Philippines Edition 2 Unicef
THE MARKET If the 77-million Filipino population were reduced proponionately to a group often poople, what would the group look like? One would be a senior citizen above 60 years old. Fivewouldbeadultsaged 18to59. Four would be children below 18 years old. Children - 40 percent of the Philippine population make up UNICEF'S "market". UNICEF hopes to achieve a good quality oflife for all Filipino children through the Child-Friendly Movement. This movement requires individuals, families, communities, schools, chu~hes, media groups, private companies, and government agencies to work together for all children. This call is nl()(e urgent today when more Filipino families are slipping below the poveny line. Children and women bear the brunt of hard times. Therefore, more resources must be allotted to fight malnutrition, disease, illiteracy, and abuse.
ACHIEVEMENTS Today, 83 per cent of Filipino child caregivers know that children have rights. Advoeacy for children's rights has been a key strategy of UNICEF. With its partners, UNICEF works to make every Filipino family know, belie,·e and ensure that each child is free to grow in health, peace and dignity. UNICEFs work is anchored on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), now a ncar-universal law. Ratified by the Philippines in 1990, CRC commits the Philippine go-.,mment to safeguard every Filipino childs
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associations in the country.
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right to survival, developmen1. protection, and panicipation. To do so, the Philippine government carried out the Philippine Plan ofAction for Children, which set goals for Filipino children to be achieved by year 2000. Ten years later, the Philippines has reached some of those goals.The rate of infant deaths before age one has been reduced from 57 per 1,000 live binhs in 1990 to 36. Families in far-flung areas have better access to health care through community health and nutrition posts. In these places, community health workers and nutrition scholars are the primary source or health infonnation. More Filipino mothers receive health care. Aooording to the National Statistics Office, nine of I0 mothers had prenatal care in 2000. Through UNICEF-assisted Female Functional Literacy classes, women learn, not only how tOread and write, but also how to care for their fumilies' health and nutrition. More children are living to celebrate their riflh binhdays. From a high of 80 in 1990, the under-five monality rate decreased to 48 per 1,000children in 1998. Through the government's health programmes, panieularly Garantisadong Pambota, more children are protected against preventable and communicable diseases. In 2000, the country was officially recognized as polio-free. UNICEF has assisted over 100 elementary schools to create child-friendly learning conditions for children. With assistance from local governments and donors, UNICEF supported the construction of sanitary toilets and water pumps, upgrading of learning materials, training of teachers, and orientation ofcommunity leaders and parents. Since 1990, over 20 child-friendly laws have been passed, including the Early Childhood Care and Development Act. Child participation in decision· making and program implementation has been enhanced; children are represented in the National Anti-Poveny Commission. They helped shape the government's social development agenda. There are now more than 500 children's
•
Dut some goals were not achieved. Malnutrition ond micronutrient deficiencies have remained major threats
' to the lives of children. One-third of children below six years old are malnourished. Twe,nty per cent of families do not have access to safe drinking water and sanitary toilets. Three of four Filipino mothers and caregivers know that children should get education. Indeed, more children go to school today than 10 years ago. In 2000, 96 per cem of primary school-age children were enrolled in elementary schools. How.:ver, out of I0 children who enter first grade, only seven finish grade six. Five children will enter highschool, but only three will finish secondary education. Many children are still abused, neglected and exploited. U)I!CEF and the Philippine government strengthened pannerships with NGOs to assist children in need ofspecial protection like street children, working children, indigenous children, children caught in
situlllions ofannedconOicts, victims of abuse and neglect, nnd children in conflict with the law. One strategy is the creation of the Barangay (Village) Council for the Protection of Children, a community unit th3't monitors child rights violations.
HISTORY Founded in 1946, UNICEF was meant to be a shon-tcnn reliefoperation for children in 13 European countries after World War II. In 1947, UNICEF cxponded to other notions affected by the connie!. This included the Philippines. On 20 November 1948, UN ICEF and the Philippine government signed an agreement to become partners in caring for Filipino children. The UNICEF Manila Counuy omce was SCI up. The first decade of UNICEF work in the Philippines focused on heahh care aimed at eliminating tuberculosis and leprosy. Using new and cheaper drugs and by training com•nunity
heahh
workers, UNICEF helped immunise more children
aga inst
these
communicable diseases
and other preventable illnesses. In 1953, UNICEF's mandate was expanded beyond emergency care to longer-tcnn development work. In 1960. UN declared the forthco1ning years as the "Decade of Development". The aim was to suppon long-tenn development in countries. In the Philippines, UNICEF began assisting an education programme. Later, it also supponcd water and sanilrotcct the canh for children: and, I0) fight poverty by investing in children.
THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT
UNICEF
another
"product"thnt is in high demand.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The most recent achievement is the creation and adoption of the National Strategic Framework for Plan Development for Children 2000202S,orChild21.1t is a government fra1nework for the developntCIU of local policies and plans for children's well-being in the next 25 years. Child 21 was launched at the First Nationol Summit on Children in October 2000. 11 uses the life-c)<ele approach to programming, in which programmes arc adjusted 10 specific needs of children at each development stage. In 2001, President Gloria Macapagai-Arroyo vowed to put children first in the agenda of her administration. The anti-povcny plan of the government focuses on two children's issues: early childhood care and development and education.
PROMOTION UNICEF wes broadcast, print and new media to increase awa.rencss of its campaigns. UNICEF also relics on indigenous community media to bring its 1ncssages to Fil ipino families. Many international entenainmcnt stars and high· profile personalities have become Ambassadors of Goodwill for UNICEF. Some of them include the late Audrey Hepburn, Roger Moore, Peter Ustinov, and Nelson Mandela. Entenainer and celebrity Gary Valenciano is UNICEF National Ambassador in the
• UNICEF is the only UN agency that does not directly get income from the UN.
• As of December 1999, 61 per cent of UNICEF income came from governments. The remaining 39 per cent came from direct fund-raising and through the sales of greeting cards. • The first Christmas greeting card was produced in 1949. It was a picture of a maypole drawn by a seven-year old Czech girl named Jitka who sent it to UNICEF to say 'Thank You' for her UNICEF milk. It was the first every charity Christmas card produced. • Almost 800,000 greeting cards were sold in the Philippines in 2000. The biggest sales partner was the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. • The Philippines was one oflhe first UNICEF country offices in Asia. • In 1999, the Philippines had a child risk measure of 24. The child risk measure (CAM) is an attempt to capture in numbers some of the risks a child faces until the age of 18. In this index, higher numbers represent greater risk. The world 's average is 30. Children in Sub-Saharan Africa face the highest risk with a CAM of 61. The lowest at 6 is estimated in Europe. • The Philippines was the 31" country to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child on July 26, 1990. By the end of 1995, 185 States had ratified the CRC, making it the most widely and rapidly ratified human rights treaty in history. Only two States had not yet ratified, namely United States of America and Somalia.
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ACHIEVEMENTS Today, 83 per cent of Filipino child caregivers know that children have rights. Advoeacy for children's rights has been a key strategy of UNICEF. With its partners, UNICEF works to make every Filipino family know, belie,·e and ensure that each child is free to grow in health, peace and dignity. UNICEFs work is anchored on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), now a ncar-universal law. Ratified by the Philippines in 1990, CRC commits the Philippine go-.,mment to safeguard every Filipino childs
..
-~
..
associations in the country.
;!,
·.>('. -
100
-
q-
right to survival, developmen1. protection, and panicipation. To do so, the Philippine government carried out the Philippine Plan ofAction for Children, which set goals for Filipino children to be achieved by year 2000. Ten years later, the Philippines has reached some of those goals.The rate of infant deaths before age one has been reduced from 57 per 1,000 live binhs in 1990 to 36. Families in far-flung areas have better access to health care through community health and nutrition posts. In these places, community health workers and nutrition scholars are the primary source or health infonnation. More Filipino mothers receive health care. Aooording to the National Statistics Office, nine of I0 mothers had prenatal care in 2000. Through UNICEF-assisted Female Functional Literacy classes, women learn, not only how tOread and write, but also how to care for their fumilies' health and nutrition. More children are living to celebrate their riflh binhdays. From a high of 80 in 1990, the under-five monality rate decreased to 48 per 1,000children in 1998. Through the government's health programmes, panieularly Garantisadong Pambota, more children are protected against preventable and communicable diseases. In 2000, the country was officially recognized as polio-free. UNICEF has assisted over 100 elementary schools to create child-friendly learning conditions for children. With assistance from local governments and donors, UNICEF supported the construction of sanitary toilets and water pumps, upgrading of learning materials, training of teachers, and orientation ofcommunity leaders and parents. Since 1990, over 20 child-friendly laws have been passed, including the Early Childhood Care and Development Act. Child participation in decision· making and program implementation has been enhanced; children are represented in the National Anti-Poveny Commission. They helped shape the government's social development agenda. There are now more than 500 children's
•
Dut some goals were not achieved. Malnutrition ond micronutrient deficiencies have remained major threats
' to the lives of children. One-third of children below six years old are malnourished. Twe,nty per cent of families do not have access to safe drinking water and sanitary toilets. Three of four Filipino mothers and caregivers know that children should get education. Indeed, more children go to school today than 10 years ago. In 2000, 96 per cem of primary school-age children were enrolled in elementary schools. How.:ver, out of I0 children who enter first grade, only seven finish grade six. Five children will enter highschool, but only three will finish secondary education. Many children are still abused, neglected and exploited. U)I!CEF and the Philippine government strengthened pannerships with NGOs to assist children in need ofspecial protection like street children, working children, indigenous children, children caught in
situlllions ofannedconOicts, victims of abuse and neglect, nnd children in conflict with the law. One strategy is the creation of the Barangay (Village) Council for the Protection of Children, a community unit th3't monitors child rights violations.
