UNICEF News

News from UNICEF, Press releases, News notes, Media advisories, Statements

February 1st, 2012
In Uzbekistan, child-friendly preschools are engaging children and improving education
BUKHARA, Uzbekistan, 2 February 2012 – In Bukhara, southern Uzbekistan, music and laughter drifted across Preschool Number 11.

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February 1st, 2012
In the Central African Republic, UNICEF expands a nutrition treatment center for severely malnourished children
BANGUI, Central African Republic, 1 February 2012 - About 100 malnourished children are admitted each month in the Bangui Paediatric Hospital, many of them requiring three to four weeks of treatment.

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January 31st, 2012
Youth Filmmakers win 2011 OneMinutesJr. Awards
NEW YORK, USA, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1 February 2012 – UNICEF and the One Minutes Foundation announced today the winners of the 2011 OneMinutesJr. Awards.

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January 31st, 2012
Field diary: In Sudan, a long wait for the journey home to South Sudan
KOSTI, Sudan, 1 February 2012 – A raggedy doll is all that 18-year-old Sabina Saisa has left to remind her of her best friend, Jacqueline.

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January 30th, 2012
UNICEF helps Rwandan community build back after devastating earthquake
RUSIZI DISTRICT, Rwanda, 31 January 2012 – One Sunday morning three years ago, a devastating earthquake ripped through Rusizi and Nyamasheke, two of Rwanda’s south-western districts, injuring 643 and killing 36.

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January 30th, 2012
UNICEF aids restavek victims of abuse and exploitation in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 31 January 2012 – In 2007, 10-year-old Larissa Saint-Claire (NAME CHANGED) lived quietly with her parents in Beaumont, in southwest Haiti, when a visit from one of her sisters changed her life.

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January 31st, 2012
'Full of Grace' photography exhibition celebrates children
WEST PALM BEACH, USA, 30 January 2012 – ‘Full of Grace’, a graceful, eclectic and evocative exhibition of more than 200 photographs, accompanied by sculptures and literary quotations, opened on 26 January at the Palm Beach Photographic Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. It is an exuberant celebration of the representation of children in photography over the past 150 years.

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January 29th, 2012
In Yemen, day care centres offer safe haven and education to Somali refugee children
ADEN, Yemen, 30 January 2012 – The voice of Miryam Mohammed, a 10-year-old Somali girl, echoed around the small rooms of her day care centre. She and the other children are singing the Somali national anthem.

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January 29th, 2012
Podcast #51: An innovative program provides media training for youth in Haiti
NEW YORK, 30 January, 2012 – With 43 per cent of its people under 18 years old, Haiti has one of the youngest populations in the world. Yet the country’s young people continue to suffer from a lack of opportunities and remain vulnerable in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

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January 31st, 2012
With cash transfers, UNICEF and partners aid drought-affected families in Niger
GAWOUNAWA, Niger, 27 January 2012 – At the end of the farming season, Halima Isaka sat with her 10-month-old daughter at the edge of their family’s field, watching as her husband loaded a pile of dried millet stalks onto an oxcart.

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January 29th, 2012
Two major storms strike Mozambique in quick succession, causing widespread damage
MAPUTO, Mozambique, 27 January 2012 – Mozambique faced a double disaster this month when both Tropical Storm Dando and Tropical Cyclone Funso struck coastal areas, leaving significant damage to homes and infrastructure.

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January 26th, 2012
In Qatar, forum calls for better inclusion of children with disabilities in humanitarian responses
DOHA, Qatar, 26 January 2012 – At the fifth annual International Shafallah Forum, held from 22 to 24 January in Doha, Dr. Rima Salah, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director (a.i.), stressed the need not to let children with disabilities be the forgotten victims of emergencies.

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January 26th, 2012
'Smart salt' reduces iodine deficiency in Ghana
BOLGATANGA, Ghana, 26 January 2012 – Joseph Opoku pointed to a plastic container in the local restaurant, called a chop bar, belonging to his grandmother, Gertrude Azasim. “That is the smartest salt in Ghana,” he said.

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January 26th, 2012
‘Humanitarian Action for Children 2012’ calls for continued focus on the Horn of Africa
NEW YORK, 26 January 2012 – The ongoing crisis in the Horn of Africa will remain a significant part of UNICEF’s global humanitarian response in the coming year, according to the ‘Humanitarian Action for Children 2012’ report, which launches tomorrow.

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January 29th, 2012
After flooding in the Philippines, teachers help students recover and resume studies
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines, 25 January 2012 – In City Central School, in Cagayan de Oro City, two teachers recently held their first day of classes since the devastating floods that swept through their community – even as their own futures looks uncertain.

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February 2nd, 2012
Piped water project offers health, opportunities to Angolan families
LUANDA, Angola, 25 January 2012 – When Beatriz da Encarnação got her own tap, the ready access to clean water quickly improved the health of her sons, 8-year-old Filipi Capitango and 8-month-old Beomiro Pedro.

