AfricaCom Awards are proud to annouce UNICEF as the Official Charity. 

The awards ceremony will feature a presentation from a senior UNICEF representative and Informa Telecoms & Media will donate 10% of every ticket sale to the charity.

Since 1946 UNICEF has been the world’s leader for children, working in more than 150 countries to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. 

The world’s largest provider of vaccines for poor countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.

UNICEF, a member of the United Nations family of development agencies, has been present in South Africa since being invited by the then President Nelson Mandela in 1994.  UNICEF is focused on the development challenges currently facing children in South Africa.  A key objective of the country programme is to facilitate the realisation of children’s Constitutional rights through partnerships with national, provincial and local government, civil society organisations, families and communities.  As such, UNICEF works with government, civil society partners and communities on advocacy initiatives to influence social policy, legislation and action to bring about meaningful and sustainable changes in the lives of especially the most disadvantaged children.

UNICEF’s four programmatic pillars are designed to deal with the challenges currently facing South African children, including a rising infant mortality rate, malnutrition, preventable diseases, violence against women and children, and unacceptable numbers of orphaned and vulnerable children – chiefly as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  

The health programme targets child survival and development in South Africa, where 40% of deaths of children under the age of 5 years old is a result of HIV/AIDS and malnutrition and neonatal problems are continuing.  UNICEF works to ensure that the health system of the government is available to all children.  The child protection programme works with Government and civil society partners to both combat the high levels of violence against women and children and to ensure that orphaned and vulnerable children are protected through social grants.  Although school attendance is relatively high, at 89%, the education programme of UNICEF works to remove the barriers preventing children from enrolling in schools and attain quality of education by making schools safe and child-friendly zones.  The social policy and economics programme works, in part with Government and other partners, to ensure that the benefits of policy and legislation do reach children.

UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

To learn more about how you can contribute to the UNICEF legacy, visit our website at www.unicef.org/southafrica or contact Justin Bradfield at jbradfield@unicef.org