Thanks to you, we were able to write many small and big success stories this past year. We would like to share some of them with you.
In these times, your help is especially critical: conflicts, climate change and economic uncertainties threaten the lives of millions of children around the world. These challenges also jeopardize the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are meant to dramatically improve the lives of all people by 2030.
In spite of these crises, UNICEF, with your help, is not giving up. We firmly believe that a better and more peaceful world is possible. For this, a holistic approach that combats the causes of crises is needed. And in particular people like you, who act courageously and decisively. Many thanks for joining us in our efforts to create a better world. For every child.
In 2023, for example, your support allowed us to provide:
children
children
in 107 countries
Your donation makes a long-term difference. Here are four examples:
Child protection
Ethiopia. Child marriages are widespread in crisis-ridden Ethiopia: in the 1980’s, more than 75 percent of girls were forced into marriage before their 18th birthday. Thanks to your commitment, UNICEF works tirelessly to protect children. In 2023 alone, social workers supported by UNICEF successfully prevented more than 3700 child marriages.
Fatuma Ali is one such social worker. With comprehensive care and support services, she managed to save eighth-grader Fatuma Seid from an arranged marriage. “Thanks to my school principal, the social worker Fatuma Ali and the Committee, who convinced my mother to stop the arranged marriage, I can now continue my education,” says a thankful Fatuma Seid.
Child marriages in Ethiopia have now declined to 40 percent. This is great progress, but much remains to be done. UNICEF will not give up until every child can grow up safely and protected.
Survival
Cambodia. In the past 20 years the number of children in Cambodia dying before their fifth birthday has declined by 75 percent – a great success. The determining factors: a holistic approach and persistence, both of which are only possible thanks to the loyal support of donors like you.
UNICEF has been working steadfastly since 1973 to ensure the survival of children in Cambodia. Our specialists engage in areas such as health, nutrition, water and sanitation (WASH) as well as social welfare to fight the direct and underlying causes of child mortality. Unrestricted funding lays the foundation for this work and enables us to bring about long-term change – whether by improving the skills of birth attendants and midwives or locally producing special therapeutic foods. At the same time such funding makes it possible for us to react flexibly to current challenges such as climate change and to implement measures now to secure our hard-won successes.
As UNICEF we continue with your help to work on ensuring the survival of every child. We never give up.
Education
Bangladesh. For a long time, girls in Bangladesh had considerably worse opportunities for education than boys as traditional gender norms often blocked their access to secondary school. With the help of donors like you, UNICEF has fought hard in the past years to improve the opportunities for education for girls in Bangladesh. We have since reached a milestone: these days, just as many girls as boys attend primary and secondary school.
Together with the government and its partners, UNICEF is committed to restructuring the education system and giving girls better access to scientific and mathematic subjects, for example: “Training in scientific and technical subjects helps girls to form a new self-image: they see themselves as inventive and able to solve important problems. This strengthens their self-confidence,” says Deepa Sankar, head of UNICEF's education program in Bangladesh.
It is still the case today that fewer girls finish secondary school than boys – a gap that we want to close with your help in order to improve the future prospects for girls.
Emergency response
Haiti. Armed conflicts, economic collapse, food insecurity, cholera outbreaks: the humanitarian situation in Haiti is catastrophic. UNICEF also works in Haiti, where it is continuing to expand its vital aid for the population with the support of people like you.
Among others, UNICEF is helping people in particularly affected areas with special therapeutic foods and hygiene kits. UNICEF has also intensified its measures to combat cholera: in 2023, thanks to the support of UNICEF, 1,14 million people were given access to clean water, 14 600 sanitary facilities were built and 16 000 cases of suspected cholera were investigated, of which 3556 were referred to treatment centers.
UNICEF is also committed to providing global access to education – even in humanitarian crisis situations. Education not only gives children prospects and a foundation for a better future; it also preserves a part of their childhood. UNICEF provided individual teaching materials to some 72 000 children, and investigated how to make education possible even in regions that are controlled by armed groups.
Thanks to you, UNICEF does not fail the people in Haiti. Thank you for your support.
The five strengths of UNICEF. Thanks to non-specific donations.
UNICEF is very proud of its experts, who have in-depth knowledge and extensive networks of trusted contacts. UNICEF appreciates the trust placed in its staff by donors, governments and partners, and of course by children and their families. Your donation allows us to fund these specialized staff members, who contribute their expertise to our programs in order to make them more effective and sustainable.
Non-specific donations mean we can continue to drive innovation. UNICEF implements scalable measures in more than 190 countries, adapting them to each country’s precise needs. If they are successful, we can roll them out in additional countries and further optimize them on both a regional and a global level.
UNICEF drives progress through investment in research and development. Our Innocenti research center in Florence, Italy, allows us to plan far into the future. Data on children’s wellbeing from nearly every country in the world feeds into this important work. It is only through this that we are able to develop innovative and sustainable solutions thanks to the vast knowledge gained from over 75 years of experience.
Children are at the heart of UNICEF’s work: We work to ensure their survival, defend their rights and help them achieve their full potential, from early childhood through to adolescence. At every stage of their growth, we ensure that they grow up healthy, protected and able to go to school. Non-specific donations allow us to stay on the ground for the long term, no matter what happens.
In a crisis situation, every second is critical. UNICEF teams can respond especially quickly on the ground because we are already in the country before a disaster strikes and thus benefit from the skills, equipment and relationships already in place. This allows us to provide immediate aid in the event of a disaster without the need for lengthy travel. Children’s suffering does not end once a crisis is over and media attention subsides. UNICEF is there to help with reconstruction. The long-term support of our donors allows us to stay on the ground for as long as children need us.
