UNICEF Pacific

Twenty years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

A vaccination campaign in disaster-hit areas of Samoa aims to protect children from preventable diseases such as measles.

Like most people, the closest I have been to a measles immunization was when I was on the receiving end as a child. Although that event is now lost in the mists of time, I got the chance to see something ...

APIA, 25 October, 2009 – The UN Children’s Fund is urgently supporting the return of tsunami-affected children to pre-school in what may be a forgotten chapter of Samoa’s recent disaster.

Apia, Samoa 21 October 2009 – The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are giving full support to a Samoan Government nationwide measles and Vitamin A immunization campaign that aims to reach more than 32,000 children.

After the tsunami struck Samoa late last month, children were especially hard hit. They were left struggling with emotions they are not equipped for nor have the experience to cope with.

As I have visited tsunami-damaged areas of Samoa over the past two-and-a-half-weeks, one of the strongest impressions has been the need for water.

I spent yesterday on Manono Island, a small island wedged between Samoa’s main two islands and home to some 1,400 people. I was part of a UNICEF team looking particularly at education and health impacts of the tsunami, and accompanied by a volunteer interpreter from Red Cross.

Samoa came to a virtual standstill today as the nation turned its focus squarely on children as part of White Sunday celebrations. Held on the second Sunday of October each year, White Sunday is an opportunity for this deeply religious community to celebrate the gift of children.

Apia, Thursday 8 October 2009 – A training programme for Samoan community support volunteers is helping tsunami-affected families provide the support their children need.