UNICEF Achievements in 2020

UNICEF works day in, day out, in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the children and young people who are most at risk and most in need.

We work to save their lives.

To protect their rights.

To keep them safe from harm.

To give them a childhood in which they’re protected, healthy and educated.

To give them a fair chance to fulfil their potential.

COVID-19 Response

UNICEF provided emergency support to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines and protect the lives of children and their families.

• 83,000 health and community workers provided with personal protective equipment.
• 15,000 health and sanitary workers trained on COVID-19 infection prevention and control for health care facilities.
• Information campaigns promoting hygiene and safety practices to protect oneself and others from COVID-19 reached 34.2 million people.
• Supporting the Department of Health to draft the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Policy Framework and Vaccine Deployment & Immunization Plan.

Helping children survive and thrive

UNICEF addresses children’s needs in quality health care, adequate nutrition, immunization, adolescent health and early childhood development.

• 6.6 million children vaccinated against polio and 4 million children vaccinated against measles and rubella through the Department of Health’s supplementary immunization campaigns.
• 9,863 community service providers and mothers trained on maternal and child nutrition.
• 31,043 children received better nutrition and care after their parents and caregivers received crucial information from our campaigns.

Helping children live in safe and clean environments

With the onset of COVID-19, UNICEF quickly focused on WASH services as a critical part of its pandemic response.

• Delivered lifesaving COVID-19 advisories to 25 million children on health, nutrition, and child protection through SMS blasts, social media, and free TV and radio.
• Provided hygiene materials and installed emergency WASH equipment in healthcare and quarantine facilities and communities in COVID-19 hotspots.

Helping children learn

Children and young people face challenges in their education. UNICEF supports the Department of Education’s learning continuity programs to help ensure that children and adolescents continue to learn during the pandemic.

• Developed e-books for 3 million children.
• Created an online platform for the Alternative Learning System where 200,000 adolescents accessed learning modules.
• Webinars on home-based early childhood education were attended by 73,000 parents, caregivers, social workers and teachers.
• Learning materials and tents to serve as temporary classrooms were provided to 14,000 students affected by disasters.

Protecting children from violence and exploitation

Filipino children continue to be at risk in their homes, schools, communities and online. UNICEF works to strengthen the systems that prevent and respond to violence against children and ensure children’s access to justice, and recovery programs.

• Provided technical support to the government that led to the issuance of a joint memorandum circular to prioritize children’s rights during the pandemic.
• Worked with the private sector on increasing child online safety during the lockdown.
• Strengthened the capacity of social service workers and teachers on prevention and response to violence against children.
• 38,155 Philippine Red Cross helpline callers were provided with psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Partnerships to protect and promote children's rights

• In 2020, UNICEF worked with multi-national corporations, local companies and small to medium-sized businesses to support child development programs and humanitarian assistance in emergencies.
• UNICEF Philippines is grateful to the Governments of Australia, Japan, Korea, Spain, the UK, and the US for their support to UNICEF regular programme and emerging advocacy areas alongside the pandemic response.