Zambia: Child Health Week presents a unique opportunity to improve children's survival
LUSAKA, Zambia, 05 January 2010 – With support from the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) and UNICEF, Zambia's Child Health Week took place this past December. Its goal was to reach more than 2.3 million children with critical healthcare interventions.
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Ethiopia: UN Health 4 group ends visit to Ethiopia with proposal for joint Flagship Programme on Maternal and Newborn Health
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, 05 January 2010 – Ethiopian health officials, the UN Country Team in Ethiopia and visiting UN Health 4 (H4) partners have developed a comprehensive two-year work plan to support maternal and newborn health (MNH) and survival in the country.
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Central African Republic: Providing education to conflict-affected children in the most remote regions
BOCARANGA, Central African Republic, 31 December 2009 – After years of conflict in the rural north of Central African Republic, dozens of simple 'bush schools' are helping many children displaced by the fighting to return to full-time education. For many, it is the only chance they have to study.
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Eritrea: Community-led sanitation brings great promise
EMBEREMI, Eritrea, 31 December 2009 – Encouraging communities to work to improve their health and hygiene means empowering people with the right messages and the means to improve their sanitation systems.
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Benin: Angélique Kidjo visits programmes for vulnerable children
COTONOU, Benin, 31 December 2009 - UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo made a two-day visit to Benin, her native country, to witness first-hand the UNICEF supported programmes that are helping vulnerable children there.
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Maldives: Social services now reaching children in the Maldives
RAA ATOLL, Maldives, 29 December 2009 – Ahmed Hussain has a tough job. As a social worker in the closely-knit communities of the atoll islands that make up the Maldives, issues like child neglect or abuse rarely surface in conversation, especially with outsiders.
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Afghanistan: UNICEF-supported drop in centres relieve life of poverty for Afghan children
TORKHAM, Afghanistan, 30 December 2009 - An Afghani still living in the Pacha Maina refugee camp in Pakistan, Sheila, 10, crosses the border into her own country only to work.
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Senegalese 'youth representatives' attend International Climate Change Forum
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, 28 December 2009 – Four young people from Senegal were chosen as 'youth representatives' at the Children's Climate Forum in Copenhagen – the run-up event to the COP15 United National Climate Change Conference this month.
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Maldives: New homes for a tsunami-affected community
DHUVAAFARU, Maldives, 28 December 2009 – Approaching Dhuvaafaru by boat, you soon notice it is unlike many of the other atolls and islands which form the Maldives. All of the houses are new and organized into neat rows. Mounds of golden sand on the shoreline and the sounds of construction are omnipresent as workers build up the island's defences against rising sea levels.
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Liberia: A child's right to freedom of religion is expressed
MONROVIA, Liberia, 29 December 2009 – When Emmanuel Mulbah, 18, moved in with his uncle several years ago, they became very close. Emmanuel worked in his uncle's shop, and would even run it whenever his uncle was away.
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Thailand: Children benefit from improved hygiene following the tsunami
KRABI PROVINCE, Thailand, 29 December 2009 – At the Baan Klonggum School in Thailand's Krabi province, hygiene is no less important than lessons or games. Students scrub and shine the floors of the latrine block – their work overseen by parents recruited into the effort to create a cleaner, safer school environment.
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Expanding child protection services for orphans and vulnerable children after the tsunami
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, 28 December 2009 – In the playing fields at the Darusada Children's Centre, a sense of calm provides a stark contrast to what these children have endured. All the residents here have suffered from the recent conflict in Aceh, the trauma of the tsunami or have been rescued from family violence.
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Phillippines: Living in the shadow of danger
ALBAY PROVINCE, Philippines, 24 December 2009 – At the ringing of the bell, staff, students and their parents at the San Jose Elementary School know exactly what to do. They have practiced this drill before and know that in this disaster-prone corner of the Philippines, it is an exercise that could one day save lives.
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'Build back better' has made concrete improvements for children five years after the tsunami
NEW YORK, USA, 22 December 2009 - 'Building back better' has been the mission of UNICEF's recovery work in the countries that were devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami five years ago.
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Sanitation in homes and schools upgraded in tsunami-affected Sri Lanka
KARAKITIVU, Sri Lanka, 22 December 2009 – Jayawathi's husband had just returned from his overnight fishing trip, and she was watching him prepare the catch in the front yard of their home in Karaitivu, on Sri Lanka's east coast. Transferring the overflowing buckets of small silvery fish to a larger tub for salting, it looked like a good catch, but earning enough money from fishing is difficult here.
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Health, education and sanitation improve post-tsunami
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, December 2009 – The distinctive voices of Misrina and Bunga can be heard singing above the din of other young children at the Psyandu Plus Centre. Now approaching their fifth birthdays, both were born within a few weeks of the tsunami. Misrina was delivered by a Russian doctor in a hospital tent.
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Five years after tsunami, Myanmar battles repeat disasters
NGAPUTAW TOWNSHIP, Myanmar, 21 December 2009 – In spite of the battle for life and livelihood since the tsunami hit in 2004, daily life continues in remote Phone Daw Pyae in Ngaputaw Township.
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Child-friendly schools benefiting students in the Maldives
MEEDHOO, Raa Atoll, Maldives, 22 December 2009 - The session is interactive, spontaneous and fun. Led by a teacher who turns the pages on a book to reveal different animals, the children eagerly raise their hands wanting to mimic the sound each makes. This pre-school has, like so many other schools here, undergone a child-friendly transformation since the tsunami five years ago.
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Expanded services helps victims of abuse and neglect find healing in tsunami-affected Thailand
KRABI PROVINCE, THAILAND, 22 December 2009 – Sitting on the floor of her simple home, Nok (not her real name), 17, speaks with Tuangporn Dumrith, a visiting social worker. Her youth belies the trauma she has already endured in her life.
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Liberia: Largest immunization campaign ever targets Yellow Fever
MONTSERRADO COUNTY, Liberia, 21 December 2009 – The largest immunization campaign ever conducted in Liberia took place last month, targeting over three million people, or 90 per cent of the population. The immunization was against Yellow Fever, a potentially lethal infection transmitted by mosquitoes.
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Tanzania: UNICEF Tanzania reducing inefficiencies to better serve children
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, 18 December 2009 -The UN has been stepping up its reform efforts to ensure greater coherence to its work, more efficiency and less bureaucracy for all its partners, more effective sharing of knowledge and data, and greater accountability for measuring and reporting results. To this end, in Tanzania, UN agencies have adopted a new and more efficient way of buying the supplies that they require.
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Creating a 'sanitation revolution' in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 18 December 2009 – South Africa held its second 'Africa Water Week' in November to boost the continent's response to safe water and access to sanitation. Organised by the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) with support from UN agencies and partners, Africa Water Week is a direct response to the 'Sharm El Sheikh' Commitments on water and sanitation that were made by the African Union Heads of state and Government in 2008.
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Georgia: Country's first centre for youth and children opens in post-conflict Georgia
GORI, Georgia, 18 December 2009 - On the edge of Gori, a small town in central Georgia still recovering from the conflict that erupted in the region in August 2008, there is a large building that until recently showed signs of dereliction and bombing.
