The MSU student chapter of the United Nations Children’s Fund was recently established by Sana Mujahid, a junior biological sciences major.
“I have had an interest in UNICEF for many years. Particularly, I admire its universal outreach and its multiple humanitarian successes over the years. Once I learned about UNICEF’s campus initiative, I knew it would be a great opportunity to expose MSU students to the organization and create awareness of the numerous issues facing children around the world,” Mujahid said.
“Setting up the chapter was a challenging yet fulfilling experience. I learned a great deal through the process. Through it all, faculty, staff and students were very encouraging and helpful,” Mujahid said.
According to its charter, the MSU chapter of UNICEF’s purpose is “to empower the university to help the world’s children by exposing them to the perils facing children around the world and by providing opportunities to make a difference.”
UNICEF was founded in 1946 to meet the emergency needs of children in war-torn Europe, China and the Middle East. By 1950, UNICEF’s mandate was extended to address the problems of children in the developing world and now works in more than 160 countries and territories throughout Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern and Central Europe.
Through its field offices, UNICEF cooperates with governments and community organizations to help meet the needs of children, according to the particular situation and priorities of a given country. Greater support is given to least developed nations, with particular emphasis on major causes of death and disease among children under five. In 1965, UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, linking its lifesaving work for children with world peace.
UNICEF is an integral but semi-autonomous agency of the United Nations with its own executive board. Financial support for its work is derived entirely from voluntary contributions made by governments, foundations, corporations and individuals around the world.
Headquartered in New York, the United States Fund for UNICEF is a non-profit organization governed by an independent, non-salaried board of directors. The organization has developed an extensive network of volunteers in cities around the country. Among its many national programs, the United States Fund for UNICEF creates and distributes educational materials for both teachers and students, promotes the sale and distribution of UNICEF greeting cards, helps organize hundreds of fund-raising events annually, organizes advocacy projects and letter-writing campaigns and sponsors the “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF” campaign that culminates in October.
The MSU group is affiliated with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, not UNICEF itself. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF works for the survival, protection and development of children worldwide through education, advocacy and fundraising. Created in 1947, the U.S. Fund is the oldest of 37 national committees in industrialized countries that support UNICEF’s mission. In the last 52 years, the U.S. Fund has raised approximately $788 million to support numerous UNICEF-assisted projects and programs. The funds raised by its groups go directly toward these projects and programs around the world.
“I truly believe that UNICEF is a wonderful organization. It offers avenues for children that are otherwise unattainable,” Mujahid said. “UNICEF-led efforts have made an immense difference in children’s lives around the world. Through this campus chapter, I hope that MSU students will be able to contribute to UNICEF’s efforts to provide health care, nutrition, and education among many other things.”
“I am delighted to be the faculty advisor for the UNICEF Club on MSU campus and to work with students who are committed to the welfare of children in the United States and around the world,” Wanda Dodson, faculty sponser of the MSU chapter of UNICEF, said. “I see my role as advising and assisting the organization in becoming more visible on campus.”
For students interested in joining the MSU chapter of UNICEF, the club’s first meeting is scheduled to be held in Harned Hall, Room 119, for Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m.