The Nation Newspaper

Tag: UNICEF

  • ‘Polio eradication not yet 100%’

    Though there has been improvement in polio eradication in Nigeria, the country is not yet free from the disease.

    According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the yearly number of polio cases recorded worldwide fell by 99 per cent between 1988 and 2000, when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was established. However, tackling the last one per cent has been difficult.

    Although the number of countries where polio was endemic fell after the launch of the GPEI, from at least 125 in 1988 to 20 in 2000, progress in eradicating the disease has since slowed down. In 2006 polio was still endemic in Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. Last year, only India was declared polio-free. In the last few years, travellers from the few countries where polio remains endemic have carried polio virus into countries that are polio-free.

    According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), though Nigeria is on the right track to stop polio, three states – Borno, Yobe and Kano – account for 72 per cent of cases; and the number of states with ongoing circulation of the virus fell from 11 during the same period last year to nine. Nigeria has recorded 52 per cent drop in polio cases and 63 per cent reduction in vaccine rejection.

    It said about three per cent of the local government areas were infected with polio virus so far this year,  no Wild Polio Virus Type 3 case has been detected in Nigeria so far this year. The last case  reported was 11 months ago and  the circulating polio genetic clusters has reduced from eight to two.

    Despite these efforts, insecurity and misconception of the vaccine, in the upper region of the country are the major challenges militating against eradication of Polio in Nigeria.

  • ‘Polio eradication not yet 100%’

    Though there has been improvement in polio eradication in Nigeria, the country is not yet free from the disease.

    According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the yearly number of polio cases recorded worldwide fell by 99 per cent between 1988 and 2000, when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was established. However, tackling the last one per cent has been difficult.

    Although the number of countries where polio was endemic fell rapidly after the launch of the GPEI, from at least 125 in 1988 to 20 in 2000, progress in eradicating polio has since slowed. In 2006 polio was still endemic in Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. By last year, only India has been declared polio-free. In the last few years, travellers from the few countries where polio remains endemic have carried polio virus into countries that are polio-free.

    According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), though Nigeria is on the right track to stop the spread of polio, three states – Borno, Yobe and Kano – account for 72 per cent of polio cases in Nigeria; and the number of states with ongoing circulation of the virus is down from 11 during the same period last year to nine. Nigeria has recorded 52 per cent drop in polio cases and 63 per cent reduction in vaccine rejection.

    It said about three per cent of local government areas in Nigeria are infected with polio virus so far this year,  no Wild Polio Virus Type 3 case has been detected in Nigeria so far this year. The last case  reported was 11 months ago and  the circulating polio genetic clusters has reduced from eight to two.

    Despite these efforts, insecurity and misconception of the vaccine, in the upper region of the country are the major challenges militating against eradication of Polio in Nigeria.

  • Shirt sponsorship: Olaitan’s Olympiakos optS for UNICEF

    Shirt sponsorship: Olaitan’s Olympiakos optS for UNICEF

    Nigeria’s Michael Olaitan’s Olympiakos have announced a two-year deal to promote the UNICEF logo on the front of their shirts and to help the Fund raise at least €2 million.

    The deals will see the youth international at the Greek champions alongside UEFA Champions League regulars, Barcelona join in supporting the global children’s charity.

    The money raised from the sponsorship could save the lives of as many as 50,000 children worldwide.

    In contrast to the 2006 agreement between UNICEF and the Spanish giants this will of course not be the first time the name of another organisation will be projected on the red and white jersey of the Pireas club.

    In fact, it was only a few weeks ago that Olympiakos decided to terminate a long-standing collaboration with OPAP, Greece’s public sports betting firm, immediately after its privatisation involving the supremo of rivals AEK, Dimitris Melissanidis.

    “There’s more to Greece than the financial crisis and the need for international help. Greece is also about reaching out and helping those in need,” said Olympiakos owner Vangelis Marinakis. He also reiterated his desire to establish the Olympiakos Foundation, a charity that also helps UNICEF generate income for child vaccinations.

    Lambros Kanellopoulos, chairman of the Hellenic National Committee for UNICEF, said that Barcelona and Olympiakos share the same course of action to help tackle severe problems in developing countries.

    The reigning Greek Super League champions and Cup holders are the latest in a line of football clubs to strike similar partnerships with UNICEF, including Hammarby, Brøndby, Sydney, Glasgow Rangers and Boca Juniors, while last season Aris Thessalonikis donated the organisation part of their revenue from official kit sales.

    Olympiakos showcased new shirt on the road against Benfica in a Champions League on Wednesday night.

     

  • UNICEF to Nigeria: Sanitation determines children’s survival

    Nigeria needs to proactively address sanitation issues for it to be a key world economic player, the UNICEF has said.

