Pupils Get Ready To Bring Change For Malnourished Children

Schools asked to come together on Unicef’s Day for Change to help malnourished children

LONDON 5 April 2017 – Pupils across the country are gearing up to help raise vital funds for malnourished children as Unicef UK’s annual Day for Change takes place on Wednesday 24 May.

Too many children don’t have the food they need, so for Day for Change 2017, Unicef is calling on schools to change something about the school day and fundraise to help malnourished children grow up healthy and strong.

Pupils can get creative and hold special fundraising events, from ‘Wear-it-Blue’ non-uniform days, to Bring-a-Pound days or a healthy class bake-off. Schools across the UK are being encouraged to share images and stories of their fundraising activities and coin collections using the hashtag #dayforchange.

And, this year, Day for Change promises to be bigger and better than ever because The Power of Nutrition, a charitable foundation, will double every pound schools raise for the appeal before the end of the 2017 summer term, helping Unicef to reach even more children.

Around the world, five children die every minute as a result of malnutrition. Millions more children live with the effects for the rest of their lives because their bodies and brains haven’t developed the way they should.

Unicef provides life-saving food to treat children affected by famine, but also works with countries to help prevent malnutrition in the first place. The money raised by Day for Change will support long-term, sustainable nutrition programmes in Liberia, West Africa, where one in three children are malnourished. For example, just £3.50 could provide deworming tablets and vitamin A supplements for a class of 30 children, £16 could provide vitamin sprinkles for two toddlers for a whole year and £50 could train 250 parents and guardians about the importance of good nutrition.

Unicef is also providing a range of Day for Change classroom resources to teach schoolchildren in the UK about nutrition around the world, and inspire them to raise money to help malnourished children grow up healthy and strong.

Unicef UK Deputy Executive Director, Catherine Cottrell, said: “It’s fantastic that schools across the country will come together to do their bit to help malnourished children. Too many children don’t have the food they need, so now is the time to make a change. With The Power of Nutrition matching every penny for Day for Change, this means all the money you and your classmates raise will go twice as far in helping Unicef make sure children get the nutrition they need to grow up healthy and strong.”

To find out how your school can get involved in Day for Change, or to download materials with ideas, tips and tools to help make your fundraising activities a huge success, visit: unicef.uk/dayforchange

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For further information please contact the Unicef UK Press Office on +44 (0)20 7375 6030 or [email protected]

About Unicef

Unicef is the world’s leading organisation for children, promoting the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

Unicef UK raises funds to protect children in danger, transform their lives and build a safer world for tomorrow’s children.  As a registered charity we raise funds through donations from individuals, organisations and companies and we lobby and campaign to keep children safe. Unicef UK also runs programmes in schools, hospitals and with local authorities in the UK. For more information please visit unicef.uk