UNICEF Canada launches #GiveAVax matching fund to encourage Canadians to donate to global vaccination efforts

TORONTO, 12 July 2021 – UNICEF Canada welcomes the Government of Canada’s announcement that for every eligible donation made by individual Canadians to UNICEF’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts, it will contribute an equivalent amount, up to $10 million until September 30th. 

The matching fund campaign, called #GiveAVax, provides a unique opportunity for people across Canada to help UNICEF deliver life-saving vaccines to health workers and high-risk groups in lower-income countries around the world and play role in helping to end the pandemic for everyone. The Government of Canada will match donations dollar for dollar for UNICEF’s emergency COVID-19 Fund, meaning that donations will go twice as far to save lives. 

UNICEF is in a race against time to vaccinate as many people globally as possible before more COVID-19 variants emerge. As the global leader in vaccine delivery, UNICEF has been tasked by the COVAX Facility with delivering 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the globe before the end of the year.

To help achieve this ambitious mission, UNICEF Canada is urgently calling on Canadians who are vaccinated to pay it forward and donate to its #GiveAVax fundraising campaign. Working together to vaccinate the world is one of the most effective ways to help children, their families and their communities move beyond the pandemic. Together, we can save lives and protect children’s futures. 

Canadians who want to donate to UNICEF Canada’s fundraising campaign can do so by going to www.unicef.ca/GiveAVax or by texting VACCINES to 45678 to donate $10.

Quotes

“Time is ticking. Getting more COVID-19 vaccines into people’s arms now is critical to resuming life-saving programs for children and protecting us all from future variants. UNICEF Canada looks forward to partnering with the Government of Canada to ensure that no country is left behind when it comes to access to COVID-19 vaccines. We are urgently calling on Canadians to #GiveAVax and help us with the monumental task of delivering 2 billion doses of vaccines to people around the globe, including in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach places."
-    David Morley, President and CEO of UNICEF Canada

“As more and more Canadians are receiving their 2nd dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, I encourage them to donate to UNICEF Canada’s fundraising campaign. Their donation to UNICEF will be matched and will help front-line workers and vulnerable communities in the developing world to access life-saving vaccines. It’s time to give back, it’s time to Give a Vax.”
-    The Hon. Karina Gould, Minister of International Development
 
“I experienced the impact of COVID-19 when I gave birth to my daughter last year. After contact with a healthcare worker who was later diagnosed with COVID-19, I had to quarantine away from my newborn and my husband. It was devastating. Vaccinating adults is the best way to protect children’s right to a childhood, which is why I’m proud to support UNICEF Canada and the Canadian Government's #GiveAVax initiative.”
-    Karina LeBlanc, UNICEF Canada Ambassador and Head of Women’s Soccer–CONCACAF

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About UNICEF’s role in COVAX
 
UNICEF is leveraging its experience as the largest single vaccine buyer in the world and working with manufacturers and partners on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine doses, as well as freight, logistics and storage. In collaboration with the PAHO Revolving Fund, UNICEF is leading efforts to procure and supply doses of COVID-19 vaccines for COVAX. In addition, UNICEF, Gavi and WHO are working with governments around the clock to ensure that countries are ready to receive the vaccines, with appropriate cold chain equipment in place and health workers trained to dispense them. UNICEF is also playing a lead role in efforts to foster trust in vaccines, delivering vaccine confidence communications and tracking and addressing misinformation around the world.