UNICEF FILE: BANDA ACEH

[stellium]

I'll print out the photo and article about the young hippo for my grade school library kids.   They were telling me about it on Wednesday.

Here is an update on the situation at Banda Aceh from NBC,  which reports that Clay went to the WORST area to be hit by the tsunami out of all the coastlines !

*****************
REBUILDING ACEH
Binsar Bakkara / AP
Fishermen reel in their nets after landing at Lampulo Port in Banda Aceh on Thursday. The Indonesian region was the worst hit by the earthquake and tsunami that struck on Dec. 26, 2004. (Slide show )
 
By Terry Wynn
Reporter
NBC News
Updated: 7:42 a.m. ET March 25, 2005Three months after the tsunami struck, the people of Aceh, Indonesia, are struggling to put their lives together, according to the nation's officials.

Where homes once stood, children once played and businesses once thrived, more than 200,000 people have been buried and 100,000 more are still missing, presumed dead.

Despite the global outpouring of aid and support for Indonesia and the other nations affected by the disaster, the recovery is a mammoth challenge for the respective governments.

For Indonesia, the worst-hit country, the government has launched an aggressive effort to rebuild the devastated areas in Aceh province.

“We are now trying to make the blueprint for the future,” says Riaz Saehu, Secretary of the Indonesian Consulate General in Washington, D.C.  The Indonesian government has just released a plan to rebuild the area over the next five years using $5 billion in donations.  

The first part was the "Emergency Phase,"  while Saehu said the ‘Rehabilitation Phase’ will begin on Saturday -- the three-month anniversary -- and is scheduled to last for at least the next two years.  The last part, called the "Reconstruction Phase," will take up to five years to complete.

Fight for land
One of the most pressing issues is the relocation of the 800,000 people living in converted buildings and newly built temporary shelters since the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the waves it spawned struck on Dec. 26, 2004.

While the government initially hoped to create and rebuild communities in areas farther inland, there does not seem to be a general consensus on whether this will be the best option, said Sahadatun Donatirin, Vice Counsel for Press and Protocol at Indonesian Consulate General in New York.

Some of the residents of Aceh do not agree with the government's decision to relocate them because of their ties to their old community, he noted. And for the many people who owned land and homes, it is not easy for them to walk away.

 
 
This part of the problem becomes complicated legally because many of the documents that detail ownership and land boundaries were also lost during the disaster.

"Most of the people would like to go back to their old home but the government is trying to discuss this with them," Saehu said.

"It is a very delicate situation because there is land that is owned by people who have passed away and now we have to carefully define who owns what, although we no longer have documents to prove ownership."

Saehu estimates that nearly 80 percent of Aceh's infrastructure, including the local government offices, were damaged.  As a result, all the personal documents and government documents are all gone.

And according to Saehu, though all the data are lost, the residents of Aceh are not willing to accept the government’s notion that it is time to start over.

"They don’t understand that it’s all lost, and this is our problem now,” he said.  In the eyes of the living survivors, they still have claims to their land and have little interest in giving up what they have worked for, Saehu explained.

War with the sea
Meantime, for a people whose lives depended on the bountiful ocean, the struggle over land is matched by a mental war over the sea.

“There are so many traumas on the island. The kids are having such a hard time,” Donatirin said.  The diplomat explained that the children on the island are suffer from post-traumatic disorder and many have developed a fear of the water as a result.
But it’s not only specific to children, says Abdul Zainuddin, an Indonesian based in the New York consulate who visited his family shortly after the tragedy.  “Even older people are afraid of the water and the beach.  It’s just not the way it used to be.  Some people get scared when they hear running water in the same room as they are.”      

The Indonesian government, aware of fear about another disaster, have pledged to spend up to 50 percent of its $5 billion to rebuild Aceh city’s infrastructure.  Part of this money will be to build sea walls to reduce the impact of any future tsunamis.

Dealing with the impact and aftereffects of the tsunami has impacted all of the island's 4.5 million residents, Saehu said.  But the rebuilding efforts have just begun and there is a long road ahead.

Saehu said the government is working closely with the residents every step of the way by keeping them informed of procedures and decisions. "Because this is not just about the government, this is about everyone."

