WORLD CHILDREN’S DAY by Bridget Harvey
Globally, November 20 is recognized as World Children’s Day. In part, it’s a day to celebrate how much we have accomplished to enhance the lives of children around the world, but also a reminder that roughly 15,000 children die from preventable causes every day. Today, millions of children will wake up in an unfamiliar new region, displaced by conflict in their home country. Some children will be forced into labor instead of going to school and playing with their friends and 155 million children under the age of 5 were stunted, which means that nearly 1 in 4 children suffered from chronic malnutrition. As you can see, we’ve still got a long way to go before all children are not just surviving, but thriving.
So what’s the good news? UNICEF (and many others) is working in 190 countries and territories to reach the world’s most vulnerable children. UNICEF USA has an active group of supporters who activate everyday around UNICEF’s important work, bringing a voice to these issues. One example is UNICEF Next Generation – they’re fundraising and bringing awareness to a project which works to provide neonatal kits to newborns through the employment and empowerment of Syrian refugee women. They’re full of mamas we love and they’re supporting mamas we love!
Here’s what you can do to help:
1. Call your member of Congress and advocate for the UNICEF funding that will benefit the most vulnerable children across the globe. This page makes it an easy 3-step process!
2. Get kids to help kids! Research on this beautiful model of kids helping kids has shown some powerful outcomes. One example can be seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, where kids who had suffered from the devastation of the disaster started using Kid Power bands (which unlock essential food packets for malnourished kids abroad when you get active), their spirits were lifted, and the act of helping other children who were also facing hardship somewhere else in the world became a therapeutic part of their recovery.
3. Post on social! Using the hashtag, #WorldChildrensDay, let everyone know you are standing with the most vulnerable kids across the globe. Or even let your kids do a #kidstakeover today to talk about why they deserve to have access to an education, a right to play, and to thrive! Check out UNICEF USA and UNICEF NextGen channels for Inspiration @UNICEFUSA @UNICEFnextgen
Bridget is a Program Engagement Fellow, Next Generation for UNICEF USA