At a glance: Slovakia

UNICEF in Slovakia

© UNICEF Slovakia

Peter Dvorský, internationally-famous opera singer

The Slovak Committee for UNICEF was established in 1993 after the former Czechoslovakia split into two independent states (Slovakia and the Czech Republic).

In the past decade, the Slovak Committee has helped UNICEF become one of the most popular and respected international organizations in Slovakia, according to the results of an independent survey.

The Committee has successfully developed the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in Slovakia and has played a significant role in raising public awareness of child rights, including specifically the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

© UNICEF Slovakia

Stanislav Stepka, playwright, actor and director, and Kamila Magálová, actress and member of the Slovak National Theatre

Since 1996, the committee has provided financial and technical support to ChildLine, a 24-hour telephone hotline offering comfort, advice and protection to any child or young person who calls. More than 80 professionally trained volunteers handle the toll-free calls at ChildLine. Other ChildLine volunteers carry out educational and fundraising activities at elementary and secondary schools across Slovakia. They have presented topics based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child at about 60 schools. They have also raised public awareness about UNICEF campaigns in Slovakia, including ‘A Drop of Water,’ aimed at providing aid to Ethiopia, and ‘A Pencil,’ aimed at supporting girls’ education programmes in Sudan.

Other important UNICEF initiatives are the UNICEF March, which started in 1998 and which takes place annually at six different sites around Slovakia; a football match pitting the Government against diplomats; and a concert just before Christmas. The Slovak Committee also organizes a yearly spring garden party as a big fundraising event.

All of the social activities organized by the Slovak Committee for UNICEF are carried out in cooperation with national celebrities. These include Kamila Magálová, a popular actress and member of the Slovak National Theatre; Peter Dvorský, an internationally-famous opera singer; pop star and composer Vaso Patejdl; and Stanislav Stepka, a playwright, actor and theatre director. Through their high-profile work and charity performances, these artists have helped to raise public awareness about UNICEF and child rights.