http://www.unicef.org/ News from UNICEF, Press releases, News notes, Media advisories, Statements en-us Copyright 2007, UNICEF Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:44:50 GMT Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:52:58 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rss/ http://www.unicef.org/images/unicef_aqua.gif http://www.unicef.org/ http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/nigeria_50153.rhtml ESI-EKET, Nigeria, 2 July 2009 – Paul, a young man whose father heads a school, has been living at the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) centre in Esi-Eket for about two years now. His father visits him at the centre occasionally but is not willing to take him home due to the stigma associated with 'child witches'. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:52:58 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/syria_50122.rhtml DAMASCUS, Syrian Arab Republic, 30 June 2009 – UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman concluded a landmark tour of Syria by commending UNICEF's Syrian partners for their accomplishments benefiting children and young people. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:44:35 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/videoaudio/video_50124.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 30 June 2009 – People all over the world can talk about children's rights, but it is children themselves who have firsthand experience on the subject. In honour of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) – which will be observed later this year – UNICEF is inviting young people around the world to share their thoughts on the issue in video form. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:50:41 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/benin_50115.rhtml COTONOU, Benin, 29 June 2009 – Four years after the launch of the School Fee Abolition Initiative (SFAI), 40 representatives from Congo, Mali, Togo and Benin convened a five-day workshop in Cotonou last week to assess the programme's results and share their experiences. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:03:11 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/girlseducation/index_50107.rhtml PRISTINA,29 June 2009 – In a desolate corner on the outskirts of Pristina, Kosovo, two men sit on the bare ground, mending a bicycle that is a lifeline for their families. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:52:58 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/bangladesh_50110.rhtml BARGUNA, Bangladesh, 29 June 2009 – Cyclone Aila swept through south-west Bangladesh on 25 May, reducing homes to rubble, destroying crops and leaving villagers withoutsafe water or sanitation. In the weeks since, affected communities have been struggling to cope with the storm's impact. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:50:40 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/chad_50098.rhtml GOZ BEIDA, Chad, 26 June 2009 – The Day of the African Child celebration in the Dar Sila region of eastern Chad started with a controlled explosion on 16 June. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:50:41 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/italy_50096.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 26 June 2009 – If you had the opportunity to tell the world's leaders what they should do to solve global problems, what would you say? That's the question youth delegates to the Junior 8 Summit will wrestle with as they prepare to meet with presidents and prime ministers from the G8 industrialized nations in Italy next month. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:50:40 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/georgia_50094.rhtml RUSTAVI, Georgia, 26 June 2009 – Tornike Shubutidze darts around the city square in Rustavi with a small video camera looking for the best angles to film passersby. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:03:11 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/sierraleone_50092.rhtml FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 25 June 2009 – Baindu Sesay, 40, hails from Pepel village, Port Loko, north of Freetown, but she and her family were visiting relatives in the south-eastern city of Kenema during the 'Mami en Pikin Well Bodi' campaign (also known as Mother and Child Health Week) that took place across the country earlier this month. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:03:11 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/oPt_50090.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 25 June 2009 – Although much of the news from the Occupied Palestinian Territory is focused on violence and conflict, there is different, yet just as important, reporting happening on the ground in the region – reporting from a distinctly youth perspective. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:03:12 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/girlseducation/index_49971.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 12 June 2009 – As the economic crisis continues to take a toll on the world's poorest families, UNICEF and its partners have released two books to boost the global effort to abolish school fees. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:03:11 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/somalia_50078.rhtml EL-BERDE, Somalia, 24 June 2009 – From early in the morning, the outpatient therapeutic centre (OTP) in El-Berde is crowded with women and their children seeking its services. The OTP is set up inside the town's maternal and child health centre to treat children suffering from severe acute malnutrition – a life-threatening condition. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:03:11 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/somalia_50085.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 24 June 2009 – The Somali militia group Al Shabaab is still occupying the UNICEF base in Jowhar town, nearly six weeks after taking it over on 17 May. Jowhar is UNICEF's main hub for the southern and central regions of Somalia. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:50:41 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/bangladesh_50071.rhtml NABINAGAR, Bangladesh, 23 June 2009 – No matter how hard Abeda Khatum – a villager in the community of Zinodpur – pumps the tubewell, no water comes out. The rainy season is about to start, but for now, the canal boats are stranded in the mud. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:03:11 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/mauritania_50082.rhtml OUALATA, Mauritania, 24 June 2009 – When the school's headmaster announced the arrival of the tetanus vaccination team, Lalla Vatma, 14, and several of her schoolmates, were excused from class. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:03:12 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/afghanistan_50072.rhtml KABUL, Afghanistan, 23 June 2009 – Child labour is an issue of growing concern in Afghanistan. The ongoing political tensions, insecurity and rising food prices have put the livelihoods of vulnerable families and children increasingly at risk. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:03:14 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/guinea_50063.rhtml KISSIDOUGOU, Guinea, 22 June 2009 – With the help of a motorcycle ambulance, Marie Tounkara was rushed to the emergency room to give birth to her baby boy. It was a close call, as she required a caesarean section to save the baby's life. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/chad_50047.rhtml IRIBA, Chad, 19 June 2009 – Children protecting the rights of children: That's the idea behind the workshop being held in Iridimi, one of three camps in northern Chad for refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/zimbabwe_50044.rhtml HARARE, Zimbabwe, 18 June 2009 – UNICEF recently supported a successful round of outreach vaccinations during 'Child Health Days'. The intensive five-day campaign reached even the most remote communities in Zimbabwe. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/myanmar_50033.rhtml KATIPAR YWAR THIT, Myanmar, 17 June 2009 – A child laden with heavy water buckets isn't always a cheerful sight. But in Katipar Ywar Thit village, it has a different connotation. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/georgia_50030.rhtml KIRBALI, Georgia, 17 June 2009 – Life is gradually returning to normal for most children at the Kirbali Village School near Gori following last year's conflict which resulted large numbers of civilian casualties. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:22 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/italy_50031.rhtml ROME, Italy, 18 June 2009 – It is the night of the champions, hosted by Rome, Italy. It's the match of the century, and everything will happen in ninety minutes. At the first whistle, two great teams will face off, teams from two very different nations, with two different football philosophies, but with some of the greatest football talents between them. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/cotedivoire_50022.rhtml DJAN, Côte d'Ivoire, 17 June 2009 – Sabra Seydou arrived at the Abobo Kennedy Clinic in Abidjan with just minutes to spare before giving birth. It was only her second visit to the clinic since the beginning of her pregnancy, as she could not afford all of the standard prenatal tests or consultations. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/guyana_50002.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 16 June 2009 – After enduring centuries of colonialism, slavery, and indentured servitude, the people of Latin America and the Caribbean emerged with one of the richest blends of cultures in the world. Throughout the region, Africans, Europeans, east and south Asians, and indigenous Americans are mixing the old ways with the new, creating a dynamic incubator for artists, dancers and musicians. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/videoaudio/video_49996.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 15 June 2009 – An estimated 100 million girls around the world are involved in child labour, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/burundi_50003.rhtml BUJUMBURA, Burundi, 16 June 2009 – UNICEF Eminent Advocate for Children Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg has pledged to defend the interests of children of Burundi and all children in the international community. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/syria_50005.rhtml DAMASCUS, Syrian Arab Republic, 16 June 2009 – Miriam, 11, is from Baghdad. She has been attending Jerji Toma School since 2008. This year she witnessed a transformation. When she first arrived, she remembers paint cracking off the walls and old school books. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:03:12 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/southafrica_49980.rhtml CAPE TOWN, South Africa, 12 June 2009 – AIDS activist and Digital Diarist Thembi Ngubane died last Thursday at the age of 24. Thembi was a uniquely positive force and a tireless campaigner for people living with HIV. Her funeral will take place in South Africa tomorrow. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/zimbabwe_49983.rhtml WASHINGTON, DC, USA, 12 June 2009 – UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman met today with Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, and three of his government ministers. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/drcongo_49979.rhtml KIPUSHI, Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 June 2009 – Covered in powder, Sylvian, 2, sits alongside his mother, pounding rocks with a mallet in an ore heap in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rocks, dust and sun: This is the only life Sylvian has known. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/nepal_49982.rhtml KATHMANDU, Nepal, 12 June 2009 – Maya Waiba was still shy of her 10th birthday when a labour contractor in her impoverished village in the south of Nepal promised her parents that she would receive a decent salary and an education in Kathmandu. What Maya got instead was a back-breaking job as a weaver in a carpet factory. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:22 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/spain_49970.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 11 June 2009 – Fresh from their 2009 Champions League victory, Futbol Club Barcelona yesterday launched a photography exhibition to raise awareness about the team's other passion – the lives of young people living with HIV. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/about/execboard/index_49967.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 11 June 2009 – The last day of the Annual Session of UNICEF's Executive Board began on a sombre note yesterday morning. Executive Director Ann M. Veneman eulogized Perseveranda So, Chief of Education in UNICEF's Islamabad office, who was killed in a hotel bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan on 9 June. The Executive Board followed with a moment of silence in Ms. So's memory. