A vaccination campaign to eradicate polio
The Government of Benin organized with the support of UNICEF, the National Polio Vaccination Campaign. Benin notified its last case of polio in 2009 and no other case has been identified since this date.
#aidsfree Africa? It starts with children
Imagine West & Central Africa with a whole generation being AIDS free; where those who are living with HIV get the treatment & care they need; where all children can pursue their dreams & contribute to their future. This is now within reach.
A Promise Renewed - Surviving the first month
West and Central Africa is the region of the world where children under 5 are most at risk of dying from preventable causes. Almost one out of eight dies before the age of 5. Yet, progress has been made to reduce child mortality.
Female Genital Mutilation 2013 - Scars and girls
Female genital mutilation has been illegal in Cote d'Ivoire since 1998. Yet 36% of women have been cut. This can happen to babies as young as 3 months. The scars left are both physical and psychological.
World Refugee Day: from Sudan to Chad
Chronic instability, ethnic tensions and civil war. When home gets unsafe, leaving becomes the only option. Thousands of returnees and refugees crossed the border from Sudan to neighbouring Chad where they receive support from UNICEF and partners.
“Harmful practices through children's eyes”
Labour, life on the streets or fistula endanger lives and health. How do children from Niger feel about it? Ousseina, Aichatou and Bilal share their views through their cameras. On the Day of the African Child, have a look at their photo album.
See the African child first –not the disability
They are sometimes said they bring bad luck. They are often invisible –in data and societies. The truth is –all African children with disabilities have abilities. It’s about what they can do, not what they cannot do. Change your view.
Conference against Child Undernutrition, Paris 2013
Why does good nutrition matter for children under five? How to address the causes of chronic malnutrition? How much money does Africa lose without preventive measures? Find out with over 400 experts who are brought together in Paris on May 14 and 15.
From Dad to social mobilizer
Sharing his son’s experience with Polio, Priest Severin from Kalemi, DR Congo convinces parents from his community to accept vaccination for their kids. His work in the polio campaign is crucial.
DR Congo: Mama Filomena against “woundza – woundza”
When Mama Filomena is cultivating her land, she volunteers as a polio vaccinator. Let’s follow her in the Democratic Republic of Congo and find out out what motivates her and how she manages to convince parents to get their children vaccinated.
DR Congo: Mama Josephine in the polio frontline
Under the sun. Under the rain. Up to the montains. Down the hills. Across the rivers. Nothing stops her. Until all children get vaccinated. Let's follow Mama Josephine, polio vaccinator off the beaten tracks in DR Congo.
World AIDS Day 2012: Imagine being Kudirat
Kudirat from Nigeria is HIV-positive. While pregnant, she received medical attention to prevent mother-to-child transmission. She gave birth to twins and both are HIV-negative. Interventions like this are making the difference for women and children.
Back to school with Safiatou
Getting children into school and keeping them there. Simple but challenging in Burkina Faso. Luckily, Safiatou’s parents understand the value of education. Every morning before school, the 12-year-old girl helps her family with household work.
Cholera: Poor sanitation costs lives in West Africa
Marbella. In this urban-poor community of Freetown, Sierra Leone, about 200 to 300 people share the same latrine. With poor sanitation, high density of population and heavy rainfalls, cholera can spread very easily.
Day of the African Child: Change your view
They are often portrayed as ‘disabled’. But it’s a different story when they are given a chance. Ten children, in ten countries, with ten ‘disabilities’ want to change your view.
Biking for health in Ghana
Children in remote villages in the north of Ghana can live many hours away from the nearest health centre. Distance puts them at risk of dying from easily treatable diseases. UNICEF-trained local community-based agents (CBA) are filling this gap.
Mothers and babies in Mali and Niger
On International Family Day, 15 May 2012, we highlight what mothers do to promote healthy lives for their children amidst an unfolding nutrition crisis in the Sahel.
Something to celebrate in Ghana
The introduction of pneumocccal and rotavirus vaccines in Ghana means mothers and children at last have a fighting chance of surviving pneumonia and diarrhoea.
Road to recovery: Visiting a nutrition centre in Chad
Doctors and nurses have been working around the clock to help malnourished children at a UNICEF-supported nutrition centre in Mao, Chad. With timely treatment and care, a child below five can recover quickly and start smiling again.
