Organised by the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK), the China Children’s Week 2018 – Little Artists Big Dreams Drawing Competition was successfully held at Central Lawn, Nursery Park, West Kowloon Cultural District on 18 March 2018 (Sunday). Under the theme ‘for every child, a better world’, the competition raised funds for UNICEF’s ‘Cash […]
The lack of precipitation in late 2017 and early this year is leading to food insecurity and water scarcity that could worsen the already high malnutrition rates among children. KABUL/HONG KONG, 23 April 2018 – The extremely dry winter has affected 22 provinces across Afghanistan and now threatens to negatively impact the lives of one million […]
![[NAME CHANGED] Gertrude, 15, who attends grade CM2, the last year of primary school, stands against a wall in Ndenga village, Kaga Bandoro, Central African Republic, Saturday 4 November 2017. "I missed two years of school because the Séléka [rebels] attacked our village and we fled to the bush" says Gertrude. "While looking for food my father and my cousin were killed by the Séléka, and it made me very angry so I joined the anti-balaka group. I was 12 at the time. I used to cook for them. Now I am back to school and happy, but life is still very difficult because we are eight children at home, with my father dead and my mother handicapped. What I dream of in the future is to be able to do some trade, maybe have a little shop so I can support my family.”
As of October 2017, violent clashes and inter-communal tensions fuelled by armed groups have continuously increased in the Central African Republic (CAR). In the absence of an effective judicial system and basic security services by the public administration, armed groups have continued to perpetrate violent and destabilizing acts, of which the civilian population is the main victim. The targeting of minorities, including women and children, has resurfaced, with killings and attacks against communities multiplying.
Conflict and forced displacement is increasingly widespread and impacting previously unaffected parts of the country. As the crisis further expands towards the southeast and northwest of the country, there are new displacements and there is a significant risk that the condition of people previously displaced that remain in camps will deteriorate. Nearly one family out of four has already been forced to flee or seek refuge in neighbouring countries.
While the official opening of the 2017–2018 school year kicked off on 18 September, many schools remain closed in areas where violence and insecurity persists. According to the Ministry of Education, over 170,000 children had not started school by t](https://www.unicef.org.hk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/UN0149414-1200x800.jpg)
© UNICEF/UN0149414/Sokhin Gertrude, 15, stands against a wall in Ndenga village, Central African Republic. “I missed two years of school because the rebels attacked our village and we fled to the bush,” she says. “Now I am back to school and happy, but life is still very difficult because we are eight children, with my […]
© UNICEF/Syria/2017/Al-Issa A 15 year old boy who missed a year of schooling when violence escalated in his village in Syria. Civil war Sieges Bombings Casualties Refugees I had heard these terms in history class, abstract concepts I hadn’t paid much attention to. Seven years ago, at the age of eleven, they became my reality. […]
© USA/2018/Carly Kabot High school students during a school walkout that aimed to raise awareness about violence against children in schools. 100 unopened texts. I turned to my friend who was reading the conversation, and that’s when I realized something wasn’t right. I slammed my laptop shut and asked what was going on while simultaneously […]
© UNICEF/Abubakar Four years on from Chibok abduction, UNICEF continues to call for children’s release and immediate end to attacks on schools. ABUJA/DAKAR/NEW YORK/HONG KONG, 13 April 2018 – Since 2013, more than 1,000 children have been abducted by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria, including 276 girls taken from their secondary school in the town […]
Hong Kong, April 12, 2018 – On May 4, also known as “Star Wars Day”, everyone in the city can celebrate the iconic franchise, wear their Solo style and donate to support UNICEF’s work for children by taking part in Hong Kong’s first ever “Star Wars Dress Up Day 2018”, powered by Star Wars: Force […]
NEW YORK, 8 April 2018 – “There continues to be no respite for the children of Syria. Shelling on Damascus City has reportedly led to civilian casualties and violence has resumed in the besieged enclave of Douma in Eastern Ghouta, with fatal attacks against civilian infrastructure and damage to health facilities. “I am particularly horrified by […]