28 September 2010, a mother holds her child while eating a slice of watermelon in Niamey the capital of Niger. In Niger many common childhood killer diseases such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections and malaria can be prevented with increased knowledge and adoption of key family practices such as exclusive breastfeeding up to six months, birth spacing, proper use of oral rehydration therapy and complementary food and regular hand washing among others. UNICEF and its partners work at the institutional, community, household and health facilities levels to promote the adoption of key family practices through community-driven initiatives and via the combination of traditional and modern communication channels to raise awareness on the links between poor hygiene, water and sanitation and the spread of diseases in populations.

Five in six children under two not getting enough nutrition for growth and brain development

Global News, Latest News 12:01

© UNICEF/UNI116106/Pirozzi NEW YORK/HONG KONG, 14 October 2016 –Five in six children under two years old are not fed enough nutritious food for their age, depriving them of the energy and nutrients they need at the most critical time in their physical and cognitive development, according to a new UNICEF report. “Infants and young children […]

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Statement attributable to Hanaa Singer, UNICEF Representative in Syria, on attack on a school in Daraa

Global News, Latest News, Syria Crisis 12:59

DAMASCUS/HONG KONG, 12 October 2016 – “UNICEF deplores yesterday’s attack on the “That al-Netaqeen” primary school in the city of Daraa which killed five school children, aged between four and 16, and left 15 other children injured. The conflict in Syria has plummeted to such lows that children are now risking their lives just to attend […]

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On 15 August 2016 in Muna Garage IDP Camp, Borno state, Nigeria, a UNICEF health worker uses a pen to mark the thumb of Ajeda Mallam, 6 months, who has just been vaccinated against polio at a camp for internally displaced persons outside Maiduguri northeast Nigeria. It is her first vaccination, having been born under Boko Haram captivity. UNICEF and partners have started an emergency polio immunization campaign in Borno State, as a result of two wild poliovirus cases recently found among children in the conflict-affected area. Nigeria – and the continent – had its last confirmed polio case two years ago and was within a year of being certified polio-free.

Massive immunization campaign to reach 41 million children in Nigeria and region to contain polio outbreak

Emergency Relief, Global News, Latest News, Nigeria Crisis, Vaccines 13:07

© UNICEF/UN028224/Esiebo DAKAR, Senegal/HONG KONG, 11 October 2016 – A major health campaign is underway in the Lake Chad Basin area to vaccinate over 41 million children against polio to contain the recent outbreak of the disease in north-east Nigeria. Populations fleeing conflict are on the move within the sub-region, raising concerns that the virus […]

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On 4 October 2016, at their doorstep, a mother with her two children look at the flooded neighbourhood of los Guandules, in Santo Domingo. Hurricane Matthew passed over Dominican Republic today with heavy rains, killing four people, including three children. It is estimated that many children and families have been displaced from their homes, in Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba, including 18,000 people in the Dominican Republic.

One week after Hurricane Matthew, at least 300 schools damaged in Haiti, over 100,000 children miss out on learning – UNICEF

Emergency Relief, Global News, Haiti Hurricane, Latest News 16:00

© UNICEF/UN034592/Afonso PORT-AU-PRINCE/NEW YORK/HONG KONG, 10 October 2016 – One week after Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti, and as schools re-open across the country, more than 100,000 children will be missing out on learning after their schools were either damaged or converted into shelters. “At least 100,000 children today will not experience the joy, safety […]

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On 6 October 2016, people continue to clean up in the western city of Jeremie. Hurricane Matthew passed over Haiti on Tuesday October 4, 2016, with heavy rains and winds. While the capital Port au Prince was mostly spared from the full strength of the class 4 hurricane, the western cities of Les Cayes and Jeremie received the full force sustaining wind and water damage across wide areas. Photo Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH

Race against time to prevent spread of waterborne diseases in hurricane-hit areas as rainy season starts in Haiti

Emergency Relief, Global News, Haiti Hurricane, Latest News 00:28

© UNICEF/UN034844/Abassi, UN-MINUSTAH PORT-AU-PRINCE/ NEW YORK/ HONG KONG, 8 October 2016 – With the start of the rainy season, and as the death toll from Hurricane Matthew continues to rise, UNICEF is sounding the alarm on the threat of waterborne diseases to children living in the worst-affected areas. “Overflowing rivers, stagnant waters, and animal and […]

