The sound of students reciting the alphabet is replaced by silence. The stillness is only broken by wind rattling the dry grass surrounding the pole stumps in straight lines on the barren plain. The poles used to hold Ogweni primary school, then the conflict came. One hour by plane from the capital Juba and 15 minutes by boat on the… Read more →←
Topic: Children in emergencies
2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the seminal document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, which seeks to protect and preserve the right of every child to a safe, healthy environment in which to develop and grow. In May 2002, the final Declaration of the United Nations… Read more →←
Being responsible for UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme in the Middle East and North Africa region, I’ve served in many countries affected by conflict. These include Syria, Pakistan and Iraq and prolonged stints in countries like Yemen. I will never forget my time in beautiful Syria – a country very close… Read more →←
I came to Ethiopia in 2013, and lived in the Sherkole refugee camp, where I spent four years. Before Sherkole I was studying in a government school in Uganda. Now I am in Bambasi Camp (Ethiopia) where I have been for the last two years. When I left my home country DRC, I was 12 years old and studying in Grade 2. We lived in a rural area… Read more →←
Until a few years ago, no one had heard of the Kasai, then one of the most peaceful provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Since August 2016 however, this safe haven has become synonymous with atrocities and unspeakable violence. Hundreds of thousands of people had to flee to save their lives; their children were used… Read more →←
There is no simple narrative about water and sanitation in the State of Palestine. It’s one about Gaza, the West Bank, and multiple contexts within each. But for a child – or a family — it’s access to safe water and sanitation that ultimately matters. That’s why, after three years working in the State of Palestine, I wanted to… Read more →←
It has been a rewarding, challenging year. On January 1, 2018, when I became the head of UNICEF, I felt privileged to begin leading an organization with a noble mission: protecting the rights of every child. I thought then – and am even more convinced now – that there is no more important cause than children and young people. But… Read more →←
The plane suddenly drops. Chogi’s hand shoots out grabbing his big brother’s thigh and squeezing tightly. He turns to me with a face looking like a question mark, and I reassure him everything is ok. Two seconds later the turbulence is over, but the eight-year-old’s hand rests on Jidu – just in case. Chogi doesn’t remember the… Read more →←
Three years ago, as many European borders closed to people fleeing violence in the Middle East, a community centre in the heart of Athens opened its doors, welcoming stranded refugees and migrants. Run by women who came to Greece as migrants themselves, the Melissa Network is a community centre empowering uprooted women and girls to… Read more →←
Saja has spent half her life living in conflict. She lost her home, her brother and several loved ones. She also lost her left leg to a bomb. But she has not lost hope in her future. Every day, she makes the long walk to school to continue her education. Saja says her most prized possession is her prosthetic leg. An aspiring gymnast… Read more →←
