UNICEF today applauded the International Criminal Court’s conviction of Thomas Lubanga of war crimes for recruiting children into his armed movement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As a result of today’s landmark ruling, Lubanga is the first warlord to face international justice for using children as weapons of war. “This is a pivotal … Continued

Although by its very nature the exact numbers are difficult to quantify, it is estimated today that as many as 300,000 child soldiers – some as young as eight years old, are involved in more than 30 conflicts around the world. Child soldiers are used as combatants, messengers, porters, cooks and to provide sexual services. … Continued

On a cold February day, Syrian refugee children and their parents gathered at the Jordan Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) Centre, a UNICEF partner, in the southern Jordanian town of Ma’an. Report by Samir Badran. MA’AN, Jordan. They are some of the thousands of Syrians who have made the perilous journey across the border, … Continued

Getting a medical check-up is never a pleasant experience, and Yasmine, 1, is plainly not enjoying hers. She wails miserably as she is hoisted into a blue canvas scale and then suspended in mid-air for a few seconds while a nurse reads her weight. Report by Simon Ingram, NYALA, South Darfur, Sudan. February 2012: UNICEF … Continued

At a medical clinic outside of Bol, a town in Chad’s Lac Region, I recently met Adama Abdulai—a 30-year-old mother of six. Her three-year-old son Abdou was being treated for severe acute malnutrition; at 17.6 pounds, Abdu weighed roughly the same amount as his nine-month-old brother.  Report by Chris Tidey, UNICEF, N’DJAMENA, Chad (March 5, … Continued

Peddling by hand, Mulasi Huesseini forces her wheelchair through the sand and into the eastern village of Kasambondo. Her friends walk alongside, carrying their babies. One of them also carries Ms. Husseini’s 4-month-old son, Lubumba. Report by Guy Hubbard. KASAMBONDO VILLAGE/NYUNZU/MUKAWA VILLAGE, Democratic Republic of the Congo. VIDEO: 20 February 2012 – UNICEF reports on … Continued

UNICEF is racing to prevent a second major food crisis in Africa in less than a year. Report by Chris Niles VIDEO: 15 February 2012 – UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa David Gressly discusses how UNICEF is responding to the looming food crisis in the Sahel. World attention was focused last year … Continued

At a medical clinic outside of Bol, a town in Chad’s Lac Region, I recently met Adama Abdulai – a 30-year-old mother of six. Her 3-year-old son Abdou was being treated for severe acute malnutrition; at eight kilograms, Abdu weighed roughly the same amount as his 9-month-old brother. Report by Chris Tidey. N’DJAMENA, Chad. Ms. … Continued

Each year, the period between the rains and the new harvest is a lean season, when mothers like Fatima Mohammed struggle to feed their children—in Mohammed’s case, seven of them. Report by Shantha Bloemen, UNICEF. GAET TEIDOUMA, Mauritania But last year, there was no rain, and this year’s lean season has come three months early. … Continued

“It is a relief to receive some blankets and drinking water today so my children can be more comfortable and do not have to sleep on the dust anymore,” said Fatuma Mathala. Report by Shushan Mebrahtu and Seydou Amadou Oumarou. MANGAIZÉ, Niger, Ms. Mathala, who is six months pregnant, and her four children, ages 2, … Continued

It’s been two years since my last visit to Mao, a sand-smothered town in the belt of the Sahel. People here used to farm and raise animals but all that has changed. The rains haven’t fallen in years. Four seasons of crops have failed. The animals are dying and the children too. The world hears … Continued

A layer of dust cloaks the horizon around Mao, a town in Western Chad, deep in the Sahel region of Africa. Rain hasn’t fallen in years, and four seasons of crops have failed. Animals have long been dying here, but lately, children have too. Report by Guy Hubbard – MAO, Chad. VIDEO: UNICEF correspondent Anja … Continued