UNICEF HK launched an emergency action entitled 「童你抗疫」衞生行動 ‘for every child, hygiene’, providing toilet disinfection service, delivering hygiene packs, and disseminating educational resources on personal and household hygiene to 10,000 grassroots families living in subdivided flats. This action aims to strengthen their awareness on hygienic home environment, in particular toilet sanitation, to prevent and control diseases and safeguard the health of disadvantaged children and their families. Globally, UNICEF is addressing the outbreak by focusing its efforts to support China and the countries with confirmed cases in East Asia and the Pacific region, in containing the spread of the virus. Since January, UNICEF has flown in over 30 tonnes of supplies, including protective suits, masks, goggles and gloves. At the moment, UNICEF urgently appeals for US$651 million to support its global response to the outbreak. Please donate generously. (In the unusual event that donations for the COVID-19 emergency exceed the needs, we will direct the gift to support children in crises.)

provides assistance to thousands of children living in natural disasters and crises.

We urgently need YOUR HELP to extend immunization to every child, everywhere. Don’t let vaccine-preventable diseases like measles make a comeback and take dangerous hold across the world again.

Globally, natural disasters are occurring almost five times as frequently as 40 years ago. The increase in frequency and ferocity of extreme weather events will continue to threaten children’s lives and health over the coming decades. Severe weather events can destroy or disrupt infrastructure critical to children’s well-being, including schools and health facilities. Floods compromise the water and sanitation system. Droughts and changing global rainfall patterns are leading to crop failures. UNICEF is now supporting government initiatives on developing and strengthening climate-smart water, sanitation and hygiene services, sustainable energy and disaster risk response in schools and health centres. This not only improve children’s resilience to future climate and environmental shocks, but also helps prevent greater inequality as a result of climate change.

Education is a right and a crucial opportunity. It holds the key to a better life for children and adolescents. The near universalization of primary schooling is one of the great global achievements of the past 50 years. An estimated 617 million children and adolescents are unable to reach minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics – even though two thirds of them are in school. The breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation even worser due to the school closure. Without skills for lifelong learning, children face greater barriers to earning potential and employment in later life. They are more likely to suffer adverse health outcomes – threatening their ability to build a better future for themselves and their communities. In 144 countries and regions around the globe, UNICEF works to provide online and offline learning opportunities that prepare children and adolescents with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive. Our approach to education ensures children are not only taught to read and write but to be active members of society who share their knowledge for the benefit of all.

provides basic medical care to children and women in poor areas in China.