CNN Special Focuses on UNICEF's Role in Saving Children's Lives

The CNN Special, The Survival Project: One Child at a Time, aired Sunday night and focused on four areas where UNICEF is reaching out to save the lives of young children. Those areas discussed are:

• Child protection in Iraq
• Water and sanitation in Laos
• HIV/AIDS prevention in Peru
• Child survival interventions in Ethiopia

CNN.com/world has some very good information about all four areas that were discussed, including links to other sites and videos. Also included are links to various organizations who are working with children around the world. To donate to UNICEF, go to their donation page and you can help save the life of a child with your gift.

Clay appeared in a short segment of the show, along with other UNICEF ambassadors, and gave a brief description of why he works with Unicef and why the work is important. To download Clay's part, go to Clack Unlimited.

Clayscience at The Clayboard has put together a summary of the CNN show. As you read it, remember, UNICEF needs our help to save the children around the world from dieing. Every little bit helps.

The first segment - clean tap water projects in Laos. A family who lost a 2 year old to illness because of contaminated water was the focus. The village now has a simple $5000 clean water tap thanks to Unicef.

Second segment focused on HIV / AIDS prevention in children, using Peru as an example. 2 million children at risk of infection in world, most in Subharan Africa. In Peru, there are 1500 cases of maternal to child transmission. There is mandatory testing there now. An example was made of a young mother who had two children. She passed HIV to her older child during childbirth. That was prevented in her younger child by the use of C-section (avoiding the greatest risk of transmission during vaginal birth), by no breast feeding for six months (also a risk of transmission) and by putting the child on prophylactic anti-retrovirals.

The commentators were Lucy Liu and Vivian Lopez, regional advisor, HIV/AIDS. The treatment and testing rates have been doubled in the past two years.

Celebrities - Clay, Dale Haddon, Al Roker, Ne-Yo, Nicole Ritchie, Amare Stoudemire, Marcus Samuelson give brief introduction on why they work with Unicef and why the work is important. A new celebrity ambassador to be introduced later.

3rd segment - Iraq and casualties of war.

Worldwide - 2 million children dead due to conflict in last decade, 1 million orphaned.

Kareem - has to sell gasoline on street to support family to provide $1 per day for each of mom and 3 siblings. Dad was killed in conflict. Kareem is only source of support and is not in school or sports.

2007 - 1.2 million Iraqui children forced from homes, 70,000 new widows. 14 million children at need in Iraq.

Unicef is vaccinating children against polio and measles.

Luciano Calistini, an emergency specialist, was panelist. Noted Iraq is the most difficult country to assure safety for Unicef staff. Noted that people need to turn their "anger into action", becoming activists, fundraisers.

Ethiopia, one of highest child mortality rates due to malnutrition.

Unicef training 30,000 young women in an outreach effort. They go to villages, use a simple tool to measure bicep to determine malnutrition -with green as okay and red as malnourished (less than month to live)

6 million children in drought areas, food more difficult to buy due to rising costs, hurting Unicef's efforts

New health workers refer children to clinics. Example of young mother receiving "Plumpy'nut" nutritional high energy peanut paste supplement for her child.

Dr. Nicholas Alahui was panelist, discussed highlighting successes, gave example of how tiny arm is that shows malnutrition.

New celebrity ambassador introduced - Joel Madden of group Good Charlotte, has been involved in efforts to help children, now honored to be invited by Unicef to be ambassador.

Ishmael Beah, former child soldier, from Sierra Leone.

Rescued by Unicef, now a Unicef advocate for children affected by war.

Does public speaking to highlight this problem. It's difficult for him to relive the memories and talk about the war, but says without Unicef he wouldn't be there.

Wrote a book - Memoirs of a Child Soldier

book is available on Amazon

Close of show - how to help.

Urged people to go to cnn.com/impact to see ways to help and list of organizations (not just Unicef).

Ann M. Veneman of Unicef noted Americans are generous and most generous nation in world.

At present, 9.7 million children die yearly of preventable causes. But this is an improvement from the former 13 million per year.

Carol Stern of Unicef noted that Unicef would continue fundraising efforts - being in supermarkets, schools, etc to highlight efforts and improve fundraising.