UNICEF Indonesia supports community bird flu prevention programme

Hundreds of residents of Curug village were joined by senior officials and UNICEF representatives last week for the provincial launch of the Avian Influenza (AI) Kit, a simple tool that helps empower people in the fight against bird flu.

Curug is one of the thousands of villages across Java and Sulawesi that are holding community meetings to discuss bird flu and, with the AI Kits, demonstrate simple steps that everyone can take to stay safe from infection.

Each kit includes a mask, gloves, soap, educational materials and videos about bird flu prevention – plus a giant banner that each village can put up to remind people to be careful.

The kits, funded by Japan, have been developed by UNICEF in close cooperation with Indonesia’s National Committee for Avian Influenza and Pandemic Preparedness. One hundred thousand AI Kits are being distributed in Java and Sulawesi, and plans are in the works to send more to Sumatra and Bali.

One highlight of the 11 July event in Curug was a declaration from village leaders to continue the fight against bird flu. This commitment includes helping residents keep their poultry in a clean environment, with increased government support for village leaders.

Indonesia now ranks number-one in the world for bird flu cases. To date, 102 people have contracted the virus, and 81 of them have died. The latest fatality, on 8 July, was a six-year-old boy from Cilegon in Banten Province. Initial reports say it is not clear how the child contracted the virus because the family did not keep poultry.Read Full Article...

After the tsunami, education and recreation for Solomon Islands children

Young children living in the western part of the Solomon Islands have faced tough living conditions and a sense of insecurity since a devastating tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake hit the area in April.

Many children lost their schools as well as their homes. Particularly hard-hit were Western and Choiseul Provinces, where more than 35,000 people were displaced, half of them children.

Catastrophic events like this can leave children with a significant gap in their education unless something is done to bring both students and teachers back to school as soon as possible. So UNICEF – in partnership with the Provincial Education Department, Save the Children and World Vision – is working to reach the affected areas with education and recreation assistance.

Since April, UNICEF and its partners have planned for distribution of 60 School-in-a-Box kits and over 100 recreation kits, and have set up temporary shelters for learning and safe play spaces.

Each School-in-a-Box kit contains supplies for a teacher and up to 80 students. Among other materials, the kits provide pens, pencils, chalk, exercise books, markers, flip charts, a blackboard, paint brushes, posters of the alphabet and numbers, and a world map.

Each recreation kit, which benefits up to 180 children, contains handballs, volleyballs, a basketball, skipping ropes and many other items.

“There are a lot of dedicated, hard-working teachers who are going out to assist UNICEF in providing the affected children with some form of education and structured play through the use of resources in the School-in-a-Box and recreation kits,” says UNICEF Child Protection Adviser Natalie McCauley. “After a disaster like this, children need to get back to everyday routines and begin to play and socialize with peers. This programme is starting the healing process for the whole community.” Read Full Article...

‘Social Monitor’ finds 18 million children in poverty in southeastern Europe and CIS

Some 18 million children are still living in extreme poverty in the countries of southeastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States – most of them former Soviet bloc nations. Even though the region’s economic recovery has improved conditions for most adults, the ‘Innocenti Social Monitor 2006’ report shows that many children are not seeing similar benefits. Continued...

UNICEF correspondent Rachel Bonham Carter reports on the Innocenti Research Centre's 'Social Monitor 2006' report on child poverty. Credits: Producer:Rachel Bonham Carter

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Darfur Can't Wait

Your help will make the difference between life and death.

To learn how you can help please visit www.AidDarfur.org

Your help is urgently needed to save lives in Darfur.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Sudan's Darfur region. Over 200,000 have fled across the border to Chad. Millions more are homeless. Most are women and children, terrified while the fighting continues.

Refugee Film Festival Tokyo - July 18-26 2007

UNHCR Representation in Japan and Japan for UNHCR announce the launch of the second annual Refugee Film Festival, to be held in Tokyo this month.

Following the success of the first festival last year, Refugee Film Festival 2007 showcases an expanded line-up of thirty award-winning feature films and documentaries portraying stories of resilience and inspiration of people forced to leave their homes due to war and persecution. The festival opens 18 July with the Japan premiere of Iraq in Fragments, winner of the Sundance award for Best Director and Academy Award-nominee, illuminating war-torn Iraq through the eyes of ordinary Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. The closing film on 26 July is Shooting Dogs, a portrait of humanity in the most inhumane circumstances in Rwanda.

Exclusive to this year’s festival is a retrospective tribute to Cambodian filmmaker and former refugee Rithy Panh, featuring eight of his films and a discussion with the director himself. The festival also includes a documentary highlighting the remarkable life of Chiune Sugihara, Japan’s consul to Lithuania who helped save the lives of thousands of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.

The films will be screened free of charge at four venues: L’Institut Franco-Japonais de Tokyo, Goethe-Institut Japan, Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Tokyo, and Embassy of Sweden. All film screenings will be followed by a Q&A session.

The Refugee Film Festival is part of UNHCR’s year-round commitment to raising awareness of the plight of the world’s ever-increasing 33 million refugees. It is the festival’s aim to give a voice to seldom-heard stories of hope, despair, and courage, and to inspire involvement of the public in making a difference. Angelina Jolie, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, has expressed her support stating, "Film is an important medium to introduce the many aspects of the lives and circumstances of refugees across the world, and through this entertainment vehicle, create better awareness and understanding."

For a complete list of films, screening times, and special events, please visit the official Refugee Film Festival website, www.refugeefilm.org

Source:refugeefilm.org

Carly, a refugee's story

Carly, a refugee's story

Carly is forced to flee her home and leave everything behind. All alone, she sets out to find help in other lands. She encounters the Stone-eaters, Smoky-crows, and Silk-tails. But none of them will help her because she is "strange and different from them." "Where will Carly find the safety and warmth of a new family?

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