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:21 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/about/execboard/index_49950.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 10 June 2009 – In an ever-changing world community now faced with a global financial crisis, UNICEF's partnerships and collaborative relationships are becoming increasingly crucial. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:05:23 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/pakistan_49947.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 10 June 2009 – The continuing violence in northwest Pakistan claimed yet more lives yesterday, when a vehicle forced its way into the car park of the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar and exploded. Among those killed in the attack was Perseveranda So, 52, who served as Chief of Education in UNICEF's Islamabad office. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/pakistan_49946.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 10 June 2009 – The UNICEF family today mourns the tragic loss of Perseveranda So in the bombing of a hotel in northwest Pakistan last night. We miss her already. She personified UNICEF at its best, and we will honour her by carrying on her work – our work – with her memory in our hearts. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/oPt_49941.rhtml NABLUS, Occupied Palestinian Territory, 9 June 2009 – Several times a month, Fatima Alshopy navigates the narrow streets of the Number One Refugee Camp in the West Bank city of Nablus to visit Maha Qatouny, a mother of three who recently suffered a terrible loss. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/burkinafaso_49933.rhtml GANGAOL, Burkina Faso, 8 June 2009 - Gangaol village is located between the Sahel Region and the Centre-North of Burkina Faso. This is a hot and scrubby land, bordering the desert, where increasingly marginal land is being used to farm millet and sorghum - the only crops that can grow here. The region has been struck by frequent droughts and locust swarms, which resulted in famine in 1973, 1984 and 2005. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/usa_49935.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 8 June 2009 - For an impoverished mother in a developing country whose child is infected with HIV, something as simple as finding the money for regular taxi trips to a clinic for treatment can be daunting. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/about/execboard/index_49936.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 8 June 2009 – UNICEF's Executive Board convened the first day of its annual session today at United Nations headquarters in New York City where Executive Director Ann M. Veneman presented her annual report against the backdrop of a global economic downturn. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/niger_49926.rhtml MARADI, Niger, 5 June 2009 – Aboubacar Sidikou used to be an active two-year-old, running after goats in the courtyard or playing hide-and-seek all day long with his brothers. Now, the once enthusiastic boy has now become very shy. He rests in the arms of his grandmother and suddenly does not pay attention to anyone anymore. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:29 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/pakistan_49925.rhtml NOWSHERA, Pakistan, 5 June 2009 – Three weeks ago, Hanifa and her four children fled their home in Mingora, in the Swat valley in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, where fighting has intensified heavily over the past month. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/kenya_49921.rhtml NAIROBI, Kenya, 4 June 2009 – In 2007, there were 2.7 million new cases of HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa. At the recent Regional Consultation on Accelerating Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Paediatric Care and Treatment, governments of nine countries with high HIV prevalence were urged to take immediate action to expand and strengthen existing PMTCT services, as well as to increase treatment to infected mothers and children. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/haiti_49915.rhtml NEW YORK, USA, 4 June 2009 – This year's Atlantic storm season began on Monday and many forecasters are expecting that it will not be as intense as last year, which saw 16 tropical storms and eight hurricanes. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/pakistan_49887.rhtml SWABI, Pakistan, 3 June 2009 – "Over there we couldn't go to school. Here there is no bombing. Here we aren't scared," says Ikram Ullah, 10, sitting in the dusty grounds of Chota Lahore Camp primary school with his two younger sisters, Hinaz and Naseema. "But I miss my school and my school friends." Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/chad_49886.rhtml GORE, Chad, 3 June 2009 – After the death of her husband in 2007, Hadidia Aliou fled her home village in northern Central African Republic (CAR), taking her five children with her. The family now lives in the camp of Dosseye, one of three refugee camps located about 30 kilometres from the shared Chad/CAR border. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:28 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/zimbabwe_49881.rhtml HARARE, Zimbabwe, 3 June 2009 – Zimbabweans continue to suffer through the worst cholera outbreak in Africa in fifteen years. According to a new report by the Red Cross, nearly 100,000 cases of cholera have been reported throughout the country, and over four thousand people have died. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:07:30 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/rwanda_49869.rhtml KIGALI, Rwanda, 2 June 2009 – The day began like any other quiet Sunday in the western province of Rwanda. Lake Kivu glimmered in the sun and the hills surrounding it were green and filled with life. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:09:34 GMT http://www.unicef.org/rsstracker/news/infobycountry/cotedivoire_49867.rhtml ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire, 2 June 2009 – It's Tuesday morning and the children of the heavily populated neighbourhood of Abobo are warming up for a day of study. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:09:34 GMT