What is UNICEF?•Stands for United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund•Created on December 11, 1946 by the UN General Assembly as a temporary organization•Initial goal was to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II•Today, UNICEF believes that the survival, protection and development of children must be a global priority, and that every child has the right to health, education, equality and protection

Who Funds UNICEF?

• UNICEF relies on contributions from governments and private donors

• Governments contribute two thirds of the organization's resources

• Private NGO’s and some 6 million individuals contribute the rest through the National Committees

• Funding is used in UNICEF's programs that emphasize developing community-level services to promote the health and well-being of children

Who is Involved?

• Currently more than 200 countries are involved with UNICEF

• National Committees have been established in 36 industrialized countries worldwide

• each established as an independent local NGO

Key Facts about UNICEF

• 1946- UNICEF is created • 1953- Made a permanent arm of the UN to address

the plight of children in developing countries• 1953- Name is changed to the United Nations

Children’s Fund.• 1955- Volunteers form UNICEF Canada• 1955- UNICEF Canada organizes first Trick-or-Treat

for UNICEF campaign, mobilizing long-term Canadian support for the world’s most vulnerable children

Key Facts about UNICEF (cont)

• 1965- awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

• 2002- made the Secretariat for the United Nations Special Session on Children

• 2005- 50th anniversary of UNICEF in Canada

General Information

• Today UNICEF has direct working relations with government ministries, community leaders and policy makers in more than 155 countries and territories.

• Thanks to UNICEF, millions of children are living better lives today – three million fewer children under five die each year than 10 years ago and 50 million more children are enrolled in primary school than in 1990.

General Information

• UNICEF Canada’s mandate is to raise funds in support of UNICEF’s work for children in more than 150 countries and territories and build awareness among Canadians about the issues facing the world’s children.

• One of UNICEF Canada’s cornerstones is its Education for Development programme, which works through schools, special projects and the Internet to engage children and youth in international development issues such as HIV/AIDS, girls’ education, children and war, child labour and children’s rights.

Resources for the Classroom• “A School Like Mine”- This unique celebration of the

commonalities and differences between school days in different countries will enrich knowledge and delight imagination as kids share in the experiences of their peers around the world

• “Classroom Activities for Children’s Rights”- These lesson plans for all grades introduce basic concepts of children’s rights. Students will develop an understanding of what rights are, discover the universal rights set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and identify the relevance of these rights locally and globally.

• “Rights, Wants, and Needs Activity Kit”- This resource helps children to explore the idea that people’s basic needs are considered rights, and to see the link between rights and responsibilities through participatory activities

Ontario Curriculum Fulfillment

•Grade 8 history- “Canada, a Changing Society”•Students will:

•describe the factors contributing to change in Canadian society (e.g., immigration, technology, politics, and globalization)•describe and analyze conflicting points of view about a historical issue (e.g., child labor, the Boer War, the causes of the First World War).

Ontario Curriculum Fulfillment

• Grade 8 geography- “Patterns in Human Geography”– Students will:

– identify and explain the factors affecting population distribution (e.g., history, natural environment, technological development, immigration trends/patterns)

– formulate questions to guide and synthesize research on the study of population characteristics and patterns

– compare key characteristics (e.g., quality of life, level of industrialization and urbanization) of a number of developed and developing countries

Assessment Tools

• Students will be given two options:– For the creative learner they are to make a poster

promoting UNICEF using their knowledge, own ideas and self created images

– For the language based learner they are to create a letter to a pen-pal who’s life has been touched by UNICEF