UNICEF
You're travelling around the world, feeling positively inspired and warmed by the sun glistening off your tanned - or if you're unlucky – blistering, red skin. You're soaking up the cultural diversity, mixing with the locals and generally learning, and gaining invaluable life experience. So what's missing?
Story Highlights
- Volunteer with UNICEF
- The Facts
- How UNICEF Helps
- Volunteering Options
Volunteer with UNICEF
Children worldwide have benefited from UNICEF's expansive network of volunteers in 191 countries. As part of the Global Movement for Children (a partnership devoted to enhancing the life of children) UNICEF works to protect children from HIV/AIDS and malnutrition by educating them. It also helps create fairer global policies to provide children with the support they need.
The Facts
9.7 million children die from preventable causes every year. Most of these don't reach their fifth birthday. Malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia take some lives. For others it's HIV/AIDS, malnutrition and poor hygiene. Such tragic conditions are also causing mothers to die in labour or a few days after giving birth. Vaccines, antibiotics, nutritional supplements, mosquito bed nets and safe hygiene practices can help reduce these unnecessary deaths and save millions of lives.
How UNICEF Helps
Education: UNICEF advocates education to be a basic human right because it is so important to personal and social development. All children, male and female, deserve a quality education which addresses the inequalities in society. These inequalities can exclude children, often girls, from school or lead to a poor quality of education. The simple fact is that education improves lives. It helps people live in a sustainable way and it alerts us to the causes of and treatments for, poverty and disease. The result is a healthy lifestyle and protection from sexually transmitted diseases. Educated adults are more likely to wear protection during intercourse and have fewer children. They are also more likely to give their children a better quality of life.
Protecting Children: Violence, exploitation and abuse affect 300 million children around the world. Child marriage, female genital mutilation, child labour during armed conflict and many more unspeakable practices need to be addressed and acted upon. It is every adult's responsibility to protect the children in our world and to allow them the rights they deserve. UNICEF supports the creation of a protective environment for children in partnership with governments, national and international partners, the private sector and civil society.
HIV/AIDS: In 2007 approximately 2.1 million children under the age of 15 had HIV and almost 300,000 children died of AIDS. In the same year 420,000 children were infected. Children suffering from HIV or AIDS are more likely to experience a terrible quality of life - often including poverty, homelessness, a lack of education, discrimination and an early death. Addressing the HIV epidemic and its impact on children is a vital part of UNICEF's work. The four main areas in which they aim to make a difference are:
- Preventing mother to child transmission of HIV.
- Providing paediatric treatment.
- Preventing infection in young people.
- Protecting and supporting children affected by AIDS.
Policies to improve children's rights: The work completed by UNICEF with governments, law-makers, the media, civil society and international organisations, depends on policy analysis. By analysing economic and social factors that affect the well-being of children and women worldwide, UNICEF can determine if issues are being addressed appropriately. In turn this leads to the development of new policies and actions to improve conditions. UNICEF helps put children's rights at the centre of global and country-specific policy debates.
Volunteering Options
The United Nations Volunteer programme (UNV) is available to those looking for a long-term volunteer opportunity. Please visit this following link for further information. www.unv.org/how-to-volunteer/unv-volunteers.html. An undergraduate degree and work experience is preferred for the programme. Volunteer opportunities for American citizens are provided here. volunteers.unicefusa.org/volunteering.
For other industrialised countries, UNICEF National Committees can provide information on volunteer activities, so take a look. www.unicef.org/about/structure/index_natcoms.html.
In the last 40 years, more than 30,000 United Nations volunteers have worked in over 160 countries - making an important contribution towards development efforts.
The following are required to become a United Nations Volunteer:
• A university degree or higher technical diplomas.
• Several years of relevant work experience.
• Be at least 25 years of age.
• Good working knowledge in English, French and/or Spanish.
• A strong commitment to the values and principles of volunteering.
• The ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• The ability to adjust in difficult living conditions.
• Strong interpersonal and organisational skills.
In return for your service you receive the following benefits:
• An initial Settling-in-Grant, based on the duration of the assignment.
• A monthly Volunteer Living Allowance to cover basic living expenses.
• Travel on appointment and at the end of the assignment.
• Life, health and permanent disability insurance.
• Annual leave.
• Resettlement allowance calculated on the duration of and the satisfactory completion of the assignment.
If you'd like to find out a little more, then take a trip to the UNICEF website www.unicef.org for more information.
- Jen Page