HISTORY Founded in 1946, UNICEF was meant to be a shon-tcnn reliefoperation for children in 13 European countries after World War II. In 1947, UNICEF cxponded to other notions affected by the connie!. This included the Philippines. On 20 November 1948, UN ICEF and the Philippine government signed an agreement to become partners in caring for Filipino children. The UNICEF Manila Counuy omce was SCI up. The first decade of UNICEF work in the Philippines focused on heahh care aimed at eliminating tuberculosis and leprosy. Using new and cheaper drugs and by training com•nunity
heahh
workers, UNICEF helped immunise more children
aga inst
these
communicable diseases
and other preventable illnesses. In 1953, UNICEF's mandate was expanded beyond emergency care to longer-tcnn development work. In 1960. UN declared the forthco1ning years as the "Decade of Development". The aim was to suppon long-tenn development in countries. In the Philippines, UNICEF began assisting an education programme. Later, it also supponcd water and sanilrotcct the canh for children: and, I0) fight poverty by investing in children.
THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT
UNICEF
another
"product"thnt is in high demand.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The most recent achievement is the creation and adoption of the National Strategic Framework for Plan Development for Children 2000202S,orChild21.1t is a government fra1nework for the developntCIU of local policies and plans for children's well-being in the next 25 years. Child 21 was launched at the First Nationol Summit on Children in October 2000. 11 uses the life-c)<ele approach to programming, in which programmes arc adjusted 10 specific needs of children at each development stage. In 2001, President Gloria Macapagai-Arroyo vowed to put children first in the agenda of her administration. The anti-povcny plan of the government focuses on two children's issues: early childhood care and development and education.
PROMOTION UNICEF wes broadcast, print and new media to increase awa.rencss of its campaigns. UNICEF also relics on indigenous community media to bring its 1ncssages to Fil ipino families. Many international entenainmcnt stars and high· profile personalities have become Ambassadors of Goodwill for UNICEF. Some of them include the late Audrey Hepburn, Roger Moore, Peter Ustinov, and Nelson Mandela. Entenainer and celebrity Gary Valenciano is UNICEF National Ambassador in the
• UNICEF is the only UN agency that does not directly get income from the UN.
• As of December 1999, 61 per cent of UNICEF income came from governments. The remaining 39 per cent came from direct fund-raising and through the sales of greeting cards. • The first Christmas greeting card was produced in 1949. It was a picture of a maypole drawn by a seven-year old Czech girl named Jitka who sent it to UNICEF to say 'Thank You' for her UNICEF milk. It was the first every charity Christmas card produced. • Almost 800,000 greeting cards were sold in the Philippines in 2000. The biggest sales partner was the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. • The Philippines was one oflhe first UNICEF country offices in Asia. • In 1999, the Philippines had a child risk measure of 24. The child risk measure (CAM) is an attempt to capture in numbers some of the risks a child faces until the age of 18. In this index, higher numbers represent greater risk. The world 's average is 30. Children in Sub-Saharan Africa face the highest risk with a CAM of 61. The lowest at 6 is estimated in Europe. • The Philippines was the 31" country to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child on July 26, 1990. By the end of 1995, 185 States had ratified the CRC, making it the most widely and rapidly ratified human rights treaty in history. Only two States had not yet ratified, namely United States of America and Somalia.
101
