2015 is the deadline for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and it is also a time to reflect on progress made during the MDG era. The MDGs challenged the global community to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation between 1990 and 2015. The WHO/UNICEF … Continued

My job is to ensure that more people have access to water and sanitation in Yemen, one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. After less than a month there, I had to leave Sana’a, along with other international United Nations colleagues, because of the escalation in conflict. It is now the holy month … Continued

Quarantining an entire community to stamp out a new case of Ebola requires a complex operation to reduce the strain for residents who suddenly find themselves behind an orange plastic barrier. And in rural Sierra Leone there are additional challenges – in normal times food is often bought on a day-to-day basis from a nearby … Continued

  Sixteen-year-old Grace fled her home in March this year after witnessing the brutal beheading of her father by the armed group Boko Haram, in Baga, Northeast Nigeria. “When my father was killed, we had to leave our town,” she recalls. “I thought that was the end of the road for me.” But it wasn’t. … Continued

  Syria was a leader in basic education in the region before the crisis began in 2011: an estimated 97% of primary school-age children were enrolled in school. Today, more than half of school-aged children in Syria are out of school. A recent report by UNICEF and partners highlights how severely the conflict has damaged education, decimating … Continued

Every five minutes a child dies as a result of violence and millions are left unsafe in their homes, schools and communities. The stories of these children are rarely told. Through the EndViolence Youth Letter initiative voices of 18 child survivors of violence from across the world are now being heard. From violent conflict in … Continued

Please note that these videos contain graphic descriptions which are distressing. Since 2011, 11 million Syrians have been forced to leave their homes. UNICEF is on the ground in Syria & the surrounding countries providing children with clean drinking water, health care, education opportunities and the psychosocial support they need to flourish. Aiden Gillen, Colette … Continued

  Unicef Social Protection Specialist, Aleksandar Lazovski, reports on the dangerous situation for children who are travelling from conflict zones through Gevgelija in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. You can help us children affected by emergencies, like those forced to flee their homes. When I arrived on Saturday to the town of Gevgelija near the … Continued

History shows that a seemingly small innovation can make a huge difference in children’s lives and that solutions don’t have to cost much or involve complicated technology. Consider these examples and find out more in the interactive The State of the World’s Children 2015 report: Reimagine the future. 1) Oral rehydration salts A little packet … Continued

“As the father of three little girls, the situation in Lebanon is heart-breaking” Donncha O’Callaghan, rugby player & UNICEF Ireland Goodwill Ambassador, reports on a recent visit to Lebanon This time three weeks ago, I was in the Bekka valley on the border between Syria and Jordan witnessing at first hand the inhumane conditions in … Continued

UNICEF Ireland Ambassador Cathy Kelly visited Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan in 2014, where thousands upon thousands of Syrian refugees have fled to seek shelter from ongoing conflict in their own country. WORLD War 2 still haunts and fascinates us – we watch films about it and shudder at the thought of people’s lives turned … Continued

  Unicef Communications Specialist, Lely Djuhari, met refugee children fleeing violence in Syria who are using a mobile app to get information on daily life issues and news of their families. Jehad cradled his mobile phone in his hand. For the 15-year-old Syrian boy who has been on the move Europe-bound for several weeks, his mobile is … Continued