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| UNICEF
head Carol Bellamy tries out one of the 29 hand pumps installed
by UNICEF in Lodwar, Kenya, in June 2000. The wells were drilled
in hopes of finding relief from severe drought conditions. (AP/Wide World) |
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If you have ever collected treats on
Halloween, you may have also collected money for UNICEF. That is because
October is when children across the United States help other children
around the world by participating in the "Trick or Treat for UNICEF"
campaign. In 1999, more than 2.5 million youngsters participated, raising
about $4 million. Since the program began in 1950, children have raised
more than $105 million.
This money is used to assist needy children in many ways, such as
making it possible for them to go to school and helping to prevent
childhood illness and death. UNICEF also helps youngsters during times
of armed conflict and war, when they are injured, separated from their
families, orphaned, or left homeless. Children who must hold jobs
to support their families are also helped, since they often work under
unhealthy and oppressive conditions.
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, was first created at the
end of World War II to help children in Europe. The organization helped
to reopen schools that had been bombed and provided children with
food, clothing, medicine, and shelter. (The acronym UNICEF comes from
the organization's original name, the United Nations International
Children's Emergency Fund.)
Since it began, UNICEF has grown considerably and assists people in
many different ways. UNICEF workers can now be found in 161 countries,
areas, and territories.
Headquartered in New York City, UNICEF receives most of its income
from governments. The rest comes from the sale of greeting cards and
other fund-raising activities.
Reviewed by Division of Communication UNICEF
Copyright © 2002 Grolier Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
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