Unicef is Inviting Everyone for a Healthier Population of Children and Women!
As we always do in TURCommunique, we invited UNICEF, this time, for an interview.
Güneş YILDIRIM, Resource Development Specialist of Unicef - a United Nations Organization that specializes in supporting the application of children's rights- answered our questions, and helped us to get to know UNICEF better.
1. Could you briefly introduce yourself to us?
Güneş YILDIRIM: At Unicef, I am in charge of the personal donations. I have been serving in the civil society organizations for so long. I only work in this field. Unicef is celebrating its 60th year this year. So this is a very important year. However, we have faced so many disasters this year. As you know, the situation in Africa is not so well. Topics like education, health, accommodation, hunger concerns both children and women. That is why Unicef is interested in women as well. Unicef approaches this from an integrated perspective. It functions by taking children's rights as the basis, taking the agreement about the children's rights as its basis. Our primary work in Turkey is about health, once we resolve that, the next issue is education. In the past, many achievements have been acquired thanks to the works Unicef had done in this area. For example, there is no polio in Turkey anymore. We are free of that.
Same with the measles cases. Children can have access to health services until the age of 18. We had a huge campaign called "Come On Girls, Get to School". This is a Unicef project. Currently our most famous campaign is get a child to have preschool education by 25 TL campaign. You will find ads on the newspapers. We have good will ambassadors both internationally and from Turkey. We are conveying our messages also through these ambassadors.
2. How do you find the government support?
Güneş YILDIRIM: Those, who want to be volunteers, can support us along with their donations. For instance, we open stands, we organize activities. We have all sorts of gifts, especially post cards. These sales are coming back to Unicef as donations. Other than this, we have campaigns both in Turkey and abroad. We call for support from individuals, as well as corporations.
Furthermore, we have teams that we call Face to Face, on the streets. Face to face communication is possible on certain tracks, and this way we receive donations as well. This is conducted only in Istanbul and Ankara for now. Soon enough it will start in Izmir. Our phone texting number is 3005. With this number, you can donate 10 TL. We have Unicef stands in major bookstores.
Unicef is working for Africa, with heart and soul. Unicef's unique stance in this is due to its focus on children and women. The primary goal is to provide them with premade food and treatments. These food are at the level of drugs. Providing clean water is another important issue. Since hunger reduces the immunity, there are epidemics. Thus, one of Unicef's goals is to vaccinate more than 2 million children. We are continuing to announce such works in the press. This campaign is not going to be over in October either. In the long run, Unicef will maintain its works there.
3. How is Unicef with technology?
Güneş YILDIRIM: Our web site is like our second office. We can easily track the donations from there. Text messaging is another component that facilitated our work for us. Technology provides resources for civil society organizations. People can reach us with whatever means they chose, either through money transfer, wire transfer, or some other ways. Especially the text messaging and online donations have created a massive change. That is why we are doing our best in employing the social media and technology as much as possible.
