UNICEF Philippines
Encyclopedia
UNICEF Philippines is one of over 190 national offices of the United Nations Children’s Fund. One of the first UNICEF offices established in Asia, it works to uphold the rights of children in the Philippines, including their right to an education, healthcare and protection from abuse and exploitation. It also advocates for political change in support of children, and works with partner organizations from the public, charity and private sectors, to effect change.
UNICEF International was created in 1946 to provide food, clothing and health care to children in Europe after the Second World War. In 1953, the UN General Assembly extended UNICEF’s mandate indefinitely and in 1989 it adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
(CRC), which has since become the most widely adopted human rights treaty in history. The CRC now underpins UNICEF’s work around the world, including in the Philippines, and defines children’s rights to protection, education, health care, shelter and good nutrition.
UNICEF Philippines’ specific objectives are: to strengthen local and national governments’ capacity to protect child rights and manage basic services; to increase the ability of civil society to support families in raising, nurturing and protecting children; to reduce under-five and maternal mortality and malnutrition; to improve the quality of education and increase the percentage of children completing school; and to reduce the number of children who are sexually abused, engaged in hazardous labour, exposed to substance abuse, or are in conflict with the law.
and Bianca Gonzalez
.
In 2008, Gary Valenciano – also known as ‘Gary V’ – celebrated his tenth year as a UNICEF Ambassador with a visit to Sitio Avocado, a former war zone in Negros Oriental. His visit aimed to draw attention to the power of community action and to show how education can be a catalyst for change in times of conflict.
TV personality Bianca Gonzalez was appointed as a UNICEF Philippines’ Child Rights Supporter on 11 February 2010. She has supported UNICEF in a personal capacity since 2007, including fundraising for education activities. In December 2007, she raised PHP 36,000 through her blog website for UNICEF’s 100-book library program.
, Johnson & Johnson
, SM Supermalls
, Procter & Gamble
and GMA Kapuso Foundation
.
In 2004, UNICEF launched SparkHope in partnership with Starbucks. This is a community-based programme that allows each Starbucks store in the Philippines to provide early childhood care and development for children under 6-years-old in a specific community. A SparkHope corner can be found in every Starbucks store, which contains a donation box and shows photos of the adopted community and information about UNICEF’s programme.
for all children in the country, particularly those from marginalized communities. It helps to ensure that children are ready for school by supporting early childhood care and development centres, including home and centre-based day care for 3 to 5-year-olds. UNICEF provides packages for day care centres, including play and learning materials, health and nutrition supplies and hygiene kits.
In association with the Department of Education (Philippines)
, UNICEF has established a network of Child-Friendly primary schools and is now piloting the programme in high schools. This includes training for teachers and principals on child-friendly teaching methods.
UNICEF is also supporting policy makers in developing national standards to improve the quality of early learning programmes. The organization helped develop the Student Tracking System to monitor children’s progress, especially those at risk of dropping out. It is supporting the Department of Education in improving education in disadvantaged areas, including through the Modified In-School/Off-School Approach (MISOSA), which tackles the problem of large class sizes and congestion in schools.
, UNICEF works to promote a culture of breastfeeding
in the Philippines. The organization has established public breastfeeding rooms and breastfeeding community support groups throughout the country. It supports the Department of Health (Philippines)
in enforcing the Philippine Milk Code, which bans the advertising of breast milk substitutes, and trains health care workers on appropriate infant and young child feeding.
UNICEF also helps address preventable diseases and malnutrition among young children. The organization provides vaccines, cold chain equipment and syringes for the Expanded Programme on Immunization. It supports Child Health Days, a yearly campaign to deliver immunization, de-worming and vitamin A supplements to children in impoverished areas.
UNICEF trains health workers to respond to complications during pregnancy and childbirth and supports the Regional Emergency Obstetric Care Strategic Plan for Southern Mindanao, where maternal mortality rates are particularly high.
In elementary schools, UNICEF assists in constructing water and sanitation facilities, providing better access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for an additional 20,000 to 30,000 school children every year.
UNICEF develops and strengthens child protection networks at the community, local and national levels. The organization also supports the establishment of Child Protection Units and specialised courts to help the victims of child exploitation and abuse.
