© UNICEF Burundi/2015/Luthi Gustave (left), 89, and his wife took in their five grandchildren, including Patrice and Jérémie (right), after their parents passed away. Until the outbreak of violence earlier this year, the children had grown up in a peaceful environment. By Eliane Luthi For children exposed to the continuing violence in Burundi, providing […]
![On 11 December 2015, girls play with dolls at the refugee shelter at Templehof Airfield in Berlin. (Left-right) sisters Isree, 10, and Ilaf, 12, from Hassaka, Syria with friends Helen, 10, from Qaamishle, Syria; and Noor, 10, from Idlib, Syria. Templehof Airfield is a former airport dating back to the 1920s, and was used during the Berlin Airlift in 1948. The hangers are today are housing 2,000 refugees, and while designed for transiting within two weeks, many families living there have been there since the shelter opened 6 weeks ago. Authorities, NGOs and staff working for a private company running the facility are doing the best they can to make the situation more bearable under quite difficult circumstances. The shelter started operating with two days notice before the first refugees arrived. There are activities for children and they are being scaled up in cooperation with NGOs Save the Children and Together.
"We don't understand the language, and we don't know when we're getting out of there." said Helen, "It's really boring. And at night, it gets really cold. We can't go to the toilets at night, because they're outside and it's freezing cold." Until showers are finished being built on the premises, the residents of Templehof are bussed to nearby public pools once a week to shower. "The showers are communal and we only have ten minutes to wash," said Helen, "I'm scared the bus taking us back to the camp is going to leave. That happened once and we were stranded [...] We heard a kid was kidnapped and had his throat cut with a knife," she continued, "So we are very afraid. They're just rumours, but we hear a lot of stories about violence, of people being killed [...] One of the good things here are the German classes, and some days circus performers come. They said that they would take us out to a real circus soon. [...] There is a place for kids, but it's been closed for a couple of days now because they're refurnishing it. They're bringing new toys. It's v](https://www.unicef.org.hk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/UN04026_Med-Res-1200x800.jpg)
© UNICEF/UN04026/Gilbertson VII On 11 December 2015, girls play with dolls at the refugee shelter at Templehof Airfield in Berlin. BERLIN, Germany/ HONG KONG, 14 December 2015 – With more than 300,000 refugee and migrant children having entered Germany this year, UNICEF and the Government of Germany today announced a new partnership aimed at improving […]
PARIS, France/ HONG KONG, 10 December 2015 – Children are already paying a heavy price for the world’s inaction on climate change, UNICEF said. “The future of today’s children, particularly the most disadvantaged, is at stake,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, speaking at an event at the 21st United Nations climate change conference in […]
HONG KONG, 9 December 2015 – Tse Sui Luen Jewellery (International) Limited (“TSL Jewellery”), one of the largest jewellers in Asia, announced the launch of “Your Little Their Mickle”, a charity campaign which will last for three years. Money raised will go to the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) to fully support UNICEF’s Water […]
A new report by UNICEF provides detailed analysis of why climate change is one of the greatest threats facing children today and highlights the urgency of ambitious action. By Alex Heikens 2 December 2015 – Friends sometimes ask me why UNICEF – whose mandate is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights – […]
© UNICEF/UNI200630/Sanadiki By Guy De Launey As temperatures drop and families continue to arrive in Europe in search of safety and a better life, UNICEF and its partners are working urgently to provide support to the youngest travellers. SID, Serbia/ HONG KONG, 2 December 2015 – Chartered buses lined up at the Sid railway […]
© UNICEF EAPRO/2015/Simon Nazer Xiao Tian, 19, holding his phone with the Lingnan Partner mobile app, where people can access a host of HIV-related support and services. by Simon Nazer, Communication Consultant, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific In the centre of Guangzhou, a sprawling industrial city of 12 million in Southern China, dedicated […]