Delivering vaccines around the world – UNICEF’s supporters help to protect the most vulnerable in communities from Uganda to Nepal. Since early 2021, UNICEF’s teams have been working hard to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to healthcare workers and the most vulnerable across the world. Thanks to the incredible support of our donors, we have delivered almost … Continued

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a hugely negative impact on children’s lives, making them one of its biggest victims. Lives that were already tough have been made unbearable by COVID-19, and children of all ages and backgrounds have been affected. Read on to learn how children have become the hidden victims of the pandemic. Rise … Continued

In March, India witnessed a deadly surge in COVID-19 cases. The numbers of patients overwhelmed health facilities and hospitals, leaving critical medical supplies running extremely low. Thanks to the swift response of our donors, UNICEF delivered vital medical supplies and equipment and continued to support the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in India. Dr. … Continued

No one is safe until we are all safe. It’s the message one Donegal community has taken to its heart, inspiring thousands of people nationwide to fundraise in support of UNICEF’s global COVID-19 vacination programme. Islanders on Arranmore decided to act even as South Asia continues to battle a second deadly wave of infection.  After … Continued

1. Extreme Poverty – 1.2 Million Children on the Edge The State of Palestine is experiencing a long-term humanitarian crisis. The political situation, an ongoing financial crisis, the continuing violence and COVID -19, has left 1.2 million children in real need. These children are experiencing lives of deprivation, violence and poverty. In the Gaza Strip, … Continued

Therese Dooley, UNICEF South Asia WASH Adviser Carlow woman Therese Dooley has dedicated her career to the humanitarian and development sector, spending over 30 years honing her speciality – water, sanitation and hygiene or WASH.  She has been based in South Asia for the last five years, during which time she has worked on UNICEF … Continued

In India, the second wave of the pandemic is almost four-times the size of the first wave, with daily cases already over 362,000, and the virus is spreading more quickly than before. Hospitals and health centres across India are struggling to cope with the overwhelming number of new cases, with hospital beds, essential drugs and oxygen running … Continued

For six years, children in Yemen have lived surrounded by war, conflict and disease. 2020 brought extreme hunger and COVID-19, both of which claimed thousands of lives.  Children already weak and sick from malnutrition, diarrhea and dirty water, don’t have the strength to fight Coronavirus. Families living in crowded refugee camps, with no access to … Continued

Ten years of war in Syria, as seen through Irish eyes Irish aid workers Ettie Higgins and Claire McKeever wrote movingly about their experiences of working amid the Syrian war for UNICEF in TheJournal.ie on the 10 year anniversary of conflict this March. Cobh’s Ettie Higgins (left), Deputy Representative, UNICEF Lebanon, pictured here in 2013 at … Continued

It’s really happening! COVID-19 vaccines are being administered in low and middle-income countries worldwide, with thanks to COVAX, and UNICEF. In recent weeks health workers in Ethiopia, Fiji, Nigeria, Sudan and Philippines were vaccinated against COVID-19 amid quiet celebrations and great relief.  They received their vaccines through COVAX, a global initiative led by UNICEF, WHO, … Continued

Donncha O’Callaghan has travelled the world for UNICEF, meeting children caught up in conflict, displacement and disease. Read how the children displaced by Syria’s 10 years of war have impacted him in life-changing ways.

‘For everyone, vaccines mean light at the end of the tunnel’ On February 24th 2021, Irishman Fiachra McAsey witnessed history as Ghana became the first country to receive COVID-19 vaccines under the historic COVAX initiative. Fiachra is UNICEF’s Deputy Representative in Ghana and for him the delivery of 600,000 vaccine doses to the capital city … Continued