In the Philippines, UNICEF has lobbied successfully for the passage of several major laws to protect children’s rights, including the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act and the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, which penalizes anyone who produces, distributes or assists in the promotion or transmission of child pornography, including through online media.
Other UNICEF services for vulnerable children include access to education, life skills training, vocational training, HIV and AIDS prevention, health services and psychosocial interventions. The organization also helps train professionals working with children in child protection.
or humanitarian emergency occurs. The first aid usually arrives within 48 hours and emergency specialists assess the immediate needs of women and children. In the longer term, UNICEF works to improve conditions for children and promote their rehabilitation.
For instance, after Tropical Storm Ondoy hit Metro Manila in September 2009, UNICEF Philippines had packed and delivered 1,000 family kits within 24 hours. These contained the essential survival items for a family in the first few days, including blankets, sleeping mats, tarpaulin, cooking utensils and water containers. UNICEF also provided essential medicines, play and education equipment for schools and informal classes and water and sanitation for people in evacuation centres.
UNICEF International was created in 1946 to provide food, clothing and health care to children in Europe after the Second World War. In 1953, the UN General Assembly extended UNICEF’s mandate indefinitely and in 1989 it adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Convention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children...
(CRC), which has since become the most widely adopted human rights treaty in history. The CRC now underpins UNICEF’s work around the world, including in the Philippines, and defines children’s rights to protection, education, health care, shelter and good nutrition.
UNICEF Philippines’ specific objectives are: to strengthen local and national governments’ capacity to protect child rights and manage basic services; to increase the ability of civil society to support families in raising, nurturing and protecting children; to reduce under-five and maternal mortality and malnutrition; to improve the quality of education and increase the percentage of children completing school; and to reduce the number of children who are sexually abused, engaged in hazardous labour, exposed to substance abuse, or are in conflict with the law.
High profile supporters
UNICEF Philippines high profile supporters include Gary ValencianoGary Valenciano
Edgardo Jose Martin Santiago Valenciano , better known as Gary Valenciano or Gary V., is a Filipino musician. He is also dubbed as Mr. Pure Energy. He has released 26 albums, and won the Awit Awards for "Best Male Performer" 11 times. In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines first national Ambassador...
and Bianca Gonzalez
Bianca Gonzalez
Bianca Gonzalez is a Filipina TV host and model.-Education:Bianca Monica Malasmas Gonzalez graduated from high school at the De La Salle Santiago Zobel School and graduated with a degree of AB Communication Arts with a minor in Philosophy at the Ateneo de Manila University.-Writer:Her first job in...
.
In 2008, Gary Valenciano – also known as ‘Gary V’ – celebrated his tenth year as a UNICEF Ambassador with a visit to Sitio Avocado, a former war zone in Negros Oriental. His visit aimed to draw attention to the power of community action and to show how education can be a catalyst for change in times of conflict.
TV personality Bianca Gonzalez was appointed as a UNICEF Philippines’ Child Rights Supporter on 11 February 2010. She has supported UNICEF in a personal capacity since 2007, including fundraising for education activities. In December 2007, she raised PHP 36,000 through her blog website for UNICEF’s 100-book library program.
Corporate partners
UNICEF Philippines’ corporate partners include StarbucksStarbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
, Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
, SM Supermalls
SM Supermalls
SM Supermalls, owned by SM Prime Holdings, Inc., is a chain of shopping malls in the Philippines, with 42 malls across the Philippines as well as branches in China....
, Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
and GMA Kapuso Foundation
GMA Kapuso Foundation
GMA Kapuso Foundation is a socio-civic organization organized by GMA Network Inc. to facilitate social programs and outreach to the public.-History:...
.
In 2004, UNICEF launched SparkHope in partnership with Starbucks. This is a community-based programme that allows each Starbucks store in the Philippines to provide early childhood care and development for children under 6-years-old in a specific community. A SparkHope corner can be found in every Starbucks store, which contains a donation box and shows photos of the adopted community and information about UNICEF’s programme.
Education
UNICEF Philippines works to achieve quality educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
for all children in the country, particularly those from marginalized communities. It helps to ensure that children are ready for school by supporting early childhood care and development centres, including home and centre-based day care for 3 to 5-year-olds. UNICEF provides packages for day care centres, including play and learning materials, health and nutrition supplies and hygiene kits.