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Afghanistan: First country worldwide to use bivalent oral polio vaccine
KABUL, Afghanistan, 17 December 2009 – Sheila Noor, 18, is one of 21,000 health agents who were deployed by the Afghan Ministry of Public Health for a three-day immunization campaign using the bivalent polio vaccine this month.
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Denmark: Young people and global leaders together to discuss climate change
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, 16 December 2009 – As world leaders struggled to 'seal the deal' on climate change in the plenary halls of the Bella Center, six young people from across the world met with the Danish Government and humanitarian leaders to make their concerns be known.
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Pakistan: Mother and Child Health Week brings health services to children and mothers
UMERKOT, Pakistan, 16 December 2009 – Pneumonia is one of the main causes of death in children under five-years-old in Pakistan. Sidori Churon is one mother that wanted to prevent such a death from happening to her child. She and her four-month-old baby, Isar, attended a health session designed to teach mothers how to spot the signs of pneumonia in their small children.
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Lao PDR: Tetanus vaccination campaign reaches remote areas
VIENGXAY DISTRICT, Lao PDR, 16 December 2009 – Four days after its official launch, a Government campaign to eliminate Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) in Lao PDR is being taken to women in some of the most remote parts of the country.
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Morocco: 'Child-Friendly Cities' initiative launched
RABAT, Morocco, 17 December 2009 – As part of activities commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the presidents of five pilot municipalities have signed a commitment aimed at creating a 'Child-Friendly City' (CFC) by 2011.
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Ukraine: Ukrainian pop stars sing about child rights
KIEV, Ukraine, 16 December 2009 – For the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF along with a leading Ukrainian television channel (M1 TV) and other pop celebrities debuted a song about children's rights titled 'The Fire of the Hearts'.
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Botswana: Faith-based organizations focus on children's rights
GABORONE, Botswana, 17 December 2009 - The devastating impact of HIV and AIDS in Botswana has directed much of the country's attention to children's survival. To ensure that children's rights remain a priority here as well, faith-based organizations are lending a hand.
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Colombia: Education in emergencies programmes provide a lifeline to children
BOGOTA, Colombia, 16 December 2009 – For over 40 years, Colombia has been a nation not only in the throes of conflict, but one that is consistently hit by natural disasters.
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Executive Director Ann M. Veneman addresses Copenhagen panel
NEW YORK, USA, 15 December 2009 – All eyes were on Copenhagen this week as the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 entered its crucial second week. UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman addressed – via video message - a distinguished group of UN climate experts at a panel discussion on Monday.
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India: Tea garden clubs fill gaps for girls
DIBRUGARH, India, 15 December 2009 – In the hills of Assam, a state in north eastern India, women scattered across the landscape pick more than80 per cent of the country's famous tea – largely by hand.
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Girls' Education Week helps girls recognize their potential in Sierra Leone
KABALA, Sierra Leone, 15 December 2009 – Hawa Marrah, 12, is a pupil of the Islamic Primary School in Kabala, an agrarian community in northern Sierra Leone. Her results from the National Primary School Examination have just been published and she is one of five girls who had the best results in the district.
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Occupied Palestinian Territory: Young Palestinians celebrate the 20th anniversary of the CRC
JERUSALEM, 10 December 2009 – UNICEF hosted several days of celebratory activities last week to focus public attention on the importance of children's rights. The occasion was the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which was commemorated throughout Gaza and the West Bank.
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Liberia: UNICEF Radio Digital Diaries - Motorbikes in Monrovia
MONROVIA, Liberia, 10 December 2009 – "Everywhere you go in Liberia, you will see motorbikes," says Josephine Zogbaye, 18. "Many people don't have access to cars, so anytime I'm going somewhere, I take a motorbike to avoid long distance walks so I won't be late."
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Somalia: Twenty Somali communities say 'No' to female genital cutting
NAIROBI, Kenya, 14 December 2009 – Last month, hundreds of men, women and children gathered in a Somali stadium in the early morning heat to witness a historic declaration: the collective abandonment of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) by representatives from 20 communities.
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Mali: Hygiene education for a remote village
FADIEDA, Mali, 8 December 2009 – The village of Fadieda is at the forefront of a new pilot programme in Africa. It's one of 15 villages selected by UNICEF and the Ministry of Environment and Sanitation to change the way it approaches sanitation.
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Burundi: Round two of polio immunization campaign
BUJUMBURA, Burundi, 11 December 2009 – Vaccination teams were in high gear as Burundi carried out the second round of an ongoing polio immunization campaign last month.
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Uganda: Mobile classrooms give pastoral children new hope
KOMARET, Uganda, 14 December 2009 – It's just after dawn in Uganda's northeastern Moroto District. Although it's still quite early, queues of children are flocking into the Namatwae Alternative Basic Education for Karamoja (ABEK) centre.
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El Salvador: Floods test resilience of families and effectiveness of humanitarian aid
LA LIBERTAD, El Salvador, 11 December 2009 – Ismael Linares, 13, put a brave face on the story of how his family fled for their lives in the floods that struck El Salvador in early November. In the tiny hamlet of Melara, he pointed to a stretch of rocks and barren ground – all that remained of the houses where he and his relatives used to live.
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Zimbabwe: Leaders join with young people to celebrate child rights
HARARE, Zimbabwe, 15 December 2009 - Leaders in Zimbabwe's Inclusive Government joined with the rest of world in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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Mauritania: Religious leader champions children's rights
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania, 14 December 2009 - In mosques around Mauritania, the 20 November prayers were dedicated to children's rights. The seed that grew into this nationwide action was planted more than 30 years ago by Hademine Ould Saleck.
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UNICEF child-friendly school designer focuses on climate change
NEW YORK, USA, 11 December 2009 – Architect Carlos Vasquez designs child-friendly schools for UNICEF. This past week, he had the opportunity to give presentations about his schools, which are built to withstand disasters caused by climate change, at the Children's Climate Forum in Copenhagen.
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Denmark: Youth Day events energize debate at UN Climate Change Conference
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, 10 December 2009 – Hundreds of children, including eight UNICEF 'Climate Ambassadors', wore vibrant orange-and-green t-shirts celebrating 'Youth Day' at theUnited Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) today.
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'Beyond School Books' – a podcast series on education in emergencies: Podcast #20: Protecting Rights through Child-Friendly Schools
NEW YORK, USA, 10 December 2009 – This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, yet challenges remain in ensuring that its promise becomes a reality for all of the world's children.
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European Commission, European Union and UNICEF reaffirming Afghan child rights
KABUL, Afghanistan, 8 December 2009 – Representatives for the European Commission, the European Union and UNICEF came together late last month to sign a joint Declaration that reaffirmed the importance of child rights in Afghanistan. The conference was part of the month-long worldwide celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
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UNICEF programme expanded to fight widespread undernutrition in Somalia
HARGEISA, Somalia, 8 December 2009 - In Somalia, more than 40 per cent of children exhibit signs of chronic nutritional deprivation. This can be a life-threatening condition if appropriate interventions are not provided.