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January 26th, 2012
In areas once affected by famine, Ethiopia builds capacity to wipe out malnutrition
GETER MEDA, Ethiopia, 24 January 2012 – Seven-month-old Aynadis played with her mother, Seta Temesgen, as they waited to be screened at the Geter Meda Health Post. Several weeks ago, Aynadis was diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition – a condition that can be deadly if untreated.

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January 29th, 2012
In Benin, Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo promotes birth registration to protect children’s rights
COTONOU, Benin, 24 January 2012 – A legal identity is a critical right, one many children in Benin are denied. During a visit to her home country, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo, an internationally renowned singer, advocated for improvements in the birth registration system to guarantee this right for all children.

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January 29th, 2012
In the aftermath of the Philippines floods, unaccompanied children are the most vulnerable
ILIGAN CITY, Philippines, 23 January 2012 – From his ready smile and the way his face lights up when greeted, one wouldn’t guess that 10-year-old Roy* is facing the greatest test of his life.

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January 24th, 2012
Vaccinating children in Haiti’s hardest-to-reach communities
CAP HAITIAN, Haiti, 23 January 2012 – It doesn’t take an earthquake to kill a child. More often, children are killed by something much less dramatic, and much more insidious: disease.

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January 23rd, 2012
In Rwanda, community-based nutrition programmes are empowering communities to treat and prevent malnutrition
Gisenyi, Western Province, Rwanda, 23 January 2012 - In the busy lakeside town of Gisenyi, a UNICEF-supported therapeutic nutrition rehabilitation unit is helping give babies a healthy start in life.

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January 19th, 2012
In Uzbekistan, expanding health care to the most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach
KARAKALPAKSTAN, Uzbekistan, 20 January 2012 – In the remote Khujayli District of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, the Saparova family can often be found in a traditional yurt at the back of the house, escaping the worst of the summer heat.

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January 18th, 2012
UNICEF's Executive Board elects a new President for 2012
NEW YORK, USA, 19 January 2012 – Marking the beginning of the new year with new leadership, UNICEF’s Executive Board elected His Excellency Mr. John W. Ashe, Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, as its President for 2012. Mr. Ashe was nominated from among the Latin American and Caribbean states that are members of the Executive Board.

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January 18th, 2012
In Rwanda, successfully fighting a resurgence of malaria
NYAMATA, Rwanda, 19 January 2012 – Across Rwanda, children are benefiting from faster malaria diagnosis, the widespread distribution of nets, and the diligence of hospital and health centre staffs determined to keep malaria in check.

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January 18th, 2012
In post-quake Haiti, early childhood development aids recovery
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 19 January 2012 – It might look like simple fun, but the dominos, colouring pencils, construction blocks, hand puppets, puzzle pieces and memory games in Jean Pierre’s school are about more than just a good time.

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January 22nd, 2012
In Haiti, an unprecedented expansion in nutrition services for children and women
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 18 January 2012 – In two cramped UNICEF tents in the middle of the General Hospital, Head Nurse Bluette Jean-Louis and Dr. Josiane Andrianarisoa attend to severely malnourished children. Many of them are ill.

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January 29th, 2012
UNICEF and EU-supported training for teachers boosts education quality in Angola
LUANDA, Angola, 17 January – Just off the main road, next to the ruins of a whitewashed chapel, a jacaranda tree is in bloom. Beneath the petals, children sit on brightly coloured plastic chairs, watching their teacher attentively. Lucrecia Agostinho draws apples and oranges to illustrate an arithmetic problem on a blackboard.

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January 16th, 2012
Prioritizing education and promoting gender equality in South Sudan
WESTERN EQUATORIA, South Sudan, 17 January 2012 – Education is a key priority for the government of the world’s newest nation, South Sudan.

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January 18th, 2012
Improving schools for children with disabilities in Rwanda
KIGALI, Rwanda, 17 January 2012 – Five years ago, students with disabilities at Murama, a child-friendly school in Rwanda’s southern Bugasera District, felt isolated from their classmates, unable to participate in even a simple game of hide-and-seek or football. Today, thanks to a better understanding of their special needs, this has changed.

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January 24th, 2012
Life-saving action against cholera in DR Congo
MBANDAKA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 16 January 2012 – “At the beginning I thought she had just diarrhea, but when she didn’t stop vomiting I took her to the hospital, where they told me it might be cholera,” said Getou Bofala, 35.

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January 17th, 2012
Partners work to bring peace to children associated with armed groups in DR Congo
BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 16 January 2012 – “I was 13 years old when the rebels came to my village. They didn’t ask questions. ‘Take your jacket and come, or we kill you,’” recounts Christian, 16.* “I stayed with them for three years, no thinking, just functioning.”

