Back to: UNICEF.org
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • العربية
  • 中文
UNICEF Connect
  • Home
  • All blogs

Topics

  • Big picture
  • Children in emergencies
  • Data and research
  • Experts speak
  • Impact
  • Insider
  • Uncategorized

Select language

  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • العربية
  • 中文

Author: Toby Fricker

Loading...
A young woman stands holding a clay sculpture in her hand.
As 2019 ends, hope and survival on Ukraine’s frontline

As 2019 ends, hope and survival on Ukraine’s frontline

Big picture

By Toby Fricker

Story also available in: Español العربية
“It’s calm now, but be ready to leave at any time,” come the instructions over the car radio. We’re driving east, through heavy snow, towards the mining settlement of Zolote 3, on the frontline of east Ukraine’s nearly 6-year old conflict. The so-called ‘frozen conflict’ in Europe’s backyard is still active and for the… Read more →←
A young girl in a traditional head scarf stands amid tents.
Tragedy and hope across Mindanao

Tragedy and hope across Mindanao

Children in emergencies

By Toby Fricker

The drive alongside lake Lanao is idyllic. Surrounded on one side by the lush greenery of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao and on the other by the vast ocean-like expanse that forms the largest lake on the island. But the horror of what took place alongside the lake’s northern shores hits you when you enter the devastated… Read more →←
A young boy sitting inside a circular playground swing
Gaza: Learning in the shadow of conflict

Gaza: Learning in the shadow of conflict

Children in emergencies

By Toby Fricker

Story also available in: Français 中文 العربية
“I feel good about finishing my exams, a feeling of success that a difficult time has passed,” Mohammad tells me in the schoolyard. The 18-year old from Gaza City just walked out of his final Tawjihi exam and with it, the end of his school years. Mohammad’s results will help determine his future but just reaching this point is a… Read more →←
Un groupe de jeunes enfants, vêtus de bleu, se tient à côté d'une maison, avec les montagnes en toile de fond
Bringing learning to life for Afghan girls

Bringing learning to life for Afghan girls

Big picture

By Toby Fricker

Story also available in: العربية Español Français
Belqees always dreamt of going to school. “My friends would come back to the village and talk about school, what they had been doing,” the 16-year old says. “I felt like, they are my friends, why am I behind?” At her home, in a remote village in Daykundi, a province in Afghanistan’s central highlands, Belqees explains how she… Read more →←
A mother, father and four children sit on the floor in a caravan.
Children of Za’atari refugee camp, five years on

Children of Za’atari refugee camp, five years on

Children in emergencies

By Toby Fricker

Story also available in: Français العربية Español
“I was a little girl when I came from Syria, I was 11 years old and just thinking about toys; now I have grown up,” says Omaima, as the 16 year old reflects on her time in Za’atari, nearly one third of her life. “I used to think that when I got to the camp it would be like a picnic, like a garden to play with my friends. Then I… Read more →←
A father and his two sons, one in his dad's arms
Being a ‘Super Dad’ when life is turned upside down

Being a ‘Super Dad’ when life is turned upside down

Children in emergencies

By Toby Fricker

“I have three kids whom I have to put on their feet; I want them to live happily and to prosper in their future,” Andrii, 35, tells me. It’s a goal that most parents share, but for Andrii one that became a lot tougher when Ukraine’s conflict escalated in mid-2014. “Our children were frightened a lot; they kept hiding under the… Read more →←
A young womans studying at a desk in the sunlight
Life on the edge in eastern Ukraine

Life on the edge in eastern Ukraine

Big picture

By Toby Fricker

Story also available in: العربية Español
“My cats eyes were so wide, he was also very afraid,” Diana tells us matter of factly. The 10-year-old is explaining what happened during a recent day of intense shelling in Avdiivka, her hometown on the frontline of east Ukraine’s more than three-year-old conflict. This is where you hear first-hand the violence that continues… Read more →←
A young blid girl in a yellow dress, singing.
The white rose of Syria

The white rose of Syria

Children in emergencies

By Toby Fricker

Story also available in: Français العربية
“I will return to my home, love will return,” Ansam’s melodic voice reverberates around a packed Damascus opera house. The audience is transfixed by the 10-year-old’s singing and the harmony of the forty-strong children’s choir who accompany her. Born blind, Ansam lives in Syria’s capital after being displaced by fighting… Read more →←
A young woman reads a book
In Ukraine, helping young minds to thrive again

In Ukraine, helping young minds to thrive again

Big picture

By Toby Fricker

Story also available in: العربية
The soldiers at the fifth military checkpoint of the morning wave us on. We finally enter Hranitne. The village lies sandwiched between the Ukrainian military on one side and armed groups of the Donetsk de-facto authorities, across a small bridge. This is the frontline of Ukraine’s eastern conflict and it’s 16-year-old Dasha’s… Read more →←
Toby Fricker

Emergency Communication Specialist
On twitter: @tobyfricker

Children in emergencies

Stay up to date on UNICEF’s response to the urgent needs of children affected by crisis and conflict

Insider

UNICEF staff shine a light on their work in aid and development. Learn the story behind the story

Data and research

Dive in to the figures UNICEF gathers and analyses to help provide a fair chance for every child

Big picture

Explore child rights and the future of development – and weigh in

Experts speak

UNICEF champions policies to improve the lives of children. Hear experts discuss how they develop in practice

Impact

See how UNICEF’s work around the world creates positive change for children and their families
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • Flickr
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Donate
  • Home
  • All blogs
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • UNICEF
  • UNICEF Connect
Copyright 2021 © UNICEF. All Rights Reserved.
Back to top