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South Africa: David Beckham visits 'Mothers2Mothers' centre in Cape Town
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, 9 December 2009– UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham was in South Africa this week to highlight the global progress tha has been madeon preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
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UNICEF and partners praise new UN resolution on malaria, focus on next steps
NEW YORK, USA, 9 December 2009 – At a reception held at UNICEF headquarters in New York last night, Executive Director Ann M. Veneman welcomed key members of the Roll Back Malaria partnership, who joined her in praising a new UN General Assembly resolution on the killer disease.
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Teshome Mandefro Egrete, 1952-2009: UNICEF mourns as funeral is held for Ethiopian engineer killed in Kabul attack
NEW YORK, USA, 7 December 2009 – The familiar blue flag flew at half mast in front of United Nations headquarters a few weeks ago. Its emblem of peace – a global map cradled by olive branches – flapped in a brisk autumn breeze. The flag had been lowered in memory of the five UN staff and others killed in the 28 October attack on an international guest house in Kabul.
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Mali: Executive Director focuses on undernutrition and impact of climate
BAMAKO, Mali, 11 November 2009 – Bisected by the vast and growing Sahara Desert, Mali is a country where food and nutrition securityare precarious even in the best of times.
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Mali: Celebrating Global Handwashing Day with live performances and hygiene
BAMAKO, Mali, 26 October 2009 – For the country of Mali, Global Handwashing Day holds special significance. About one in five children in Mali dies before the age of five and approximately half of these deaths are caused by hygiene-related preventable diseases.
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Yemen: Displaced Yemeni children face nutrition, health and education challenges
NEW YORK, USA, 7 December 2009 – In Yemen, where more than half of all children show signs of stunting – a consequence of chronic nutritional deprivation – UNICEF is working to address the serious nutrition problems facing many children displaced by ongoing conflict in the northern part of the country.
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Moldova: Young Moldovan's film addresses need for reform of institutional child care
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.
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Denmark: At Copenhagen conference, using music to combat climate change
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, 7 December 2009 – As the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 formally opened here today, eight newly named UNICEF 'Climate Ambassadors', aged 14 to 17, launched a dialogue on how music bridges generational and cultural divides in the fight to stop climate change.
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Copenhagen Children's Climate Forum declares: the time to fight climate change is now
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, 4 December 2009 - After a week of intensive work and debate, about 160 young people from all over the globe finalized a Declaration today in Copenhagen, committing to personal changes in their own lives and demanding that governments worldwide take actions to protect our planet from the impacts of climate change.
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Convention on the Rights of the Child's 20th anniversary is commemorated with events around the world
NEW YORK, USA, 4 December 2009 – The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the ground-breaking human rights covenant that codifies rights for all children, everywhere, marked its 20th anniversary on 20 November. The milestone was commemorated with events across the globe.
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Bangladeshi teenagers discuss impact of climate change in Copenhagen
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, 3 December 2009 - Four Bangladeshi teenagers are now in Copenhagen to share their perspectives on climate change with 160 other young people from 44 countries. The Children's Climate Forum, organised by UNICEF and the City of Copenhagen, is held a week prior to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. It will culminate in the adoption of a resolution with recommendations for global action, which will be presented to world leaders at the conference.
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Empowering Climate Ambassadors at the Children's Climate Forum as agents of change
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, 3 December 2009 – At the Children's Climate Forum in Denmark, young people are taking the lead in combining technology and grassroots interaction to find solutions in their work on climate change.
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United States and Organization of the Islamic Conference join forces against polio
NEW YORK, USA, 3 December 2009 – The United States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) resolved to work together to eradicate polio from the last remaining endemic countries. The launch of the joint initiative – a response to U.S. President Barack Obama's call for such an effort in Cairo last June – was held yesterday at UNICEF Headquarters in New York.
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'Design for UNICEF' harnesses innovative thinking from graduate students at New York University
NEW YORK, USA, 4 December 2009 – 'Design for UNICEF' is an interdisciplinary design programme where graduate students examine some of the challenges UNICEF faces and work in groups to research and prototype solutions. The graduate class is taught by Professor Clay Shirky and is a collaboration between UNICEF and the Interactive Telecommunication Programme at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York City.
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UNICEF and the Embassy of Denmark launch refurbished water plant in drought affected central Syria
SALAMIEH, Syria, 2 December 2009 – Syria is experiencing a severe drought that is jeopardizing the livelihoods of thousands of families. After a second straight year of poor rainfall, this country in the heart of the fertile crescent is, in places, becoming barren.
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Liberia enshrines the Convention on the Rights of the Child in military code
MONROVIA, Liberia, 2 December 2009 – UNICEF and Liberia's Ministry of National Defence recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their cooperation in ensuring that children's rights are fully respected in the interactions between the military and the population – especially for children living in military barracks.
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'Beyond School Books' Podcast #19: A child's right to choose education
NEW YORK, USA, 2 December 2009 – On his impending departure from UNICEF, Global Chief of Education, Dr. Cream Wright spoke with moderator Amy Costello about the empowering force of education and the importance of a child's right to choose.
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Madagascar: Psychosocial support helps children heal from the effects of conflict
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, 2 December 2009 – The Indian Ocean island of Madagascar is a country in crisis. Since political unrest in January, the country has been isolated and poverty has deepened.
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A call to action for 'Children Left Behind' in the wake of the AIDS epidemic
NEW YORK, USA, 1 December 2009 – On the eve of World AIDS Day, the Fourth Annual Stocktaking Report was launched at the United Nations Secretariat, followed by a panel convened on the issue of 'Children Left Behind'.
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Cameroon: Income generation grant gives mother living with HIV a new lease on life
NORTHERN CAMEROON, 1 December 2009 - Adele's daughter lays buried in a grave in Adele's garden in northern Cameroon. She was the second member of the family that Adele lost to HIV/AIDS related illness. The first was her husband, who died seven years ago and left her struggling to support her 10 children with the income she earned planting cassava.
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Using music to lead Ugandan youths away from violence
MOROTO DISTRICT, Uganda, 1 December 2009 – Under the starry night sky of north-eastern Uganda, the lyrics to 'Education is the Key' resonate against the backdrop of a pulsating bass line and syncopated drum beats.
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Children and AIDS: Innovations in HIV treatment, prevention and care
NEW YORK, USA, 30 November 2009 – Too many women and children have inadequate access to essential HIV prevention, treatment and care services, according to participants in a recent UNICEF podcast. However, this could change, they said, thanks to recent innovations aimed at expanding services across the developing world.
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Children's Climate Forum opens in Denmark
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, 30 November 2009 - As Copenhagen gets ready to receive world leaders and delegations for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15), from 7 to 18 December, a rather smaller – but nonetheless important – group of young people from 44 different countries has already started to debate the future of our planet.
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Launch of 'Children and AIDS: Fourth Stocktaking Report'
NEW YORK, USA, 30 November 2009 – Combating the effects of HIV and AIDS on vulnerable families and providing hardship protection for mothers and children at risk are the focus of 'Children and AIDS: Fourth Stocktaking Report 2009', which was released today in New York.