© 2005 MSNBC Interactive

[Pamela]

Sexual Abuse Reported Rife in Aceh Tsunami Camps
Sat Mar 26, 2005 07:22 AM ET
By Achmad Sukarsono

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - Women in Indonesia's devastated Aceh province who lost their homes in the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami face sexual attacks in relief camps, Oxfam said, as it warned of long-term social dislocation.

The Dec. 26 earthquake sent walls of water smashing into Aceh. More than 220,000 were killed or are still missing and, three months after the disaster, half a million are homeless.

In some villages the earthquake and tsunami killed up to four times as many women as men, Oxfam, an international aid group, said after a survey of villages. It said findings were similar in India and Sri Lanka.

"In some villages it now appears that up to 80 percent of those killed were women. This disproportionate impact will lead to problems for years to come," Becky Buell, Oxfam's policy director, said in an Oxfam report calling for more effort to protect women.

"We are already hearing about rapes, harassment and forced early marriages."

Saturday marked three months since the disaster, which killed an estimated 182,000 people around the Indian Ocean with a further 106,000 reported missing. Aid pledges from around the world have topped $5 billion.

Saturday, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla presented to Acehnese leaders a draft 40 trillion rupiah ($4.3 billion) reconstruction plan over the next five years, designed to get the province back on its feet.

Indonesia has set March 26 as the end of its relief phase, saying a master plan was now needed to guide the massive reconstruction work and work by aid agencies in Aceh, at the northern tip of Sumatra, needed to be coordinated.

NO MEN TO PROTECT THEM

Women's activists in Aceh said most camps for tsunami survivors did not have facilities segregated by sex, and men and women from different families often sleep under the same tent.

"Many female survivors who lost their male relatives also sleep in these tents and they do not have protection. Rapes then happen and after that the women are put into some sort of exile so that people won't talk," said Wanti Maulidar, head of Women's Solidarity of Aceh.

To read the rest go to REUTERS

[clay_fan_20]

OMG! that's horrible!.. i hope action begins to that issue, hopefuly this is now hit the media and the organization working with these people are doing something about it.

i can't understand that after this disaster, sick men are trying to make this situation worse.

[Clayforlife]

I just found this over at the Clayboard!  How awful for those people over there.  When is enough, enough, I say!!

Strong earthquake strikes off Indonesia
By Reuters  |  March 28, 2005

LONDON -- An 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck in the sea off the coast of Sumatra, the U.S. Geological Survey told Reuters today.


A USGS spokeswoman said the quake struck at 11:09 Eastern US time. It hit 125 miles west northwest off Sibolga, Sumatra, or 880 miles northwest of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, close to where a 9.0 December quake triggered a devastating tsunami in Asia.The USGS spokeswoman could not say if the quake would trigger a tsunami.

[Ethel]

He isn't over there where the earth quake ocured, is he?  

[lorraine]

ETHEL - NO CLAY IS BACK HOME IN L.A. OR N.C.  THANK GOD.

[CT Buttercup]

When i heard about the earthquake today near banda aceh ,my first thought was , Clay was there!!!  I knew he may be back but the what ifs were terrible.  It was like dejavu all over again as i was in srilanka when the tsunami hit , today i was thinking of my family back home  because of all the tsunami warnings today and Clay coming back home safely.

[CLAY'SJULIE]

OF COURSE WE ALL NEED TO  THANK GOD THAT WE ARE ON SAFE GROUND AND THAT CLAY IS BACK SAFELY ALSO..
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT IS GOING THRUOUGH CLAY'S MIND, HE MUST BE DEVASTATED ALSO  TO REALIZE THAT HE WAS JUST THERE AND THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING AGAIN IN SUCH A HORRIBLE WAY, AND TO THINK THAT HE JUST MISSED THIS TRAGEDY BY A HAIR. THAT MUST SHAKE HIM UP TOO..
THE PEOPLE AND KIDS HE MET ARE AGAIN IN DANGER AND THAT MUST BE TEARING AT HIS  HEART,
          LETS ALL PRAY FOR  THOSE POOR DEAR PEOPLE.. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED IN THE WAY THEY HAVE,  AND LETS PRAY THAT CLAY'S HEART IS NOT BROKEN BY THE THINGS HE HEARS.  I CAN NOT IMAGINE ANY OF THIS,
THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT OF WAS CLAY,AND I THANKED GOD HE WAS NOT THERE,BUT THOSE POOR PEOPLE NEED OUR HELP TOO.
         LORD HELP US,AND LET US BE THANKFUL FOR THE GOOD FORTUNE WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.

