In 2019, UNICEF reached almost all corners of the globe – 190 countries to be exact – to help save children’s lives. To celebrate the end of the year – and the end of a decade – we’ve chosen 5 stories from at home and abroad, to showcase how the tireless work of UNICEF staff and the generous support of our donors enables us to defend the right to childhood, for every child.
Amidst the second deadliest outbreak of Ebola globally, and the deadliest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the number of children who have been left orphaned or unaccompanied by the disease is rising at an alarming rate.
In the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, one in three Ebola victims is a child but Ebola survivors are often treated with stigma and mistrust by their communities. Jacques, age 8, was infected with Ebola but now he’s back home, and with the help of UNICEF, being welcomed back into his community.
Although we’d love to showcase all of the hard work done by UNICEF staffers, volunteers and partners this year, we’ve only got so much space so join us as we look back at some of our key moments in 2018.
In Kasai Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 2.3 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. More than 400,000 children suffer from severe malnutrition and are at risk of dying. These children have witnessed or are victims of extreme violence and thousands of them have been forced to join armed militia groups. Those who have managed to escape are now attempting to piece together some semblance of a normal life.
Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Kasaï region has caused massive displacement and prevented hundreds of thousands of families from planting crops. After months living in the bush in rudimentary conditions, thousands of children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and need life-saving care. In response, UNICEF is supporting health centres to treat malnourished children.
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.
Children living in Kasai, one of the poorest regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, remain the main victims of the crisis. When violence erupted, families fled into the forest. Sometimes families have described fleeing three or four times, sometimes even in the middle of the night.