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Kenyan children celebrate 20 years of the CRC in the 'Run for our Rights' event
NAIROBI, Kenya, 25 November 2009 – Approximately 300 Kenyan children sprinted through the busy streets of downtown Nairobi this week, chanting the phrase "our rights!" at the 'Run for our Rights' event marking the 20thanniversaryof the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
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Somalia: Child Health Days reach displaced communities in Somalia's Afgoye Corridor
NAIROBI, Kenya, 24 November, 2009 – For the first time ever, a Child Health Days campaign has reached displaced children and women in Somalia's Afgoye Corridor, a 30 km stretch of road west of Mogadishu that is the world's most densely populated settlement for the displaced.
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Digital Diarist Lydia, 18, discusses the challenges of education in Liberia
MONROVIA, Liberia, 23 November 2009 – When Lydia graduated from schoola fewmonths ago, her future should have been boundless. She had done well in school and was expecting good results on her university entrance exam.
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UNICEF Ireland's 'Dustin the Turkey' promotes early childhood care in South Africa
KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE, South Africa, 24 November 2009 – The popular Irish children's character 'Dustin the Turkey' made a surprise visit recently (in puppet form) to children in Ematimatolo, located in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
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Middle Eastern and North African celebrities and children celebrate child rights
AMMAN, Jordan, 25 November 2009 – It started as a wild idea: to bring stars from across the Middle East and North Africa to deliver one message on child rights – a resoundingly positive call from this region, so often in the news for the wrong reasons.
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Philipines: Schools adapt and continue despite post-typhoon flooding
MANILA, Philippines, 25 November 2009 – Most schools in metropolitan Manila have reopened after four typhoons caused massive flooding in September and October, but teachers and students in the flood zone are still in urgent of school supplies.
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'The Rights of Children' photography book marks 20 years of child rights
FLORENCE, Italy, 23 November 2009 – Last week in Rome, a magnificent new book of photographs articulating children's rights was launched on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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UNICEF and faith-based partners launch World Day of Prayer and Action for Children
ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 23 November 2009 – Well known Kazakh artist Batyrkhan Shukenov was named the country's first-ever UNICEF Ambassador during the commemoration last week of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
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Child Development Centre in Tbilisi, Georgia aims to ensure every child's right to health care
TBILISI, Georgia, 23 November 2009 – A fine mist swirled around four-year-old Mariam's face as she breathed through a clear rubber mask during her nebulizer treatment. An asthma sufferer, Mariam was being treated free of charge at the new Child Development Centre in Tbilisi.
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UNICEF and partners commemorate 20 years of Convention on the Rights of the Child
NEW YORK, USA, 20 November 2009 – Today at the United Nations, UNICEF and its partners commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the ground-breaking human rights covenant that codifies rights for all children, everywhere.
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From Malaysia, 'Let's Heal the World' music video sends a global message of child rights
CYBERJAYA, Malaysia, 20 November 2009 – Young peoplefrom different nationalities across theglobe are sending a message of peace and hope through music, as part of a UNICEF partnership with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology to help create a world fit for children.
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Child-rights video contest winner focuses on the right to education
NEW YORK, USA, 20 November 2009 – A young girl in India longs to be in school. She watches through the window and the gracious teacher calls her in. But when she sits down, the boys shift over to one side to be away from her.
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At launch of flagship report, Lucy Liu and Ann M. Veneman celebrate achievements for children
NEW YORK, USA, 19 November 2009 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lucy Liu and former child soldier Grace Akallo joined Executive Director Ann M. Veneman today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). To mark the occasion, UNICEF has released a special edition of its flagship publication, 'The State of the World's Children', outlining progress made on children's rights over the past two decades.
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Sierra Leone: Photography helps children realize their right to self-expression
KABALA, Sierra Leone, 18 November 2009 – Until a few months ago, Fatmata Shaw, 13,had never used a camera or a computer. But after training with a professional photographer, she wants to use her newfound skills to help her peers in the community.
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UNICEF and faith-based partners launch World Day of Prayer and Action for Children
NEW YORK, USA, 18 November 2009 – As the international community prepares to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on 20 November, UNICEF today took part in the global launch of the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children.
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Liberia's Memorandum of Understanding on respecting children's rights
MONROVIA, Liberia, 17 November 2009 – UNICEF and Liberia's Ministry of National Defense have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their cooperation in ensuring that children's rights are fully respected in interactions between the military and the population – especially those involving children living in military barracks.
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Spain: 'El País Semanal' issues special photo edition on child rights
MADRID, SPAIN, 19 November 2009 – For the past six months, Spanish photographer Isabel Muñoz has been traveling around the world, taking photos of children.
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Ghana: Children meet with parliamentarians about children's rights
ACCRA, Ghana, 16 November 2009 – To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UNICEF organized a roundtable discussion between children and parliamentarians, entitled 'People to People – Children to Adults', in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs.
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Japan donates an additional $4.6 million to continue child immunization drive in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan, 17 November 2009 – His Excellency Shigeyuki Hiroki, Ambassador of Japan, and UNICEF Representative for Afghanistan Catherine Mbengue have signed an agreement to maintain and extend immunization programmes for children in Afghanistan.
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India: Braille version of the CRC spells out rights for the visually impaired
NARENDRAPUR, India, 17 November 2009 – Thirteen-year-old Mahesh Yadav's fingers glide gracefully across the page in front of him. He reads aloud from the text – a Braille version of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
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Lesotho: Cash-grants pilot programme aims to ensure vulnerable children's rights
LEBAKENG, Lesotho, 18 November 2009 – Mapalesa Sebatanyane, 73, is the primary caregiver for her four grandchildren, but she struggles to feed them with the small income she earns raising chickens in this remote village.
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Cameroon: Mothers' campaign promotes girls' right to schooling in northern Cameroon
PERMA VILLAGE, Cameroon, 17 November 2009 – Hawa Mahmadou, 12, was devastated when she was forced to drop out of school two years ago because her parents couldn't afford the fees. She spent her days doing household chores.
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Child-to-child learning in rural South Africa safeguards the right to play
KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE, South Africa, 16 November 2009 – He is only nine years old, but Mandla (not his real name) is already a mentor. Every day after school, he meets with younger, more vulnerable children in his rural village and teaches them through traditional songs, stories and games.
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Malaysia: Education brings promise to Malaysia's remote interior
LONG LUTENG, Malaysia, 16 November 2009– Meriam Anyie was born deep in the rainforest of Malaysian Borneo. As members of the Penan ethnic group, a nomadic indigenous people in the state of Sarawak, she and her family spent most of their life in the jungle, never living in a permanent home throughout her childhood.
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Community volunteers fight undernutrition in northern Cameroon
TCHONTCHI, Cameroon, 13 November 2009 – Almost 5 kilos underweight and too undernourished to walk, two-year-old twins Massing Esther and Tito Anna have to be carried everywhere they go in their home village of Tchontchi, in northern Cameroon.
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'Tracking Progress': UNICEF report calls for urgent international action on nutrition
NEW YORK, USA, 11 November, 2009 – As the number of hungry and malnourished people passes 1 billion, a new UNICEF report identifiesundernutrition as one of the major causes of death among young children.