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January 18th, 2012
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake lauds the role of women and children during Nepal visit
KATHMANDU, Nepal, 13 January 2012 – On his first visit to Nepal, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake lauded the role played by Nepalese women and children in trying to better their lives.

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January 12th, 2012
After Pakistan’s floods, mobile teams bring health messages to villagers
BADIN DISTRICT, Pakistan, 13 January 2012 – Andraj, 11, looks up at a familiar sound. His eyes brighten and, without pausing to put on his shoes, he dashes barefoot out of his house.

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January 16th, 2012
Over 1.2 million Libyan children return to school after months of conflict
TRIPOLI, Libya, 13 January 2012 – On 7 January, nearly a year after conflict broke out in Libya, more than 1.2 million children returned to school, many for the first time in many months.

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January 12th, 2012
Field diary: UNICEF prepares to help victims of conflict in South Sudan
PIBOR, South Sudan, 12 January 2012 – It was 7 a.m. when I boarded a UN MI8 helicopter with colleagues from the Human Rights and Child Protection section of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), as well as representatives from the South Sudan Human Rights Commission, the South Sudan Peace Commission, the World Food Programme, and media representatives from South Sudan Radio and Television.

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January 12th, 2012
Marking its first year without any polio cases, India takes a giant leap toward wiping out the disease
NEW YORK, USA, 12 January 2012 – Once recognized as the epicenter of the polio epidemic, India is now on the verge of creating history by stopping the transmission of polio.

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January 12th, 2012
Four Haitian filmmakers explore conditions for children two years after the quake
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 12 January 2012 – UNICEF challenged young Haitian filmmakers to reveal how they view their country – and its conditions for children – two years after the January 2010 earthquake.

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January 15th, 2012
At Bangladesh drop-in centre, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake visits a bank operated by vulnerable girls
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 11 January 2012 – Masuda, 10, eagerly greeted UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake at the gate of a five-story drop-in-centre, a safe haven for girls living and working on the streets of Dhaka.

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January 10th, 2012
Two years after the earthquake, victories for Haiti’s children
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 11 January 2012 – January 12, 2010, the day a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, is still fresh in the memory of Renold Telford, Haiti’s Director of Basic Education.

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January 10th, 2012
Voices of the most vulnerable children heard at Rwanda’s annual National Children’s Summit
KIGALI, Rwanda, 11 January 2012 – Once a year, the seats of Rwanda’s parliament are filled with children.

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January 15th, 2012
Taleem-ul-Amal project helps child labourers obtain an education in Pakistan
SIALKOT, Pakistan, 10 January 2012 – Sadness fills the eyes of 12-year-old Chand Khushi Mohammad as he recalls walking the streets, collecting garbage, near Sialkot, a city known for sporting goods manufacturing, in Pakistan’s Punjab Province.

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January 12th, 2012
Somalia’s refugees return home to rebuild the country’s education system
SOMALILAND, Somalia, 10 January 2012 – Ali Abdullah stands at the front of the class asking students their ages, how long they take to walk to school, whether they are orphans, and whether any have learning or development needs.

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January 9th, 2012
UNICEF launches Schools for Asia to improve education for millions
New York, USA, 10 January 2012 – UNICEF is launching Schools for Asia today, an international fundraising initiative to improve the access and quality of education for disadvantaged children living across Asia and the Pacific.

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January 15th, 2012
Nutrition surveillance keeps malnutrition at bay in Peru
LIMA, Peru, 9 January 2012 – In the Andean community of Rosaspata, in Vinchos District, a community health promoter has invited children, their parents and a health centre representative to the local community hall for the area’s biweekly nutrition surveillance programme.

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January 8th, 2012
UNICEF plans to expand innovative pre-school programme
NEW YORK, USA, 9 January 2012 – A quality education is the cornerstone of every child’s rights, yet across the developing world millions of children’s futures are stunted because they don’t have the opportunity to learn.

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January 10th, 2012
Tens of thousands remain displaced in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines, 6 January 2012 – The gymnasium and multi-purpose hall of Macasandig Village, in the centre of Cagayan de Oro City, is normally a place of activity and entertainment. During summers and fiestas, sports competitions and musical programmes are staged here. Locals fill the gym to its topmost bleachers, cheering for their favourite teams or applauding dance performances.

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January 15th, 2012
In Haiti, guarding families from cholera with local water treatment product
LEOGANE, Haiti, 22 December 2011 – “My children only drink treated water,” said Celie Bien Aime, in Leogane, Haiti. “When they go to their friends’ houses, they don’t drink the water there.”

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January 5th, 2012
In Ghana, accelerated, flexible learning through 'School for Life' helps children go to school
TAMPION, Ghana, 6 January 2012 – Amama Abdullai was the first girl in her family to walk into a classroom, sit at a wooden bench and learn the alphabet.

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