Rosie Scribble, left, and Liz Jarvis at Unicef's warehouse
Unicef invited Liz Jarvis of The Mum Blog along with Rosie Scribble to visit its supply division to see the inner workings of the process for getting essential supplies to people across Africa. Here, she describes the experience, plus how you can help this holiday season.
At first, it looks like a flatpack furniture store. Hundreds of cardboard boxes, all different shapes, stacked high.
But these aren’t tables or cupboards waiting to be put together. They’re life-saving supplies.
When Rosie Scribble and I were invited to the UNICEF supply division in Copenhagen we knew we were following in the footsteps of Kate Middleton and Prince William, who had visited a week before.
What neither of us was prepared for was such a moving experience. After all, they’re just boxes, right?
But then you see the labels. This box contains vaccines, that one blankets. They’re bound for places such as Somalia, Kenya, Haiti.
There are basic supplies – water purification tablets, mosquito nets. Then there are ones for the children whose lives have been shattered by war and devastation: toys to help normalise life for them again, footballs and school equipment.
Most moving of all was the peanut paste, which Kate refused to sample, prompting pregnancy rumours. But I suspect the reason had more to do with the fact that it would be impossible to try a little tube of peanut paste which you know can bring a malnourished child back from the brink of death in just two weeks.
One of the reasons often given for not giving to charity is ‘how do we know it gets there?’ Well now I’ve seen the boxes, bound for their destinations. Rosie has visited the field. And the stats speak for themselves: each year, thanks to UNICEF, immunisation saves the lives of 2.5million children under the age of five. You can’t argue with that.
*This Christmas, UNICEF have a wide range Inspired Gifts. A tube of peanut paste costs £23.50, an emergency water kit £8, midwifery kit £23.50, and a School-in-a-Box £150, perfect for fundraising at your child’s school. For more info, visit the UNICEF shop.
— Liz Jarvis
About Liz Jarvis
Liz Jarvis has been a journalist for more than 20 years and has been blogging since 2009. She was shortlisted for a 2010 Outstanding Achievement Award by British Mummy Bloggers, the precursor to BritMums. In 2012, she was shortlisted in BritMums' BiB Awards for the Outstanding Acheivement Award and was a finalist in the 'Go' category. You can find her at The Mum Blog, click on Blog below
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ThresholdMum
Saturday 19th of November 2011
Well done UNICEF.
We live in Kenya and this week I went to a talk from a group running a girls school in Kibera, Nairobi's largest slum. Some of the horrifying statistics from the talk: 66% of girls in Kibera have swapped sex for food by the age of 16.
After the talk, we, a mainly expat group of women shared our experiences. Over half of us knew girls living in Kibera and other slums who had been raped, - some as young as 4, 7, 11. Prosecution is highly unlikely. Access to qualified support is very rare. It so matters that UNICEF and other NGOs publicise the situation of children in insecure circumstances, and support those courageous local groups who are acting.