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Philippines: Mothers encouraged to breastfeed in aftermath of Philippines flooding
A new UNICEF report, 'Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition', says undernutrition is a factor in a third of all deaths of children under five. Here is one in a series of related stories.
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Togo: International Children's Day of Broadcasting encourages child participation
NEW YORK, USA, 12 November 2009 – The International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) Awards ceremony, held here earlier this week, brought accomplished broadcasters to New York from around the world to be feted and to share ideas and experiences. Among them were two representatives from Togo, home of the 2009 ICDB Regional Award for Television.
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ICDB Awards 2009 honour excellence in children's broadcasting
NEW YORK, USA, 11 November 2009 – UNICEF welcomed representatives of all 12 broadcasters nominated for the 2009 International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) Awards to New York this week to celebrate their work, partake in a seminar on children's broadcasting and youth media, and attend the 2009 ICDB Awards ceremony.
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Niger: UNICEF and local partners fight child trafficking and exploitation
AGADEZ, Niger, 9 November 2009 – It's 6 a.m. at the Agadez bus station, and the members of the town's Child Protection Committee are keeping a close watch on the waiting passengers for the bus heading towards the northern town of Dirkou.
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UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors featured in video spots for child rights
NEW YORK, USA, 9 November 2009 – UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassadors have joined in commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by appearing in public service announcements meant to draw attention to the groundbreaking international human rights covenant. The CRC turns 20 on 20 November.
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Zimbabwe: Children's parliament speaks out on rights issues
HARARE, Zimbabwe, 6 November 2009 – The 17th session of the Children's Parliament, a programme of the Zimbabwe Youth Council,opened recently with the aim of spurring the government into action to ensure child survival and empowerment.
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Tanzania: Country passes landmark Law of the Child
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, 6 November 2009– On Wednesday, Tanzania's Parliament, the Bunge, passed a bill known as the Law of the Child Act 2009. This landmark legislation effectively domesticates the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child and provides the legal framework through which the rights of the country's children can be protected and realized.
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Pakistan: Education provides a new future for earthquake-affected children
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan, 5 November 2009 – The earthquake that devastated this region in 2005 was a catastrophe for schoolchildren in Pakistan. An estimated 17,000 students were killed in their classrooms, and 6,000 schools damaged or destroyed.
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Zambia: Readying young minds to fight cholera through better hygiene
LUSAKA, Zambia, 5 November 2009 – The rainy season has returned in Zambia, bringing with it the threat of cholera, a preventable waterborne disease that sickens thousands here every year.
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China: UNICEF and Xinhua News Agency join forces to promote children's rights
BEIJING, China, 5 November 2009 – UNICEF and Xinhua News Agency, the official press agency of the People's Republic of China, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining joint plans to promote better understanding of the situation of children worldwide.
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Indonesia: Breastfeeding encouraged for quake-affected Indonesian mothers
PADANG, Indonesia, 4 November 2009 – The stacks of formula milk in a former ballroom in the city of Padang, West Sumatra, had to be quickly removed. Though generosity motivated local companies to donate these supplies in response to the 30 September earthquake here, such donations could have proved fatal.
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USA: Focus on children's rights: UNICEF launches photo exhibit and film festival
NEW YORK, USA., 4 November 2009 – As part of the run-up to 20 November, the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman yesterday introduced a photo exhibit and opened a documentary film festival with a special screening at UNICEF headquarters in New York.
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'I have the right': UNICEF Russia launches child rights campaign
MOSCOW, Russian Federation, 4 November 2009 – UNICEF Russia has launched a series of public service announcements dedicated to protecting child rights. The campaign underlines the importance of considering the interests of the child in all important decisions, whether at the family or state level.
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'Beyond School Books' – a podcast series on education in emergencies
NEW YORK, USA, 3 November 2009 – Too often around the world, in countries affected by conflict, violence and poverty, education is denied at the most basic level.
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Samoa: Vaccination campaign aimed at tsumani-affected children
APIA, Samoa, 2 November 2009 – UNICEF and the World Health Organization are giving full support to a nationwide measles and vitamin A immunization campaign by the Samoan Government. The campaign aims to protect more than 32,000 children in the wake of the recent tsunami here.
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UNICEF and WHO release comprehensive plan on pneumonia prevention
NEW YORK, USA, 2 November 2009 – More children die every day of pneumonia than of any other disease. Today, UNICEF and the World Health Organization released a comprehensive plan to save millions of lives from this often fatal illness.
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Liberia: Seven youths from learn how to record, edit, write and produce radio programmes at UNICEF radio workshop
MONROVIA, Liberia, 30 October 2009 – "The last time I got malaria, I had to leave school because I couldn't walk properly. I couldn't eat," says Veldis Malkor, age 13. "I missed school for about a week."
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Ethiopia: Children celebrate Global Handwashing Day with running star Shaleka Haile Gebrselassie
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, 30 October 2009 – Ethiopian schoolchildren recently celebrated Global Handwashing Day, with roughly 24,000 participating schools in Ethiopia.
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USA: Vanessa Redgrave gives benefit performance to support children in Gaza and southern Israel
NEW YORK, USA, 29 October 2009 – Legendary thespian, tireless advocate for human rights and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Vanessa Redgrave gave a special benefit performance of 'The Year of Magical Thinking' this week in New York.
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Pakistan: Polio vaccination effort reaches children
GADAP TOWN, Pakistan, 29 October 2009 – As part of a national immunization campaign, Ruksana Bilqis has been working for the past two months as a polio community mobilizer in Gadap Town, a community of conservative Pashtu speakers from North-West Frontier Province and the tribal areas near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
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Myanmar: UNICEF teams up with traditional folk groups to teach good hygiene
YANGON, Myanmar 27 October 2009 – For centuries, Myanmar's hugely popular traditional folk performance or 'Zat' groups have travelled the country, entertaining audiences with comedy, song and dance.
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Namibia: Birth registration effort aims to protect child rights
WINDHOEK, Namibia, 28 October 2009—A novel idea for children has become a reality, now that the Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration has set up an office in the maternity ward at Katutura State Hospital, the main public hospital in Windhoek. This UNICEF-supported effort is designed to ensure that every child born at the hospital receives a birth certificate.
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Pakistan: Conflict intensifies as winter closes in on displaced families
NEW YORK, USA, 26 October 2009 – Women and children in north-western Pakistan are once again on the move because of conflict in the region.
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Sierra Leone: UNICEF responds to lack of health care for mothers and newborns
KOINADUGU, Sierra Leone, 27 October 2009 – Lack of access to affordable health care is one of the major contributing factors to pregnancy and childbirth-related deaths in Sierra Leone.
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Malaysia: A 'big sister' helps students cope with bullying
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, 26 October 2009 – As Head Prefect, Dashenee Huthamaputhiran, 17, is a friendly face around Convent Sentul High School, offering advice to students who break school rules or lending a helping hand to those in trouble.
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UNICEF in Space: Astronaut and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Frank de Winne talks to school children
GAO VILLAGE, Mali, 23 October 2009 – In the village of Gao, some 1200 km away from Mali's capital city of Bamako, local children were given the special chance to speak to UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne – live from space.
