The project was launched on June 1st 2010, International Children’s Day and will run throughout the second half of the year.
The project aims to attract both companies as well as individuals with the simple ask of donating their lunch money to UNICEF for one day.
“UNICEF in Haiti is responding to a true children’s emergency in which 1.5 million boys and girls remain vulnerable” said Aaron Downes, Corporate Relationship Manager at UNICEF Ireland. “A full generation of Haitian children still face an uncertain future and the ongoing generosity of our supporters like Junior Chamber International Dublin is crucial to UNICEF’s vision of re-building a stronger Haiti. We are very grateful for their support.”
Speaking in Dublin at the launch of the campaign, Agnieszka Legowik, JCI Dublin GIVE 100% Project Manager said “We are very aware of the ongoing need for funding to help in the recovery of Haiti and we hope to raise as much funding as we can for UNICEF Ireland to help re-build children’s lives in Haiti.”
The earthquake that devastated Haiti on the 12th January 2010 killed over 220,000 people, injuring over 300,000 and causing up to 4,000 amputations. Three million people, or 30 per cent of the population, have been affected; almost 1.3 million are living in temporary shelters in over 400 spontaneous sites in the Port-au-Prince area, while more than 600,000 have moved to outlying areas, including some 300,000 children.
Already before the earthquake, Haiti’s children were up against unfavorable indicators: one in every 13 infant died before the age of five; over 30 per cent of Haitians under the age of five were chronically undernourished; 55 per cent of school-aged children were out of school; 50,000 were in some 600 residential care facilities; an estimated 2,000 girls and boys were trafficked across borders annually
UNICEF, with its partners, will continue to support the relief operations and assist in the reconstruction and recovery phase in Haiti. Children must re-main at the forefront of the reconstruction, recovery, and development processes. It is important that children’s voices are heard, their rights are upheld, and their needs are addressed. UNICEF Haiti’s three priorities for 2010 include:
1. Ensuring that children are in school;
2. Preventing and addressing the threat of under-nutrition in chil-dren;
3. Protecting the most vulnerable from violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect.
More details about the process can be found on www.unicef.ie/give100% and on www.jcidublin.com.