21/9/2014 Journeys CEF Level: B2 Amalia Chompi

Objectives having a look at some of the things UNICEF does reading four accounts from people who have been helped by UNICEF learning words related to government and to environmental disasters revising present tenses listening to short conversations discussing a given topic writing an essay discussing an issue

What is UNICEF? UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) is one of the world’s largest organisations working to help children. It operates in more than 150 countries and territories, and helps millions of children every year.

What else do you know about UNICEF?

Extra information about UNICEF The acronym UNICEF originally stood for the “United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund”, which was set up in 1946, after the Second World War, to help children who were in urgent need of food, medicines and vaccinations. In 1953, the name was shortened to the United Nations Children’s Fund, but the acronym UNICEF was kept because people were familiar with it.

Some of the fields UNICEF works in are: Education Health Relief Work (i.e. help in the form of food, money, medicine, shelter, etc.) after Conflicts (i.e. wars, fighting) and Natural Disasters (e.g. earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, droughts, etc.) Promoting Children’s Rights

What specific things do you think UNICEF does in these fields?

Education They provide educational materials such as pens, pencils, exercise books, text-books. They build schools and provide teaching staff, educational advisors, modern educational technology, etc.

Health They provide medicines, immunisations (immunisation = protecting sb from a particular illness by giving them a vaccine), medical staff (such as doctors, nurses). They build hospitals and medical facilities. They provide clean water, etc.

Relief Work after Conflicts and Natural Disasters They provide food, blankets, water, medicines, shelter. They find missing people. They provide counselling, etc.

Promoting Children’s Rights They make people aware of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, they protest against the abuse of these rights, and, generally, see to the implementation (= taking action or making changes that you have officially decided should happen) of the convention.

If you were going to do volunteer work with UNICEF for a short time, which of the things mentioned would you like to help with? Why?

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS KNOW YOUR RIGHTS The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 29: Each child’s education should help develop his/her personality and skills. Children should learn to respect their parents and their own and other cultures.

Why do you believe the development of both the personality and the skills of students is an important part of their education?

1.Skills learnt at school are important for future study, for day-to-day survival in a modern society, for employment, etc. Skills should be taught in interesting and creative ways.

2.Students spend a lot of their time at school, so it is logical that education will contribute to the shaping of a child’s personality. This should be a positive experience and should result in a child gaining confidence, strength of character and a positive outlook on life. Schools should aim to make a child’s time at school a happy time, and activities and schoolwork should be planned both to ensure this and to help develop a child’s character in positive ways.

Why is a child’s respect for his/her parents important?

A child’s respect for his/her parents is important for many reasons, including: 1.Parents love their children unconditionally. 2.They are always there for them, in good and bad times. 3.They use their own experience to give their children advice that they hope will be useful. 4.They provide food, a loving home, clothes, education, etc. for their children. 5.They often make personal sacrifices for their children’s benefit. 6.They want only the best for their children.

Why should children respect their own and other cultures?

1.Respect for our own culture means an awareness of our culture’s history, art, literature, music, food, traditions, and many other things that make our culture unique. By respecting our own culture, we help ensure that its uniqueness and variety won’t disappear.

2.Respect for other people’s culture is vital. If we are not tolerant of cultures that are different from our own, conflicts can easily arise. In addition, respect for different cultures can only enrich our lives.

Thinking about … the people UNICEF helps Task: Quickly scan the texts on p. 6 and answer the following questions: Whose job has been made easier by UNICEF? Who had to leave their home because of an armed conflict?