UNICEF UK Trustees Report and Financial Statements 2010

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The United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF Report of the Trustees For the year ended 31 December 2010 Immunisation, Liberia In recent years, Liberia has made considerable advances in immunisation coverage for children, reaching nearly 90 per cent of children less than a year old. In 2009, a reduction in funding threatened this progress, leaving many thousands of pregnant women and children once more vulnerable to potentially fatal diseases. To help put this right, the Isle of Man Overseas Aid Committee made a three-year commitment worth £300,000 to support UNICEF UK to provide life-saving immunisation services for more than 90 per cent of children less than a year old and almost 200,000 pregnant women every year. Importantly, immunisation serves as a magnet that attracts women to health facilities, where they can then receive advice on other health issues such as pregnancy care and HIV. We are extremely grateful to the Isle of Man Overseas Aid Committee for its long-term commitment to our immunisation activities in Liberia, especially at a time when funding was so uncertain. Child development, Jordan The first eight years of life are critically important for the future of a child. In Jordan, the majority of children are cared for at home. With support from the Parthenon Trust, UNICEF UK is working to improve early child development in Jordan in the areas of health, nutrition, education, and psychological and development. Around 30,000 children benefit will benefit from improved care and stimulation at home though better parenting messages. A further 300 health professionals, teachers, community workers, volunteers, and religious leaders have gained knowledge on early childhood care practices and we are expecting that at least 1,600 infants will be exclusively breastfed resulting in improved nutrition, bonding and immunity. Early childhood development, Malawi Kantar employees provided £120,000 to UNICEF UK for community-based childcare centres in Malawi, which cater to the needs of pre-school age orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS. The centres provide a place to play, early years’ education and meals for 300,000 children under the age of five. Baby health and nutrition in the UK Breastfeeding has a fundamental impact on the short, medium and long-term health of children and has an important impact on mothers’ health. Even in wealthy countries, breastfeeding helps protect against a range of illnesses including gastroenteritis and acute respiratory infections, reduces rates of childhood diabetes and obesity and adult disease such as coeliac and cardiovascular disease, as well as reducing risks of breast cancer and diabetes in the mother. 3 Recognising that the support mothers receive in maternity hospitals is crucial to successful breastfeeding, the World Health Organization and UNICEF have a joint, worldwide programme – the Baby Friendly Initiative. UNICEF UK runs the Baby Friendly Initiative in the UK and has accreditation programmes to reward high 3 Breastfeeding and Maternal Health Outcomes in Developed Countries, Ip S., et al., AHRQ Publication No. 07-E007, Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 6
The United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF Report of the Trustees For the year ended 31 December 2010 standards of care in maternity hospitals, community health services and universities that educate midwives and health visitors. During 2010, a record 176 hospitals, health centres and universities received a Baby Friendly award (93 accreditations and 83 certificates of commitment). The new accreditations mean that approximately 130,000 children were born in areas where care practices around breastfeeding had improved during 2010. We also trained more than 2,300 health professionals in the UK, which will lead to a higher standard of care for new mothers and babies. This work is funded by charging the NHS for our services. The Scottish and Welsh Governments have continued to support the implementation of the Baby Friendly Initiative by providing UNICEF UK with grants to employ Baby Friendly professional leads for Scotland and Wales. A member of staff with the same responsibilities is employed directly by Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency. In July, Anne Milton MP, Minister for Public Health, visited Bristol Primary Care Trust. Subsequently, there has been an ongoing dialogue, including ministerial meetings, between the English Department of Health and the Baby Friendly Initiative about the position of breastfeeding in the coalition government’s health policy. This has led to an invitation to Baby Friendly to submit a breastfeeding outcome for the public health White Paper. This continues the collaborative work over the past few years between the Baby Friendly Initiative and the Department of Health. The Baby Friendly Initiative also developed a new child rights-based course designed to provide neonatal staff with the background knowledge and practical skills they need in order to support mothers to initiate and maintain lactation within the neonatal setting. The course will help further the principle of “child rights for all” and ensure minimum standards of care for the most vulnerable children for whom breast-milk can make the biggest difference. The provision of a new bottle-feeding leaflet furthers the Baby Friendly Initiative’s aim that parents should receive evidence-based, impartial advice on how to feed their baby and receive support for whatever decision they make. Following the advice in the leaflet will help minimise the risks associated with bottle-feeding and promote bonding between parent and child. 7
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UNICEF UK Trustees Report and Financial Statements 2010

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