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A badly damaged residential area in Hoeryong City, DPR Korea, following devastating floods in the north of the country. By 13 September 2016 in the north of DPR Korea, the severe flooding triggered by Typhoon Lionrock had displaced over 100,000 people and destroyed homes, schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure. The impact has been devastating and UNICEF is urgently working to help those most in need. “The scale of this disaster is beyond anything experienced by local officials,” said UNICEF Deputy Representative Murat Sahin, on the ground in a district outside Hoeryong City. “This is the worst flood seen by people in North Hamyong province in the past 60 years or more. I spoke with many affected people. As with disasters elsewhere in the world, for families the top priorities are food and shelter. UNICEF is working with the government and partners, dispatching emergency supplies by truck from Pyongyang to help children and their families. These supplies include emergency health kits, oral rehydration salts, therapeutic food and micronutrient powder sachets, as well as water purification tablets and filters.In a local district outside Hoeryong City, UNICEF staff saw the devastation laid bare. Homes have been flattened, crops destroyed and people were left eating the little food they had left, sat on top of the debris of their homes. “Families here lost everything during the floods,” said Sahin. “We met the household doctor for the community. She told us that 11 out of 15 pregnant women in the community had miscarriages since the floods.” A team from UNICEF were part of the joint UN, NGO and Government rapid assessment team. Additional supplies are also now being driven to some of the most affected areas. With winter approaching, it is critical the most vulnerable receive support as soon as possible. “I met a grandmother and held her two-year-old baby grandson in my arms. We talked about how we will work together to get through this

Thousands of children in urgent need in flood-ravaged North Korea as bitter winter looms

Global News, Latest News 18:15

© UNICEF/UN032105/Sahin 600,000 people affected by nation’s worst floods in living memory PYONGYANG/BANGKOK/HONG KONG, 7 October, 2016  – After disastrous flooding in North Korea in August and September left tens of thousands of children in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, a second wave of danger looms with winter approaching. Nearly 70,000 people are homeless and […]

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On 6 May 2016 in Yemen, a girl waits with her mother to be screened for malnutrition at the UNICEF- supported Al-Jomhouri Hospital in Sa’ada.

UNICEF Supports Health Centres in Yemen to Respond to Cholera Outbreak

Global News, Latest News, Yemen Conflict 12:29

© UNICEF/UN026927/Al-Zekri SANA’A/HONG KONG, 7 October 2016- Health authorities in Yemen confirmed a cholera outbreak on Thursday, 6 October, posing an increased health risk to the population-especially children-given the crumbling health system in the country. “This outbreak adds to the misery of millions of children in Yemen. We are supporting health centres to prevent and […]

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On 6 October 2016, clean up continues in Jeremie, Haiti. The city lies on the western tip of Haiti and suffered the full force of the category 4 storm, leaving tens of thousands stranded. Hurricane Matthew passed over Haiti on Tuesday October 4, 2016, with heavy rains and winds. While the capital Port au Prince was mostly spared from the full strength of the class 4 hurricane, the western cities of Les Cayes and Jeremie received the full force sustaining wind and water damage across wide areas. Photo Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH

Helping communities in Haiti recover from Hurricane Matthew

Emergency Relief, Global News, Haiti Hurricane, Latest News 17:48

© UNICEF/UN034843/Abassi, UN-MINUSTAH By Jean Panel Fanfan Hundreds of thousands of people are in need of humanitarian assistance after Hurricane Matthew passed over Haiti on 4 October. An estimated 500,000 children live in the hardest-hit areas. Hear one woman’s story of survival, and learn how UNICEF is responding to the needs on the ground. PORT-AU-PRINCE, […]

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A mother with her newborn baby recovers in a postnatal ward at the Shakawe clinic in the village of Shakawe in Botswana on November 29, 2010.

Investing in early childhood development essential to helping more children and communities thrive, new Lancet Series finds

Global News, Latest News 18:23

© UNICEF/UNI103175/Nesbitt 249 million children under five are at risk of not reaching developmental potential, implementing low-cost interventions could reverse this trend WASHINGTON, D.C./HONG KONG, 4 October 2016 – An estimated 43 per cent—249 million—of children under five in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at an elevated risk of poor development due to extreme poverty […]

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