Functions of UNICEF in Nigeria | Check Here
The acronym UNICEF means United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. It is an international organization, established by the United Nations to cater mostly for the emergency needs of every child in post war nations. It was established December 1946.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund is simply, a United Nations’ subsidiary organization, which came to be immediately after World War II in 1946.
The main objective of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund is to make provision for proper and adequate health care delivery, as well as provision for food to children and women around the world.
Functions of UNICEF in Nigeria
There are quite a number functions credited to the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund UNICEF, and in this article, I will be explaining a good number of them too, and here are there;
1. Provides Services To Primary Health Care
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund is saddled with quite a number of functions, one of which is the provision of services, such as basic primary healthcare for children and some women around the world.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund does not stop there, its function goes as far as providing nutrition to children plus education.
Another thing provided for by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund is sanitation and women development around the developing countries of the world.
2. Protects Children In Respect Of Their Survival
Much of what the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund is doing is mainly that of the protection of children around the world.
That is why, it works for the purpose of ensuring that children are protected with regards to their (children’s) survival, including their well-being, and their health in particular.
To achieve this, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund do partner and collaborates with private sector, and government, and sometimes, cooperates with civic groups and sometimes too, with individuals to carry out this responsibility. This and many others have been the functions of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.
3. Provision Of Funds For Personnel Training
For efficient execution of programs by the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund, training of its personnel is very very vital and necessary.
That is why the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund do embarked on training of workers in its employ.
Most of the personnel in its employ include, workers, such as, sanitation workers, and health worker, and teachers, and those in the department of nutrition.
According to record however, the preventable diseases during 1990 through Universal Child Immunization as reputed among several others, was the leading objective of the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund.
4. Provision Of Technical Supplies To Health Clinic
This is another function of the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund. They do make available facilities and other equipment and some aids items, such as text books materials like papers, others are supplied to the health clinics, such as medical equipment and medicines.
The United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund also do supply water pipes and water pumps for the purpose of ensuring that clean water is supplied to the villagers.
5. Assists Government In Planning
It has been the responsibility of the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund to assist government in planning.
What do they planned, someone may ask, the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund will assist government in planning community based services.
After planning with reference to the field of water and sanitation, the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund will developed the community based services and extended it.
The community based services is not limited to the field of water and sanitation, it is extended to that of maternal and child, another is in the field of nutrition.
6. Provision Of Help For Children/Mothers During Emergency
This is an aspect of the function of the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund by making provisions for children protection and to help mothers as well during emergency.
Such emergency could be as a result of natural disaster or calamity or epidemics or civil strife or something of those nature. This area, the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund has done wonderfully well
7. Prevents Diseases
It is in the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund statutory responsibility to protect lives, in this case, the lives of children and women around the world.
Going by this, the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund is into making provisions to prevent diseases, such that have ravaged effects to the survival of these children, diseases such as eye disease, and skin disease and malaria, as well as TB.
8. Provision Of Education Infrastructure
The United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund has also see the need as part of its function to make available education facilities and infrastructure in schools for children with a view to make learning easy and attractive to these children.
9. Increases Child Survival Rate
Child survival rate is increasing across the globe, courtesy of the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund.
This, being one of its functions, has remained a lauded task undertaken by the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund.
10. Encourages Gender Equality
The United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund through their activities has encouraged gender equality. They have embarked on enlightenment programs, create awareness on the important of girl child education, and this moves have been encouraged by the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund.
11. Protection Of Children From Abuse
This United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund, through its function has helped in making sure that children are protected from any kind of abuse or violence.
Besides, the most profound advocacy of the United Nations international Children’s Emergency Fund has been on the rights of the child.
Conclusion
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund is simply, a United Nations’ subsidiary organization, which came to be immediately after World War II in 1946.
The main objective of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund is to make provision for proper and adequate health care delivery, as well as provision for food to children and women around the world.
See also: Educational System in Nigeria Problems and Prospects