©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.

© Chris Hondros/Getty Images - Boy pours water on his head in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Nearly half the Haitian population are under the age of 18.

By Pi James

NEW YORK, USA, 21 January 2010 – The death toll from the 12 January earthquake in Haiti continues to rise, despite the worldwide humanitarian efforts underway. With nearly half of the Haitian population under the age of 18, children have been significantly affected by this crisis.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2006-0553/Noorani
Children play outside a child-friendly school in Sudan.

By Pi James

NEW YORK, USA, 10 December 2009 – This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, yet challenges remain in ensuring that its promise becomes a reality for all of the world’s children.