[clay_fan_20]

well said CLAY'SJULIE!.. i'm gonna be praying for the people in indonesia!.. i just hope the tsunami alarms stays as that an alarm and anything major happens

[GWENN]

WITH ALL THE DEVASTATION AND HORROR GOING ON IN INDONESIA, WE HERE ARE SO VERY LUCKY.  WE ALL HAVE OUR PROBLEMS, BUT THIS MESS IN ASIA PUTS EVERYTHING INTO PERSPECTIVE.  

GWENN

[Pamela]

Amen to that Gwenn.  Perspective is what makes us realize our blessings on many a bad day.

sanjula, I hope your family is well.  

Thank you all for continuing to bring information and discussion to this thread!

[Pamela]

On the Ground in Aceh

When the Indonesian military declared martial law in the Aceh province in 2003, they imposed a virtual media blackout on foreign correspondents. Now, in the aftermath of the Dec. 26 tsunami, the humanitarian calamity in Aceh forced authorities to lift the ban. Jacqueline Koch writes from Indonesia about where the media stands now.

Monday, March 28, 2005
By Jacqueline Koch
AsiaMedia Contributing Writer

Banda Aceh, Indonesia -- A dusty yellow banner strung across a series of store fronts flaps in the strong breeze. The large blue letters read, "Temporary Offices of Serambi Indonesia." As with nearly everything in Banda Aceh -- families, businesses, government offices, and schools -- the local daily newspaper had to relocate and improvise in the wake of the tsunami.

Recovering from the disaster is one thing, but reporting on it and resuming publication were added pressure for the staff of Serambi. Even three months after the catastrophe, strong earthquakes and unsettling aftershocks continue to rumble through the capital city of the province. The remaining infrastructure is weak, electrical blackouts are still rampant and many areas still have no power. Routine network disturbances make telecommunications dodgy at best.

Despite the lingering problems, over the last three months, the situations is greatly improved says photojournalist Bedu Saini. "Now things are more normal, but our computers are still limited."

Right after the water from the great torrent receded, political reporter Nurdin Hasan rode a motorcycle straight to the office. "When I saw the place, it was totally destroyed, I was speechless." From the window, he could see the extent of the damage.

"No homes were standing, and I couldn’t do anything." Working his way up to the second floor, Hasan made a grisly discovery. "I saw a body on the stairs, I tried to identify him, but I couldn’t even think." In the newsroom, he saw that all the computers were damaged but still on the desks. But when he returned the next morning, they were gone. "I believe at night, thieves came to loot the computers." The only thing Hasan managed to salvage was his camera cable to download pictures he had taken. "The important things, all my documents, old pictures, they all have been destroyed."

When news of the extensive damage and horrific death toll in Aceh reached the rest of Indonesia, six journalists from Kompas, the main Jakarta-based national daily that owns Serambi, arrived from various parts of the country. "They brought computers and worked really hard to get us back up and running," says Saini. The journalists who came to help even slept in the initial space they had relocated to, Saini adds. "They never left the office."

(snip)

"The first day, the paper was full." And the ads were published for free. Photos of family members who vanished, their age, residence, the clothing and jewelry they wore, along with distinctive characteristics, still run daily now three months later. In addition, Serambi immediately established a free hotline to help survivors locate loved ones.

(snip)

For Hasan, Serambi’s quick return was a key element to keep the public from being sucked into a cycle of misinformation.

"The majority of the people in Aceh have never had CNN -- they only had Serambi," he says. "We tried to counter many rumors." Amidst worries about the outbreak of highly contagious diseases and the high possibility of another devastating quake, bouts of widespread panic broke out. Hasan describes how anxious survivors left the city to escape an outbreak of cholera and slept out in the street to stay safe from another seismic event. So the paper attacked the issues and published reports with accurate information to help readers find strength in the midst of so much chaos and fear.