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Afghanistan: Maternal Waiting Home programme aims to save the lives of mothers and newborns
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, 23 October 2009 – Maternal mortality rates in Afghanistan are among the highest in the world. In the southern region, 1,600 women out of every 100,000 die in childbirth.
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UNICEF Indonesia gets 'Flu-Wise' to fight H1N1
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 22 October 2009 - When millions of Jakartans packed trains, planes, automobiles and buses to trek back to their hometowns to celebrate the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, there was an uninvited guest travelling with them - the H1N1 virus.
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Nancy Ajram as UNICEF Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa
BEIRUT, Lebanon, 23 October 2009 – UNICEF's Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) announced today the appointment of Lebanese star Nancy Ajram as the newest Regional Goodwill Ambassador.
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Ukraine: UNICEF helps to rebuild vaccination trust
ODESSA, Ukraine 15 October 2009 – It's a busy morning in Public Polyclinic Number Five in Ukraine's southern city where many parents have brought their children for vaccination.
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State of the World's Vaccines: Childhood immunization at record high
NEW YORK, USA, 21 October 2009 – More babies are being immunized against deadly diseases than ever before, yet without better funding and improved access, at least 24 million infants are left unprotected.
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Somalia: Funding shortfalls may threaten critical humanitarian assistance
NEW YORK, USA, 21 October 2009 – UNICEF officials worry that funding shortfalls may threaten the humanitarian assistance activities that are urgently needed for roughly 3.6 million people in Somalia, including for 1.4 million affected by severe drought and about 1.5 million displaced primarily by conflict.
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Zimbabwe: Celebrating handwashing with soap
HARARE, Zimbabwe, 21 October, 2009 – Approximately one million Zimbabweans lathered up their hands with soap and water last week as they joined in on the worldwide commemorations of Global Handwashing Day.
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CAR: Deputy Executive Director Hilde Johnson warns of triple threat to child survival
BANGUI, Central African Republic, 20 October 2009 – UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hilde Johnson has called on the international community to support children in the Central African Republic (CAR) who are bearing the brunt of the country's declining fortunes.
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Papua New Guinea: Students take the stage on Global Handwashing Day
WESTERN HIGHLANDS PROVINCE, Papua New Guinea, 20 October 2009 – In celebration of Global Handwashing Day, students in four provinces across Papua New Guinea took to the stage to raise their voices and educate their peers.
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UNICEF report highlights violence against children
DAMASCUS, Syria, 20 October 2009 – After two year's work, the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs (SCFA) in collaboration with UNICEF has concluded a report on the Situation Analysis of Children (SITAN) in Syria.
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Philippines: Restoring normalcy for children in aftermath of tropical storm Ondoy
PASIG CITY, Philippines, 19 October 2009 – The flood waters that still inundate much of the Philippines' capital have become black with waste and garbage, a daily reminder of tropical storm Ondoy, which struck the country on 26 September.
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Goodwill Ambassadors Mia Farrow and Mahmoud Kabil visit Occupied Palestinian Territories
NEW YORK, USA, 19 October 2009 – In her first official visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow joined fellow Goodwill Ambassador Mahmoud Kabil to witness the impact of conflict on children.
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Bangladesh: Preventing bone disorders through better nutrition
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, 19 October 2009 – Five-year-old Jasmeen suffers from rickets – a preventable disorder caused by a form of malnutrition as a result of calcium deficiency which manifests as a softening of the bones. Her legs are severely deformed and bow the weight of her little body.
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Kenya: Food and nutrition insecurity deepens in the Horn of Africa as heavy rains are predicted
ISIOLO, Kenya, 16 October 2009 – Underneath the blazing sun, pastoralists Ekwam Joseph, 20, and his younger brother, Ekai Francis, 11, herd their cattle through a land that is covered with anything but green pasture.
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Two women receive 'Golden Poo' Award for outstanding work as hygiene champions
NEW YORK, USA, 16 October 2009 – The 'Golden Poo Awards' were held yesterday in London as part of Global Handwashing Day celebrations. The award honoured the work of two women: Head of the Environmental Sanitation and Hygiene section of the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mary Swai, and WASH Specialist from UNICEF Tanzania's Young Child Survival and Development Section, Rebecca Budimu.
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Afghanistan: Bringing proper sanitation to rural children
KABUL, Afghanistan, 16 October 2009 – The second Global Handwashing Day was celebrated yesterday in Kabul and 34 provinces of Afghanistan, shining a spotlight on the importance of handwashing with soap and water as one of the most effective and affordable interventions to save lives.
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Young people speak out at event focused on Child Participation
NEW YORK, USA, 16 October 2009 – Six young people stood before an overflowing room of people at UNICEF House to present their views on child participation. Getting adults to listen is their biggest challenge, they said, but these well-spoken activists both inspired and educated their audience – and left everyone thinking about new ways to involve children in matters that affect them.
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Cameroon: Promoting handwashing in schools to prevent disease
DOUALA, Cameroon, 15 October 2009 – The Ministry of Basic Education and soap producer Complexe Chimique Camerounais (CCC) have partnered with UNICEF to provide hygiene supplies to 300 schools across the country.
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Ethiopia: UNICEF bolsters cross-border political support for African children in crisis
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, 15 October 2009 – Millions of African children live in a state of almost permanent crisis brought on by conflict, instability, disease and the impact of the global economic downturn.
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Liberia: Safe-water campaign to prevent disease outbreaks
MONROVIA, Liberia, 14 October 2009 – UNICEF and its partners have introduced a far-reaching new initiative to reduce the number of Liberian families falling ill and dying from unsafe water.
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Japan promotes Global Handwashing Day for better hygiene
TOKYO, Japan, 15 October 2009 – Today, millions of children and adults in over 80 countries are marking the second annual Global Handwashing Day with special events and activities. As part of this effort, UNICEF Japan and its partners have launched a project to promote handwashing among children in Japan and around the world.
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South Africa: Cricket stars raise awareness about HIV
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 13 October 2009 – Famed Sri Lankan cricketers Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera and Lasith Malinga recently visited young people living with HIV at the WITSECHO Adolescent Sprint Holiday Programme near Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Mozambique: 'MICS' statistics show 15 per cent drop in deaths of children under five
MAPUTO, Mozambique, 13 October 2009 - The results of a national survey on the situation of women and children, known as Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), were made public earlier this month by Mozambique's National Statistics Institute.
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UNICEF/WHO joint report on preventing and treating the second leading killer of children
NEW YORK, USA, 14 October 2009 – A new report released by UNICEF and the World Health Organization today lays out a seven-point plan to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea worldwide.
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Jordan: Two UNICEF advocates, Queen Rania and Mia Farrow, meet in Jordan
AMMAN, Jordan, 14 October 2009 – Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan, UNICEF's Eminent Advocate for Children, met today with internationally acclaimed actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow.
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Samoa: Tsunami-affected children head back to school
APIA, Samoa, 12 October 2009 – UNICEF is working closely with the Samoan Government's Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture to ensure that tsunami-affected children are able to resume their education as soon as possible.