In association with the Department of Education (Philippines)
Department of Education (Philippines)
The Department of Education , is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the management and governing of the Philippine system of basic education. It is the chief formulator of Philippine educational policy and is responsible for the Philippine primary and secondary...
, UNICEF has established a network of Child-Friendly primary schools and is now piloting the programme in high schools. This includes training for teachers and principals on child-friendly teaching methods.
UNICEF is also supporting policy makers in developing national standards to improve the quality of early learning programmes. The organization helped develop the Student Tracking System to monitor children’s progress, especially those at risk of dropping out. It is supporting the Department of Education in improving education in disadvantaged areas, including through the Modified In-School/Off-School Approach (MISOSA), which tackles the problem of large class sizes and congestion in schools.
Health and nutrition
On healthHealth
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, UNICEF works to promote a culture of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
in the Philippines. The organization has established public breastfeeding rooms and breastfeeding community support groups throughout the country. It supports the Department of Health (Philippines)
Department of Health (Philippines)
The Philippines’ Department of Health is the principal health agency in the Philippines. It is the executive department of the Philippine Government responsible for ensuring access to basic public health services to all Filipinos through the provision of quality health care and the regulation of...
in enforcing the Philippine Milk Code, which bans the advertising of breast milk substitutes, and trains health care workers on appropriate infant and young child feeding.
UNICEF also helps address preventable diseases and malnutrition among young children. The organization provides vaccines, cold chain equipment and syringes for the Expanded Programme on Immunization. It supports Child Health Days, a yearly campaign to deliver immunization, de-worming and vitamin A supplements to children in impoverished areas.
UNICEF trains health workers to respond to complications during pregnancy and childbirth and supports the Regional Emergency Obstetric Care Strategic Plan for Southern Mindanao, where maternal mortality rates are particularly high.
In elementary schools, UNICEF assists in constructing water and sanitation facilities, providing better access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for an additional 20,000 to 30,000 school children every year.
Child protection
UNICEF Philippines works to provide a safe and protective environment for vulnerable children, including victims of abuse, exploitation and violence, by educating families and protecting children through rescue and recovery services.UNICEF develops and strengthens child protection networks at the community, local and national levels. The organization also supports the establishment of Child Protection Units and specialised courts to help the victims of child exploitation and abuse.
In the Philippines, UNICEF has lobbied successfully for the passage of several major laws to protect children’s rights, including the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act and the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, which penalizes anyone who produces, distributes or assists in the promotion or transmission of child pornography, including through online media.
Other UNICEF services for vulnerable children include access to education, life skills training, vocational training, HIV and AIDS prevention, health services and psychosocial interventions. The organization also helps train professionals working with children in child protection.
Natural disasters
Because of its permanent presence on the ground, UNICEF Philippines is able to respond rapidly when a natural disasterNatural disaster
A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard . It leads to financial, environmental or human losses...
or humanitarian emergency occurs. The first aid usually arrives within 48 hours and emergency specialists assess the immediate needs of women and children. In the longer term, UNICEF works to improve conditions for children and promote their rehabilitation.
For instance, after Tropical Storm Ondoy hit Metro Manila in September 2009, UNICEF Philippines had packed and delivered 1,000 family kits within 24 hours. These contained the essential survival items for a family in the first few days, including blankets, sleeping mats, tarpaulin, cooking utensils and water containers. UNICEF also provided essential medicines, play and education equipment for schools and informal classes and water and sanitation for people in evacuation centres.
Child-friendly cities
In the late 1990s, UNICEF helped establish a child-friendly cities programme in the Philippines. The initiative aims to promote children’s rights at every level, including the family, community, city and regional level. Since 1998, the government has been giving ‘Presidential Awards’ for child-friendly cities and municipalities.See also
- UNICEF International
- UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional OfficeUNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional OfficeUNICEF’s East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, also known as UNICEF EAPRO, is one of seven regional offices that support the work of the United Nations Children’s Fund. Globally, UNICEF works to promote children’s rights in over 150 developing countries...
- UN Convention on the Rights of the ChildConvention on the Rights of the ChildThe United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children...
- Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDSUnite for Children, Unite Against AIDSUnite for Children, Unite against AIDS is a global Campaign launched by UNICEF in 2005 to raise awareness of the plight of children globally in relation to HIV and AIDS, and to spur action....