Why do a Walk-a-thon this Halloween?

The UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon is back in full swing.

Little monsters, ghouls and goblins in their neighbourhoods in Canada are asking for donations as they show off their scariest costumes while trick-or-treating. Some of you may be wondering, how far do these donations go? Let’s take a trip around the world to find out how the funds raised are making a difference for millions of children by helping them access safe, drinking water, life-saving vaccines, fight malnutrition and bring them back to school.

Helping children in Ecuador learn:

Many schools had to close during the COVID-19 pandemic to curb the spread of the virus. For Ariadna and millions of students worldwide, that meant being away from their classrooms and friends and the essential learning environment that every child deserves.

UNICEF implemented a water, sanitation and hygiene response in Ecuador that allowed more than 12,000 children to start attending schools again.

This intervention included the donation of refillable hand-washing stations, jerry cans, water purification tablets, soap and alcohol gels, masks for teachers, signage to promote hand-washing and refurbishment of sanitary infrastructures in the schools, among other benefits.

As a result, Ariadna, who for 18 months couldn't go to school, returned to her classroom with her friends.

Providing life-saving vaccines

Did you know that UNICEF supports almost half the world's children with life-saving vaccines?

A team of doctors, nurses, drivers, scientists and volunteers ensure high-quality vaccines reach children, even in the most hard-to-reach places around the world.

Fighting Malnutrition:

Globally one in five deaths among children under the age of five is attributed to severe child malnutrition.

UNICEF has been procuring almost 80 per cent of the world's RUTF or ready-to-use therapeutic food, a life-saving miracle cure for children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition. It's a mineral-fortified peanut paste mixed with dry milk products and  can help a hungry child gain up to two pounds per week.

Learn what it is and how it helps us in fighting malnutrition across the world.

Supporting Ester's quest for water

Twelve-year-old Ester used to wake up every day at 4a.m.to fetch drinking water for her family from Lake Kivu, four miles away from her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She had to skip school because it took a long time to return home. 

In the DRC, 80 per cent  of the population does not have access to safe drinking water. This for the same situation for Ester and her family, the lake water near her home is not clean.

With support from UNICEF and its partner, a new water processing plant was installed that provided safe drinking water to Ester's community.

Ester now attends school regularly because she doesn’t have to walk for miles to fetch water for her family! .