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Malaysia: New Malaysian stamps pay tribute to children and their rights
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, 12 October 2009 – To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Malaysia's postal service, Pos Malaysia, has introduced a new set of stamps that aims to spread the word about children's rights.
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UNICEF Executive Director visits flood-stricken Philippines
MANILA, Philippines, 8 October 2009 – UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman visited the Philippines yesterday to see the damage done by Tropical Storm Ondoy and subsequent massive flooding.
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Indonesia: UNICEF delivers life-saving hygiene kits in West Sumatra earthquake zone
TANJUNGSARI, Indonesia, 9 October, 2009 – Children and families in Tanjungsari, a hamlet located in the Agam District of Indonesia's West Sumatra province, recently endured three successive – and massive – natural disasters.
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Japan: UNICEF and Japan celebrate a 60-year partnership
TOKYO, Japan, 7 October 2009 – UNICEF and the Government of Japan are celebrating a partnership that began 60 years ago this month, when a ship laden with powdered milk and other relief supplies from UNICEF arrived in post-war Japan.
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Angola: De-worming and handwashing promotion drive targets 4 million schoolchildren
LUANDA, Angola, 6 October 2009 – Angola has launched an integrated school health campaign that is expected to reach 4 million children.
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Namibia: At forefront of global push to increase AIDS treatment
OHANGWENA DISTRICT, Namibia, 30 September 2009 – Alfeus, 8, misses school once a month, which makes everyone around him happy. His absence is excused because he is receiving his regular anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment as part of a vastly expanded HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention health programme in Namibia.
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Global Handwashing Day 2009: Spread the word, not the germs
NEW YORK, USA, 9 October 2009 – Next Thursday, 15 October, marks the second annual Global Handwashing Day, which millions of children and adults will celebrate with special activities in over 80 countries.
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UNICEF gets set for global action to 'Stand Up' against poverty
NEW YORK, USA, 8 October 2009 – Now in its fourth year, the 'Stand Up: Take Action' initiative exhorts individuals, groups and community networks to take action on the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people who live in extreme poverty.
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Republic of Congo: Education provides a way out for indigenous children in Congo
TOANGANA, Republic of Congo, 7 October 2009 – It's a sunny morning, and Rufin Kokolo, 8, is getting ready to go to school. He lives in Tosangana village on the outskirts of Impfondo, capital of Likouala province.
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Afghanistan: Promoting peace and the right to play sports through Cricket Camp for Children
KABUL, Afghanistan, 9 September 2009 – Nearly 50 young people brought together by UNICEF and the Afghan Youth Cricket Support Organization (AYCSO) participated in a cricket camp this month in Kabul, the first in a series of events to celebrate International Peace Day 2009 in Afghanistan.
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More than a bailout: Social protection for children affected by AIDS
NEW YORK, USA, 29 September 2009 – On the eve of the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly earlier this month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported that the near- and working poor in developing nations would be the hardest hit by the worldwide recession.
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'Beyond School Books' – a podcast series on education in emergencies: Podcast #17: Teachers under threat
NEW YORK, USA, 5 October 2009 – In some parts of the world, teaching can be a deadly profession. To commemorate World Teachers' Day, which is being observed today, UN and UNICEF Radio moderator Amy Costello recently spoke with two experts about targeted attacks on teachers in Colombia and southern Thailand, and their devastating impact on education.
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Philippines: More than 1 million people affected by flooding
NEW YORK, USA, 5 October 2009 – More than 200 people have died, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes, due to flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Ondoy in and around metropolitan Manila in the Philippines just over a week ago. Additional flooding affected rural areas this past weekend as another storm, Parma, struck primarily in northern Luzon province.
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Asia-Pacific region: Triple punch tests disaster preparedness
NEW YORK, 2 October 2009 – A convergence of severe natural disasters has left millions of people in distress across Asia and the Pacific this week. Since 26 September, a total of six countries have been hit by flooding, a typhoon, a tsunami and earthquakes.
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Cameroon: Training teachers on HIV education in primary schools
NEW YORK, USA, 5 October 2009 – According to UNAIDS, some 500,000 people in Cameroon are living with HIV. To help prevent and combat the further spread of infection, the government has begun integrating HIV/AIDS education into the country's formal primary school curriculum, making it mandatory for children from 6 to 12 years of age.
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Paris Commitments on protecting child soldiers gain support among UN Member States
NEW YORK, USA, 30 September 2009 – The challenging and critical job of protecting children from recruitment by armed forces or groups took a step forward this week, as a number of United Nations Member States added their names to the 'Paris Commitments'.
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Lesotho: Success in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
MASERU, Lesotho, 30 September 2009 – With nearly a quarter of its adult population living with HIV, the Kingdom of Lesotho has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world.
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Syria: 'Capoeira' helps Palestinian-Iraqi children heal psycho-social wounds
AL-TANF CAMP, Syrian Arab Republic, 2 October 2009 – In al-Tanf, a refugee camp set up in the no-man's-land near the Syrian-Iraqi border, Palestinian children who have fled the conflict in Iraq participate in various activities designed to help them heal their psycho-social wounds.
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Tokyo: Ann M. Veneman and Agnes Chan launch 'Progress for Children'
TOKYO, Japan, 6 October 2009 – UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, accompanied by UNICEF Japan Goodwill Ambassador Agnes Chan, released 'Progress for Children: A Report Card on Child Protection' at a press conference held at the Tokyo office of the Japan Committee for UNICEF today.
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Philippines: In the storm-stricken country, a true story of a mother's love
MANILA, Philippines, 1 October 2009 – It was a day that would be etched forever in Lea Mariano's memory. On 26 September, she and 90 million other Filipinos went about their day in the usual fashion: enjoying a typical Saturday with family, running errands, going to the mall or taking care of their babies.
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India: Bringing health services to island communities in Assam
CHOKHIA ISLAND, India, 7 October 2009 – When the great Brahmaputra River floods each year, millions of residents living on its roughly 3,000 islands are cut off from the rest of India.
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Indonesia: Learning provides hope amidst the rubble in quake-stricken West Sumatra
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 5 October 2009 – Less than a week ago, the children of Padang, in Indonesia's West Sumatra province, were standing amidst the devastation of an earthquake that had destroyed buildings, caused massive landslides, blocked roads and shattered the water supply. They talked to aid workers of their fears: that more shocks would hit the town, that their homes – if still standing – would fall, that their lives would forever be changed for the worse.
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Angélique Kidjo launches new campaign with Pampers to help eliminate tetanus
PARIS, France, 28 September 2009 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and Grammy-winning world music artist Angélique Kidjo has launched 'Give the Gift of Life', a new campaign with Pampers to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) by 2012.
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USA: UNICEF Ambassador Lucy Liu raises awareness of child trafficking
WASHINGTON DC, 18 September 2009 – US Fund for UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lucy Liu delivered an impassioned speech here this week to raise awareness about the estimated 1.2 million children who are trafficked worldwide every year.
