©2009 Kur Achiek
Mr. Kur Achiek with an SPLA commander meeting about the demobilization of children in his force at Mapel Barrack.

NEW YORK, USA, 19 February 2009 – Abraham Kur Achiek served in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) as a teenager. Today, he’s in his 30’s and working as a child protection officer for UNICEF in his native Southern Sudan.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2004-0338/Mariella Furrer
Two girls at Ruthimitu Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya.

8 March 2010 – This year, International Women’s Day is focusing on the theme: “Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all.” Though significant progress has been made towards gender parity and equality in education, many challenges remain.

©2009, Stephen Shames / Polaris
L.E.A.D Uganda student Sanyu interviewed at the United Nations Radio.

NEW YORK, USA, 11 March 2010 – UNICEF’s recently launched Humanitarian Action Report 2010, estimates that at least 1.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Uganda due to droughts, flooding, internal displacement and the return of at least 300,000 Ugandans following the cessation of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) activities.

©Ushahidi
Ushahidi maps up-to-date crisis information coming from Haiti via SMS, e-mail, radio, phone, social media and other sources.

By Anna Azaryeva

NEW YORK, USA, 11 March 2010 – The earthquake that shook Chile on 27 February reportedly killed hundreds of people causing widespread damage to homes, hospitals, schools, roads and other infrastructure.

Rescue and recovery efforts are underway while the start of the school year has been suspended for a week.

Meanwhile, intensive aid operations continue in Haiti, which was struck by a catastrophic earthquake just weeks before. The quake affected an estimate of 5,000 schools and approximately 700,000 of primary school-aged children around the country.

At the ringing of the bell, staff, students and their parents at the San Jose Elementary School know exactly what to do. They have practiced this drill before and know that in this disaster-prone corner of the Philippines, it is an exercise that could one day save lives. For behind this school, shrouded in mist and steam, is the Mount Mayon volcano – a permanent reminder of potential danger.

© UNICEF Yemen/2010/Sethna,Abdullah Rozoom is the headmaster of the Yarmouk school in al-Mazrak village, north-western Yemen. The school has taken in more than 1,800 students displaced by conflict over the past few months.

By Zahra Sethna

HARADH, Yemen, 17 February 2010 – Just a few months ago, the Yarmouk school at the heart of al-Mazrak, a village in north-western Yemen catered to fewer than 200 students. Now it serves more than 2,000.