Chad: it's time to act!
In Chad, there are all the signs of a deep hunger crisis. UNICEF is scaling up its response to provide life-saving treatment for over 102,000 severely malnourished. It's time to act.
Rolling back malnutrition in Chad
In Chad, 2 million people are in need of food. This year's lean season is hardest than usual. More than 102,000 severely malnourished children will need life-saving treatment. UNICEF and partners know what to do to save the lives of children at risk.
By their own hands, Healthy villages save lives
About 100,000 children die each year of diarrhea in the DR Congo because of low access to safe drinking water and sanitation. It's an everyday silent emergency to which communities are responding through the "healthy village" programme.
Indigenous rights in Central African Republic
Aka Pygmies of the Central African Republic are hunter-gatherers indigenous to Central African rainforests. Because of their short stature and distinct lifestyle, they have historically suffered marginalization and discrimination by other ethnic groups.
Childhood on the smiling coast
The Gambia is one of the smallest and more stable African countries. But stability has not carved into progress. Poverty translates into an estimated 7,000 needless child deaths and 360 maternal deaths every year.
Nigeria's water and sanitation challenge
Safe water and sanitation are vital for public health and for human rights. Yet in Nigeria, despite the country's wealth, an estimated 335,000 children die annually of water-borne diseases.
Fighting for survival - seven years on
Seven years after the end of the civil war, children in Sierra Leone are still fighting for their survival. Unfortunately, even with peace, children still need protection from clear and present threats.
Challenging number 6 - Childhood in Mali
Mali is working hard to improve life for children. The country is 6th from bottom on the child survival index. 8 out of 10 children face severe deprivation, especially in housing and education.
Suzanne is a UNICEF trained midwife at a rural clinic 150 kms outside Cameroon´s capital. Here 1000 mothers die for every 100,000 live births. In her world there is much death amongst new life.
Where every day is Malaria Day
Malaria kills a child somewhere in the world every 30 seconds. Most are in Africa. Nigeria alone has a quarter of all the cases on the continent. The cost is huge in lives, health expenditure and days lost at work or school.
Emergency response in Daha, south-eastern Chad
Since mid-January 2009, thousands of refugees fleeing fighting in the Central African Republic have arrived to Daha, south-eastern Chad, and many are ill due to exhaustion, hygiene related diseases and malnutrition.
Living with AIDS in the Central African Republic
More than six percent of the population, mainly women and children, are living with HIV and AIDS in CAR, one of the Africa’s highest prevalence rate. No ante-retroviral drugs, counseling and testing services are available upcountry.
Child poverty in the Republic of Congo
Poverty is widespread in Congo. And children pay the brunt: 54 per cent of children versus 47 per cent of adults currently live under the poverty line, with less than 2 USD per day in this central African oil producer country striving to consolidate peace
Goodwill Ambassador Joel Madden in CAR
In the Central African Republic, Goodwill Ambassador Joel Madden of the rock band Good Charlotte visited UNICEF projects to learn about the challenge of clean water and water borne diseases and performed impromptu concerts for children.
The challenge of girl's education in Sierra Leone
Girls access to education is improving in Sierra Leone. Parity is almost observed in primary school, but retention and completion of education remain a challenge with high drop out rate for girls and low enrolment in secondary school.
Tackling child malnutrition
Malnutrition is devastating. In West and Central Africa, one million child deaths each year are associated to malnutrition. Tackling child malnutrition requires to protect, promote and support optimal infant and young child feeding practices.
Sierra Leone: a risky place to give birth
Sierra Leone has the highest maternal mortality in the world. Despite progress brought by stability after years of conflict mothers face a very high risk of dying while giving birth.
Children and Sanitation in West/Central Africa
A child's perspective on sanitation. The first essay of a series illustrating the state of sanitation in West and Central Africa on the occasion of the International Year of Sanitation.
Supporting breastfeeding in Senegal
Exclusive breastfeeding is a life-saving practice that could contribute significantly to saving hundreds of thousands of lives. In Senegal, training health staff and peer groups is empowering women to give optimal breastfeeding to their newborns.
Child’s View – Picturing malaria in Liberia