    The body added that a country’s sanitation level determines the survival rate of its children.

    The UNICEF’s Chief Water Sanitation and Hygiene Officer, Mr. Kanan Nadar, said this in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

    Nadar said that UNICEF’s main role was to ensure that countries achieved appreciably significant sanitation status that would advance the good health of children worldwide.

    According to him, UNICEF’s particular interest in Nigeria was due to its pivotal role in Africa not only as the most populous country on the continent but also as an emerging economic force.

    “Good health begins with good sanitation and hygiene. Where a home is filthy and dirty, the child easily contacts diseases that could be avoided.

    “UNICEF support is more comprehensive, it is much more than sanitation. We look at other issues like water supply, water safety, and the monitoring system at the state and local government levels.”

    He said that UNICEF would not relent in its efforts to support and sensitise communities on Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach “because it is one approach that could be easily adopted.”

    NAN reports that CLTS is an innovative methodology for mobilising communities to completely eliminate open defecation.

    It focuses on behavioural change and raises awareness on the risks and dangers of open defecation.

    “In terms of Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) support, UNICEF is keen to support basically all the states and this support is continuous.

    “So, we use our own regular resources and we also get the support of major donors like the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Union.

    “They have been major supporters of sanitation matters,” Nadar said and urged that all hands must be on deck on the issue of sanitation as donor agencies would only assist willing governments.

     

  • Innovation key to more girls in school and learning- UNICEF

    Innovation key to more girls in school and learning- UNICEF

    UNICEF has stressed the power of innovation to get more girls in school and improve the quality of learning for all children.

    The call was made in a statement issued in New York  to mark the second International Day of the Girl Child on October 11.

    Despite the decreasing number of girls out of school, UNICEF noted that too many around the world are still denied a quality education and a chance to reach their full potential.

    It noted that evidence shows that even though  a single year of secondary school for a girl correlates with as much as a 25 per cent increase in her future earnings millions of girls are today  still out of school, including 31 million primary school aged girls.

    “Education can transform the lives of girls and strengthen their communities,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director. “Innovation can help us reach every girl by transforming education,”

    With its partners, UNICEF is exploring how technology can increase access to education for out-of-school girls and improve the quality of learning for every child.

    In South Africa, the TechnoGirls partnership among UNICEF, the government, and over 100 private sector companies is connecting 10,000 adolescent girls with mentors from the tech sector to boost their skills and job readiness.

    Innovation is also helping governments and their partners to reach the hardest to reach children who are at the greatest risk of being out of school. In Uganda, EduTrack is using SMS text messaging to connect students and schools with UNICEF, enabling them to report on learning, teacher quality, and violence in schools.

    Innovation is not only about technology. It can mean embracing new ways to overcome other barriers that keep girls out of school, like improving sanitary facilities and keeping girls safe as they walk to and from school.

    “Innovation is giving us powerful new tools to reach and teach more girls than ever before,” said Mr. Lake. “To help more girls go to school, stay in school, and complete their learning, we need to keep learning ourselves, using these new tools, generating new ideas, and scaling up the most promising innovations.”

  • Educating the Girl Child

    Educating the Girl Child

    The importance of the girl child in any society cannot be overlooked. In the words of Barr. (Mrs) Funmi Falana “an untrained girl child is indeed an untrained society” depicts the danger of not training the girl child.

    Having recognised the importance of the girl child in the society, United Nations General Assembly declared October 11 every year as the “International Day of the girl child”. This day according to UN is to “focus attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.” A day set aside to promote human rights and address discrimination and violence faced by girls.

    The theme for this year’s girl child day is: “Innovating for Girls’ Education”. The theme shows the quest for effective, efficient and sustainable methods of educating the girl child.

    Having noticed the overwhelming evidence of the girl child education in serving as a powerful transformative force for societies, UN calls for innovative ways of educating the girl child effectively.

    According to a website research, an estimated 5.5 million children are trafficked annually for forced child labour and sexual exploitation while 67 percent of the illiterate people in the world are women and girls. This is attributed to early marriage and other cultural practices.

    The United Nation Children’s Fund on twitter: @UNICEF puts the figure of 31 million as the amount of girls deprived of education.

    “What can be done to make sure that the girl child is educated? After all, educating girls is the single most powerful investment for development. And it is their right.

    “But even though more girls are entering school than ever before, 31 million are still denied this right.

    “Those that do attend school face major challenges- discrimination, financial stress, and threats to their safety, to name just a few.

    “It is clear that the world needs new, creative solutions to help girls everywhere overcome these barriers to learning and achievement,” as stated on UNICEF’s twitter handle – @UNICEF

    The theme for this year is chosen due to the ‘perceived low returns from poor quality of education,’ which has prevented the girl child from achieving adequate learning outcomes.

