UNICEF USA

Now in its fourth year, the UNICEF Tap Project, a grassroots initiative from the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, returns to cities nationwide during World Water Week 2010 (March 21-27). The UNICEF Tap Project invites individuals to donate $1 or more for tap water at participating restaurants or online at tapproject.org to provide clean water to children around the world.

Even as the country copes with the devastation of the earthquake in January, Haiti now braces for the onset of the rainy season. In 2008, four hurricanes hit Haiti during the annual spring and summer rains, killing hundreds of people and burying communities in mud. The ruins of the earthquake add another level of logistical difficulty to storm preparations. UNICEF and its partners are racing to move people in makeshift settlements out of low-lying areas and to reduce the threat of water-borne diseases.

Jenna Bush Hager, Today Show correspondent and longtime supporter of UNICEF, will be reporting on UNICEF's nutrition programs in Guatemala on Friday, March 12. Her segment, facilitated by the U.S. Fund and featuring UNICEF Guatemala staff, focuses on the nutrition crisis which is affecting half of all children in the country. UNICEF is addressing the crisis by supplying communities with an innovative micronutrient food fortification called "Sprinkles."

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF will honor the Boston Celtics with its Children’s Champion Award at A Night for Haiti on March 25 at the House of Blues. The event, co-chaired by Tiffany Ortiz and Brandi Garnett, will feature a reception, a special performance by Boyz II Men, a live auction with special guest auctioneer Boston Celtics Forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis, and an award presentation to the Boston Celtics.

Martin Rendón is the Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Elizabeth Kiem is the online producer for unicefusa.org.
Three years ago advertising guru David Droga of the Droga5 ad agency was approached by Esquire Magazine and given a challenge: brand the unbrandable. Droga, the story goes, was sitting at an outdoor cafe mulling this challenge when a waiter came by and filled his glass.
Eureka. He would "brand" tap water.

In 2003 Chad was nearly polio free, but the virus has returned to the country. Immunization remains the best defense against polio's spread, as the disease is highly contagious and irreversible once contracted. Cultural taboos, poor access to electricity and bad roads are some of the challenges that immunization teams face in reaching children in Chad. Actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Mia Farrow, visited Chad to lend a hand in communicating the importance of getting their children immunized.

Elizabeth Kiem is the online producer for unicefusa.org.
This weekend, hundreds of innocent children became victims of sectarian violence in Nigeria. While more than 90 people have been arrested in connection to the massacre near Jos, it is feared that the killers may never come to justice. It is yet another instance of violence begetting violence with a great deal of help from impunity.

In Haiti, International Women's Day was a day for honoring the tens of thousands of mothers, sisters, wives and leaders who lost their lives in the January earthquake. In particular, the work of three prominent Haitian feminists was honored. In the southern city of Jacmel, more then 500 people took to the streets in a public march organized by the group 'Women Decide.'

An ambitious campaign to immunize children against polio is underway across 19 countries in West and Central Africa that have seen a recent reemergence of the disease. More than 400,000 volunteers and health workers equipped with special carriers will go door-to-door to ensure that every child under five is vaccinated. Despite huge logistical challenges, a synchronized cross-border vaccination campaign is the only way to curtail the rapid spread of this debilitating disease.