"We interviewed experts with UN agencies," says Hasan of the illness outbreak, "and the people came back."

The editorial staff has tried to focus on a positive future for the people of Aceh, covering topics like early warning systems offered by the Japanese and German governments and the renewed peace talks in Helsinki, Finland between the Indonesian government and GAM leaders. Stories of ongoing clashes in other parts of the province have taken a definitive backseat.

"Stories on the peace talks bring hope," concludes Hasan. And he feels that at this time, Aceh needs hope more than anything else.

Local journalists in Aceh have a substantial and complicated new beat to cover: the massive international aid effort, which is largely coordinated by the UN. Reporters spend long days chasing down high-level UN delegations, former US presidents, UN special envoys, international prime ministers and celebrities such as Malaysian film star Michelle Yeo and American Idol runner-up, Clay Aiken.

Read the rest at ASIA MEDIA

[CT Buttercup]

pamela,

thank you soo much , my family is well in srilanka,it was very scary as everyone living near the coast  evacuated at  1- 2 am  and they had to grab whatever they could and kinda wait for a giant wave to come,with what people had gone through it was like a living hell again, thank god he saved everyone.
being srilankan and travelling /living in asia  a great deal including Indonesia i can honestly say people there are very resilient, asians are forever funloving and always with a smile.I am sure clay saw this too when he went over there.I have been through some wild and crazy times too as there was a civil war in my country but we all laugh and do thebest we can.
Clay will be very proud of me as i am involved in helping the orphaned children in srilanka after the tsunami. i only wish he could have gone there too.My mom lives there and Looooooves clay.
Thanks for getting the forum up

[Pamela]

More pictures from Clay's Jakarta interview. Thanks to sindy39ez at the CB:

[Pamela]

Germany to rebuild schools in Aceh

JAKARTA: Representatives from a joint mission involving the German Development Bank (KfW) and German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday with the Ministry of National Education on a 23 million euro (US$30 million) grant facility to help rebuild vocational schools in Aceh and North Sumatra.

"We chose to prioritize the rebuilding of vocational schools first as this will help provide the life skills that the Acehnese need," GTZ representative Dieter Moll said, adding that grants would be provided later for junior high and elementary schools.

The German team, together with the ministry, has identified 12 vocational schools, both in Aceh and North Sumatra, in need of reconstruction. During the early stages, it intends to focus on three vocational schools in Banda Aceh, which will be built as centers of competence and teacher training.

"This program will begin in May and will be completed in 2009," the ministry's director general of elementary and intermediate education, Indra Djati Sidi, said.

Aside from rebuilding vocational schools, the German program will also involve the building of two special schools in Banda Aceh. -- swampthing

JAKARTA POST

[Pamela]

Jackie Chan wows Aceh children

The faces of children at the Lampeuneurut Children's Center in Banda Aceh light up. Their waiting game ends when they spot the familiar face of Hong Kong action movie star Jackie Chan.

"The one in orange is Jackie Chan," an awed nine-year-old Muhammad whispers to his two friends.

The star of Shanghai Noon and Rush Hour made a brief visit to the tsunami-hit Banda Aceh on Monday, as part of a goodwill gesture to victims of the Dec. 26 massive disaster.

To their frustration, Muhammad and other children could at first only watch their idol from a distance as Chan was mobbed by journalists and a throng of adult fans.

However, later when a photo session was held in a tent, several lucky children finally got to stand next to the star.

Fitrah, 10, could not hide her happiness when posing with her idol. "He looks very different from the movies, he's much more good looking in reality," said the girl, who said she loved Chan's kung fu movies.

Fitrah and Muhammad were two children who regularly attended the center's programs to help them recover from the tsunami trauma.

In his tour of Aceh, Chan -- who was accompanied by Miss World 2005 Peruvian Maria Julia Mantilla Garcia, British Olympic gold medalist athlete Daley Thompson and several other Hong Kong movie stars -- distributed US$4.8 million in donations.

At the children's center, he was welcomed with an Acehnese dance and later looked at the photos of children who were still searching for their missing families.