    This year’s International Day of the Girl Child is meant to address “innovation in partnerships, policies, resource utilization, community mobilization, and most of all, the engagement of young people themselves.

    Some of the areas UN requires its member states to focus are:

    • Improved public and private means of transportation for girls to get to school—from roads, buses, mopeds, bicycles to boats and canoes;
    • Collaboration between school systems and the banking industry to facilitate secure and convenient pay delivery to female teachers and scholarship delivery to girls;
    • Provision of science and technology courses targeted at girls in schools, universities and vocational education programmes;
    • Corporate mentorship programmes to help girls acquire critical work and leadership skills and facilitate their transition from school to work;
    • Revisions of school curricula to integrate positive messages on gender norms related to violence, child marriage, sexual and reproductive health, and male and female family roles.

    According to a senior lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, policies concerning the girl child are mostly tied to culture and religion. This she says makes the girl child vulnerable to all sorts.

    “People hide under the cloak of culture and religion to do many things. We all should look at whether these are according to global best practices. Before a law is passed, you should ask yourself if this were to be my child would I allow it,” she says

    Ogwezzy calls for continuous sensitisations and enlightenments that will result in a better informed nation. She also calls for the Child Right Act passed by the National Parliament in 2003 to be the benchmark for legislating on the girl child issues.

    The university don says: “The girl child should take advantage of current opportunities now the world is beginning to see her gain. Go to school. Gone are the days when your parents say you should not go to school but go into your husband’s house.”

    She calls on the girl child to discover her self worth and importance to nation building, adding, “Learn how to carry yourself, if your teacher is interested in you, you can turn him down politely.”

    In his goodwill message to commemorate this day, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, calls for improved investment in the girl child education in order to achieve a common future. Ki-moon identifies the importance of education in dislodging issues of discrimination and violence experienced by the girl child.

    In his words: “Empowering girls, ensuring their human rights and addressing the discrimination and violence they face are essential to progress for the whole human family. One of the best ways to achieve all of these goals is to provide girls with the education they deserve.

    “Yet too many girls in too many countries are held back simply because of their gender. Those whose mother was also deprived of an education, who lives in a poor community, or who have a disability face an even steeper climb. Among girls who do make it to school, many face discrimination and violence. I launched the Global Education First Initiative to accelerate progress in getting every child into school, especially girls. We are aiming to teach more than reading and counting; we are striving to raise global citizens who can rise to the complex challenges of the 21st century.

    “To achieve meaningful results, we need fresh solutions to girls’ education challenges and we must heed the voices of young people. I have heard from girls around the world participating in the consultations for the new Girl Declaration. I resolve to ensure that Global Education First mobilizes all partners to respond to their powerful call for empowerment.

    “More broadly, our campaign to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and shape a vision beyond that date must address the concerns and potential of the world’s girls.

    “On this International Day of the Girl Child, let us work together to invest in education so that girls can advance in their personal development and contribute to our common future,” Ban Ki-moon says.

    Two years ago, United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare 11 October as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. To mark the day last year, UN chose the theme: “Ending child marriage”.

     

     

  • UNICEF trains Ekiti teachers

    The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has held a one-day training for Ekiti state primary school teachers on school-based Teacher’s Development (sbTD) module.

    The programme organised in conjunction with College of Education Ikere Ekiti, was aimed at enhancing teachers’ skill.

    The Chairman, sbTD Implementation Committee, Alhaji Titilope Ganiyu, said the training was organised to get teachers acquainted with contemporary pedagogy and methodology of teaching.

    “The intent behind the workshop was to expose teachers to modern trends and techniques of teaching and learning which they have to demonstrate while teaching,” he said.

    He described the workshop as timely, saying it would check brain drain, broaden the horizon of participants and engender an intellectually sound workforce that will mould the lives of our future leaders.

    UNICEF representative, Mr Babatunde Ade, said it is necessary teachers update their knowledge in line with contemporary development.

    “The method of teaching in schools has become obsolete compared to what is obtainable in most other setting nowadays. There is need for training and retraining of teachers especially those handling foundational classes. The quality of teacher determines the quality of students,” he added.

     

     

    Participants would be trained on active learning, reflective teaching, planning and organising activities based on learning and classroom management,” he said.

     

  • 33m girls out of school – UNICEF

    33m girls out of school – UNICEF

    As the world celebrates the International Day of the Girl Child on Friday, the United Nations Children Fund has raised an alarm that 33 million girls were currently out of school.

    It said that although education is the right to every child, about 31 million girls across the world are still being denied such rights.

