UNICEF Australia is launching the #DonateYourDinner initiative to help more than 26 million children in Eastern and Southern Africa who are going hungry due to the impact of one of the worst droughts in decades.
The initiative asks Australians to help raise awareness by sharing a photo of their empty plate on social media and to help UNICEF respond to the crisis by donating the value of their meal via www.donateyourdinner.org
UNICEF Australia National Ambassador Carrie Bickmore is supporting the campaign and said: “I am lending my voice to this initiative because my own children are fortunate enough to have a nourishing dinner each night. Millions do not. I hope that together we can raise awareness and funds to help UNICEF provide urgently needed assistance to children and their families in Eastern and Southern Africa.”
Across the region, UNIECF is working to treat more than one million children for severe acute malnutrition, a major killer of children under five years old.
“One hungry child is one child too many,” Tony Stuart, CEO of UNICEF Australia, said.
“In Eastern and Southern Africa, the equivalent of the population of Australia is wondering where their next meal is coming from and desperately need our help.”
The numbers are staggering and are likely to worsen as La Niña sweeps across countries already struggling with the El Niño-exacerbated drought.
Just $37 can provide therapeutic food to help bring a child back from the brink of severe acute malnutrition.
For young Marcelino in Angola, one of the affected countries, this food helped him to reach his first birthday when his mother took him to a UNICEF-supported clinic for treatment.
“Your donation means everything,” Stuart added. “Whether it be the value of a cheap and cheerful sandwich or a five-star meal, it can help feed a child and save a life.”
Story Source: UNICEF Australia.
Ryan Fritz
Ryan Fritz started The Advocate in 2014 to provide not-for-profits and charities another media platform to tell their worthwhile hard news stories and opinion pieces effortlessly. In 2020, Ryan formed a team of volunteer journalists to help spread even more high-quality stories from the third sector. He also has over 10 years experience as a media and communications professional for not-for-profits and charities and currently works at Redkite, a childhood cancer charity.