Chan also watched a documentary featuring Acehnese children and smiled as a child in the film said: "I want to be like Jackie Chan".

JAKARTA POST

[Pamela]

I thought this was a very uplifting and inspirational story!

Miracle survivor of tsunami prepares to conquer another challenge _ university education

He survived the tsunami, then drifted for eight days at sea before his miraculous rescue. Today, Indonesian Rizal Shahputra is gearing up for another challenge _ obtaining a university degree, equipped with no more than determination and the words of his dead father.

Rizal will start English lessons at a university in central Kuala Lumpur next week (April 27), the first step in his dream of getting a degree in Communications Technology and a career in Internet and multimedia.

"One month before the tsunami, my father told me never to live on anyone's charity and to make something of myself," said Rizal, who has high school education and speaks only his native Bahasa Indonesia. "He told me not to end up like many lazy people in my village. Now I have this chance to make his wish come true," he said in an interview Tuesday.

Rizal's father, a 45-year-old teacher, his mother and two of his three siblings were killed in the Dec. 26 tsunami in Aceh province on Sumatra island. Their bodies were never recovered, becoming statistics in the estimated 165,000 Indonesians dead and missing from the disaster.

The 20-year-old Rizal was cleaning a beach side mosque in Calang town when the earthquake-spawned tsunami crashed ashore. He had no time to run and was swept out to sea with untold others. Everyone in his sight was swallowed by the sea while he clung to an uprooted tree.

"For days I could not sleep thinking of these people and my family but I prayed a lot, for myself and for them.  Now I am more calm but I have not forgotten how these people suffered and died," said Rizal, who lived on rain water until he was rescued by a passing ship that brought him to Malaysia. Since being discharged from hospital on Jan. 13, he has lived in an Indonesian diplomat's house.

Rizal was one of three people known to have survived at sea for several days after the tsunami. Another Indonesian, Ari Afrizal, was adrift for 14 days before being rescued and brought to Malaysia. He is now in Indonesia but hopes to return soon to begin a job at an electronics factory in Kuala Lumpur. A 23-year-old Indonesian woman, Melawati, was at sea for five days. She also was rescued by a ship.

Wearing a black shirt, blue jeans and sneakers, Rizal talked excitedly about his future in college during the interview with The Associated Press.

"I hope to make many friends ... I have no relatives here and it can get lonely at times," Rizal said. "God has given me a second chance to live and I am determined to use it to become a better and successful person."

But tears welled up when Rizal spoke of his emotional trip last month to meet with 10 surviving relatives in Aceh.

"I saw images of my father and mother everywhere I went," Rizal said, his voice choking. "I miss my family very much and sometimes the pain is too much to bear."

Rizal said the trip hardened his resolve to start life afresh in Malaysia. He says the devastation of the tsunami which flattened much of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh, and surrounding areas was "simply shocking."

"My brother wanted me to stay on in Aceh and even offered to support me," Rizal said. "But I cannot bear waking up every morning to witness nothing but destruction around me, I simply cannot take it."

Rizal said he plans to "turn my sorrow into strength so that, God willing, I can study hard and fulfill the wishes of my father."

Rizal's pursuit of a tertiary education is made possible by the private University College Sedaya International which will waive his tuition and hostel fees while providing him a campus job.

"Rizal is a classic story of triumph over adversity," Steven Ng, a university spokesman, said. "His determination to survive the ordeal offers valuable lessons to other students."

Rizal believes his survival was a divine act. "I believe the angels were with me ... they saved me from the tsunami and brought me to Malaysia to rebuild my life."

Asked if he envisaged returning to Aceh someday, he said: "Sure, if I am in a position to help in rebuilding my homeland. But for now I must pick up the pieces of my own life."

YAHOO ASIA NEWS

[Pamela]

Tsunami children suffering mental problems - WHO
10 May 2005 12:49:44 GMT
Source: Reuters
 
BANDA ACEH, May 10 (Reuters) - Up to a quarter of the children caught up in the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia's Aceh have mental health problems that need professional treatment, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

Most of the tsunami-affected adult population is also suffering from trauma-related distress, a WHO-funded study by the University of Indonesia found.