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OPT: UNICEF Regional Ambassador Mahmoud Kabil visits Palestinian children at risk
JERUSALEM, 17 September 2009 – UNICEF Regional Goodwill Ambassador and Egyptian actor Mahmoud Kabil has visited the Occupied Palestinian Territory to raise awareness about the situation of marginalized Palestinian children, especially Bedouins.
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Niger: Floods devastate Agadez region of northern Niger with lingering effects
AGADEZ, Niger, 25 September 2009 – Unprecedented rainfall has led to severe flooding in northern Niger's Agadez region in recent weeks.
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Somalia: Public-private partnerships bring sustainable, safe water to communities
BERBERA, Somalia, 28 September 2009 – Until recently, a run-down urban water system dating from the 19th century delivered scant, low-quality water to the residents of Berbera, a coastal town in north-west Somalia. But that has changed recently.
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UNICEF Executive Board concludes second session of 2009
NEW YORK, USA – On 16 September, the final day of its second regular session of 2009, the UNICEF Executive Board adopted nine decisions related to UNICEF programme cooperation, evaluation, oversight and budget.
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H.M. Queen Rania of Jordan joins UNICEF in congratulating young women of Harlem
NEW YORK, USA, 22 September 2009 – The Young Women's Leadership School of East Harlem serves students from minority and low-income families. It is a pioneer in all-girl public education, and a model of success.
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UNICEF and Republic of Korea sign Framework Agreement on programme support
NEW YORK, USA, 22 September 2009 – The Republic of Korea was the first country in the world to make the transition from being a nation that accepted aid from UNICEF to being one that works with UNICEF to relieve children's suffering in other places around the world.
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Yemen: Humanitarian access still limited by conflict
NEW YORK, USA, 23 September 2009 – Humanitarian access is still limited in northern Yemen, where over 100,000 people have been displaced by fighting between government and rebel forces.
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Young people appeal to world leaders at UN Summit on Climate Change
NEW YORK, USA, 22 September 2009 – A delegation of young people appealed to world leaders for meaningful action today at the UN Secretary-General's Summit on Climate Change. The group of 13 young participants, ranging from 14 to 18 years of age, asked leaders to come together and make a difference on environmental sustainability.
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Afghanistan: Eradicating polio in Afghanistan takes persuasion, participation and peace
GHOR, Afghanistan, 17 September 2009 – A three-day polio eradication campaign, organized by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, reached children across Afghanistan this month. The immunization drive was part of the ongoing effort to eradicate polio in Afghanistan, which is one of just four remaining polio-endemic countries.
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Japan: New First Lady visits UNICEF for first public engagement
NEW YORK, USA, 23 September 2009 – First Lady of Japan Miyuki Hatoyama chose to visit UNICEF headquarters today as the site of her first public appearance since her husband, Yukio Hatoyama, was elected Prime Minister earlier this month.
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Cameroon: Mia Farrow highlights child malnutrition
BAZZAMA, Cameroon, 17 September 2009 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow has been witnessing a silent emergency in Cameroon during a weeklong trip here.
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Worldwide deaths of children under five decline, continuing positive trend
NEW YORK, 10 September 2009 – There are fewer children than ever dying before they reach their fifth birthday, according to new figures released today by UNICEF.
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Ukraine: International Child Neurology Congress affirms vaccination safety
KIEV, Ukraine, 16 September 2009 – UNICEF was among this year's sponsors of the International Child Neurology Congress, held in Ukraine for the first time last week.
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Zimbabwe: UNICEF and partners launch massive effort to reinvigorate schools
NEW YORK, USA, 14 September 2009 – UNICEF and its partners are launching a massive campaign in Zimbabwe to get textbooks into school classrooms.
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Schools for Africa partners sign new agreement for better education
NEW YORK, USA, 15 September 2009 – The highly successful Schools for Africa partnership entered its second phase today with a memorandum of understanding signed by its three main partners – UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Hamburg Society for the Promotion of Democracy and International Law.
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Argentina: New teaching strategy helps young students excel
RESISTENCIA, Argentina, 8 September 2009 – For the first six months of first grade, Maria Angel Gomez struggled to keep up with the other students. She showed little interest in her school work and was slowly falling behind. She couldn't read and her mother worried that Maria Angel would fail and need to repeat first grade, a common problem in Argentina.
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Yemen: Children need urgent assistance as conflict intensifies
NEW YORK, USA, 9 September 2009 – As the violent conflict in northern Yemen enters its second month, UNICEF has called on all parties to allow aid agencies immediate, unconditional access to civilians caught in the fighting.
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Sierra Leone: Partnering for girls' education
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 8 September 2009 – Three children, allseemingly under 10 years of age, are camped around Freetown's Cotton Tree – a historic site for offering prayers for peace and prosperity – begging for handouts. They do not go to school.
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Liberia: Liberia's first post-war generation starts primary school
GANTA, Liberia, 11 September 2009 – Salomie Kieah is one of many six-year-old children starting school this month in Liberia. After a final adjustment to fit her new uniform and a stop at the stationery shop to buy supplies, she is ready for her first day in primary school.
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India: Teaching mothers healthy habits
GUJARAT, India, 4 September 2009 – "I wish the 'Mamta Divas' were there when I had my first child. She is 13 years old and looks eight or nine. My son is a different story," says Mennaben Gavit, proudly holding her healthy one-year-old boy on her lap.
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Bangladesh: UNICEF supports swimming instruction to prevent child deaths
SIRAJGANJ DISTRICT, Bangladesh, 3 September 2009 — A group of Bangladeshi children recently gathered at a local pond to receive a potentially life-saving health intervention: swimming lessons.
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New UNICEF Chief of Health, Dr. Mickey Chopra, outlines challenges
NEW YORK, USA, 1 September 2009 – One month into his new post as UNICEF Chief of Health and Associate Director of Programmes, Dr. Mickey Chopra has identified relations with regional and international partners as a top priority for his tenure.
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Syria: UNICEF 'training of trainers' workshops help young Palestinians make a difference
NEIRAB, Syria, 27 August 2009 – During six days of intensive sessions in Neirab, 20 Palestinian adolescents attending a recent UNICEF 'training of trainers' workshop learned various techniques for mobilizing young people to become more involved in their communities.
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DR Congo: UNICEF Executive Director hears stories of hope in eastern DR Congo
BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 31 August 2009 – The deep, ongoing problems facing women and children in eastern DR Congo have been highlighted during the visit by UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman.
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DR Congo: Children and families face multiple crises
NEW YORK, USA, 28 August 2009 – The situation facing children and families in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo was critical enough as they faced increasing conflict and insecurity in recent years, "but at this moment the country is facing three major crises," says UNICEF Deputy Representative in DR Congo Steven Lauwerier.
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Somalia: Second round of Child Health Days aims to boost child survival
GABILEY, Northwest Somalia, 3 September 2009 – Building on the success of the six-month-long Child Health Days initiative that began late last year, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) have kicked off the second round of a campaign to reach every Somali community with a life-saving package of essential services for children and women.
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Yemen: Displaced families in Yemen need access to humanitarian aid
NEW YORK, USA, 2 September 2009 –UNICEF has appealed for international help for the more than 100,000 people fleeing conflict between government and rebel forces in northern Yemen.
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