    The information which is available on  UNICEF’s twitter handle, @UNICEF, urged volunteers to come up with new creative solutions to help girls overcome barriers to education.

    “What can be done to make sure that all girls attend school? After all, educating girls is the single most powerful investment for development. And it is their right.

    “But even though more girls are entering school than ever before, 31 million are still denied this right.

    “Those that do attend school face major challenges- discrimination, financial stress, and threats to their safety, to name just a few.

    “It is clear that the world needs new, creative solutions to help girls everywhere overcome these barriers to learning and achievement,” it stated.

  • Bettering lives through charity

    Bettering lives through charity

    As the world observe the first international day of charity today, the United Nations has placed emphasis on recognizing charity as a noble enterprise aimed at bettering the lives of the human condition. Justice Ilevbare writes.

    The international day of charity is being observed today worldwide. It’s a day set aside by the United Nations to call the world’s attention to the need to care for the poor in the society.

    The day is unique in many ways, apart from the fact that it is the first time the world will be observing it; the day also coincides with the anniversary of mother Teresa, a woman widely acclaimed for her love in charity.

    “I welcome this first observance of the International Day of Charity, which was proclaimed last year by the United Nations General Assembly and which coincides with the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa, whose life and good works for some of the human family’s poorest and most vulnerable members inspired emulation across the world,” the United Nation Secretary General, Ban ki-moon said in his goodwill message to commemorate the day.

    He linked the day to the important roles of charity in alleviating humanitarian crisis worldwide.  “In recognition of the role of charity in alleviating humanitarian crises and human ‎suffering within and among nations, as well as of the efforts of charitable organizations ‎and individuals, including the work of Mother Teresa, the General Assembly of the ‎United Nations in it designated the 5th of September, the ‎anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa, as the International Day of Charity,” he said.

    Highlighting the importance of charity, he said; “Charity plays an important role in upholding the values and advancing the work of the United Nations.  Donations of time or money; volunteer engagement in one’s own community or on the other side of the world; acts of caring and kindness with no thought of recompense; these and other expressions of global solidarity help us in our shared quest to live together in harmony and build a peaceful future for all.

    “Strangely, charity sometimes gets dismissed, as if it is ineffective, inappropriate or even somehow demeaning to the recipient.  “This isn’t charity”, some donors take pains to claim, “this is an investment”.  Let us recognize charity for what it is at heart: a noble enterprise aimed at bettering the human condition.”

    Among other messages, the UN seeks the general contribution of major stakeholders across the world to the promotion of dialogue, solidarity and mutual understanding ‎among people.‎

    The UN scribe again highlighted the fact that poverty is still ravaging many homes and societies in the world with particular reference to the developing countries and therefore used the medium to drum up support to alleviate this, “Poverty persists in all countries of the world, ‎regardless of their economic, social and cultural situation, particularly in developing countries,” he noted

    He called on all international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and individuals, to commemorate the Day in an appropriate manner, by encouraging charity, including through education and public awareness-raising activities.

    At a time when efforts are been made to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and define a bold agenda for the period beyond 2015, Ki-moon believes that the role of charity can and should grow.”

    Highlighting the activities and contributions of UN to charity, the UN boss disclosed that the UN bodies such as the UN Volunteers Programme and UNICEF offer venues for people across the world to get involved in charity.

    He said the UN’s humanitarian agencies rely on charitable donations from the public as well as the generosity of governments to continue their lifesaving work in response to natural disasters, armed conflicts and other emergencies.

    “While establishing the Day, the General Assembly asked that charity be encouraged through education and awareness-raising activities; initiatives such as the United Nations Academic Impact’s ASPIRE — Action by Students to Promote Innovation and Reform through Education — have encouraged young women and men to take on the responsibility of ensuring that their less fortunate peers have the financial opportunity to go to school,” he added.

     

     

  • UNICEF condemns killing of Yobe school children

    UNICEF condemns killing of Yobe school children

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday in Abuja expressed displeasure over the killing of some school children in Yobe.

    UNICEF said in a statement signed by its Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mr. Manuel Fontaine, that there was no justification for targeting children and those looking after them.

    “As we extend our sympathy to the families of the victims, we would say in the strongest possible terms that there can be no justification for the deliberate targeting of children and those looking after them,” the statements said.

    It called on governments at all levels to ensure that those responsible for the dastardly act were brought to book.

    The statement noted that 48 students and seven teachers had been killed since June 16 in four separate attacks in the region, and stressed the need for safety in all schools, to prevent future occurrence of such act.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect on Saturday attacked the Government Secondary School, Mamudo, along the Damaturu-Potiskum highway, killing 24 students, a teacher and an Islamic preacher.

    The attacked occurred while the students were asleep.