The mental health problems are far beyond the capabilities of Aceh's lone mental hospital and so the government has decided Aceh will be the first Indonesian province to have community mental health services, said Dr. Stephanus Indrajaya, technical officer for WHO Indonesia.

Mental health problems tend to be more complex and longer-lasting than physical injuries, making this a key issue in Aceh's rehabilitation, he said.

The survey showed 20-25 percent of tsunami-affected children "had significant emotional and behavioural problems and these children need skilled professional attention," Dr. Imansyah of the University of Indonesia told a news conference in Aceh's provincial capital of Banda Aceh.

About a half-million Acehnese have been living in temporary shelter since the disaster. Camp conditions can exacerbate the trauma, Imansyah said.

Teams have been sent to various districts to enlist the support of community leaders for local mental health centres, Indrajaya said. Acehnese, like many traditional communities in Asia, are reluctant to acknowledge mental health issues, the experts said.

A 2002 survey showed many Acehnese already suffered trauma after nearly 30 years of rebellion in the province.

The Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami struck a dozen nations around the Indian Ocean rim, leaving nearly 230,000 dead or missing from Thailand to Somalia. About 160,000 are feared dead in northern Sumatra alone.

REUTERS

Please remember the children of Banda Aceh in your prayers.

[Pamela]

Up to 10,000 Aceh children seek parents
But, UNICEF says fewer orphans in tsunami zone than feared
Updated: 9:12 a.m. ET Feb. 15, 2005

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - As many as 10,000 children in Indonesia’s tsunami-devastated Aceh province may be seeking lost parents, the United Nations and other agencies said on Tuesday.

That figure represents about 2.5 percent of the 400,000 people displaced on the northern end of Sumatra island by the giant waves, triggered by an earthquake on Dec. 26.

But the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said the number of youngsters without any surviving relatives or adult support was much lower than initially feared.

“It is really, really difficult actually. We can only estimate,” UNICEF child protection officer Frederic Sizaret said of the number of children who are unaccompanied or separated from parents.

A social affairs ministry statement on Tuesday put the figure at 10,000, while UNICEF said its estimate was up to 8,000.

More than seven weeks after the tsunami left more than 240,000 Acehnese dead or missing, UNICEF and Indonesian officials on Tuesday were able to reunite one nine-year-old boy with his distressed parents.

“My heart has swollen crying everyday. I told myself that my son would come home, and I prayed to Allah,” said Hayatun Nafis, the boy’s mother.

Officials said the boy, Iwan, recognized his flattened house during a trip around the provincial capital Banda Aceh on Sunday.

Read the rest at MSNBC

[Pamela]

Introducting TeachUnicef.org

On December 26, 2004, a powerful earthquake below the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of people in 12 countries and two continents - and forever changed the lives of millions more.

UNICEF immediately went into action, as did thousands of students across the United States. Tsunami relief fundraisers and awareness campaigns were organized from small towns to large cities in every state. In the past five months, schools have raised over $8 million to support UNICEF's emergency response in South Asia.

This outpouring of generosity from youth and schools served as the impetus for the creation of a new online resource for educators:  

http://www.teachunicef.org

We invite you to visit this website created by the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to help educators engage students as active global citizens in learning about UNICEF's efforts worldwide.

TeachUNICEF.org is currently dedicated to UNICEF's tsunami relief efforts. In the future, the site will be updated regularly to provide information about other key areas of UNICEF's work. Visit  TeachUNICEF.org today and find:

         Facts about countries affected by the tsunami
         Information on how donations make a difference
         Descriptions of how UNICEF operates during an emergency
         Stories of hope about children affected by the devastation
         Perspectives from UNICEF staff on what it means to make a        difference
         Discussion starters to engage students in learning more about this complex disaster

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports child survival, protection and development through education, advocacy and fundraising. We have produced  TeachUnicef.org  because we are committed to providing you, our valued partners, with educational resources about UNICEF's work. We hope  TeachUNICEF.org stimulates continued learning in classrooms and communities worldwide.

Thank you for your contributions of time and money - your commitment to and compassion for the world's children. Youth in the U.S. are truly an essential part of UNICEF's efforts to advance the rights of their global peers through health, education, equality and protection.