Eleven-year-old Ontario girl wins annual Pier 1 Imports®/UNICEF/Owlkids Greeting Card Contest

Eleven-year-old Catherine from Richmond Hill, Ontario, has been named the grand prize winner of the annual Pier 1 Imports/UNICEF/Owlkids Greeting Card Contest. Catherine’s design will become an official UNICEF greeting card sold exclusively at Pier 1 Imports’ stores across Canada during the 2018 holiday season. As the winner, she will receive a $5,000 scholarship, her school will receive $500 for art supplies and the top five finalists will receive an Owlkids prize pack.

In Yemen, children’s education devastated after three years of escalating conflict

Nearly half a million children have dropped out of school since the 2015 escalation of conflict in Yemen, bringing the total number of out-of-school children to 2 million, according to a UNICEF assessment released today. Meanwhile, almost three quarters of public school teachers have not been paid their salaries in over a year, putting the education of an additional 4.5 million children at grave risk.

“War on children continues raging in Yemen. Several children killed today in Hodeida. Children in Yemen urge the international community for their safety and protection to be integral part of the generosity at the pledging conference in Geneva tomorrow.”

Statement attributable to Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

From stormy seas to no man’s land, Rohingya trapped in desperate search of safety

UNICEF responds to recommendations from Canada’s Special Envoy to Myanmar

Ending the wait for an HIV diagnosis on World Health Day 2018

Babies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo can wait months for HIV results, but new technology can give a result the same day, speeding up treatment, and saving lives.

Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore on continuing violence in Syria

There continues to be no respite for the children of Syria.

High risk of outbreaks in earthquake-hit Papua New Guinea: UNICEF, WHO

UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) have cautioned about the high potential of waterborne and vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks in earthquake-affected areas of Papua New Guinea.

New research: Happy Momma, Healthy Baby

Research from AllerGen was just released that looks at the relationship between a mom’s stress and a baby’s immune health. The research found that when mothers experienced distress, both during and after pregnancy, their infants were three times as likely to have reduced immune function (lower levels of an important immune antibody in the infant’s gut). The research also found that breastfeeding can help protect babies from the effects of maternal stress on their immune system.

Kate MacRae

More than 1,000 children in northeastern Nigeria abducted by Boko Haram since 2013

Four years on from Chibok abduction, UNICEF continues to call for children’s release and immediate end to attacks on schools