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For Every Child brings moving stories of how children around the world are being helped to survive disease and lead healthier lives.
In many parts of Africa and Asia - particularly remote regions - children are falling victim to diseases that can be prevented. And on both these continents HIV AIDS destroys lives and families unless there is more education about sexual behaviour among ever younger age groups.
This half hour programme looks as some of the ways in which UNICEF supports local organisations and health clinics to tackle diseases that can have a devastating impact on young children.
 Healthcare in remote parts of Vietnam
In Kenya, girls football has become one of the most successful HIV AIDS prevention schemes. Under a programme called MYSA (Mathare Youth Sports Association), young girls and boys develop their football skills and at the same time learn about life and sexual behaviour. Bob Munro, the programme's founder says it's given girls more confidence to say 'no' and to set ground rules in relationships.
Community health classes and peer education about teenagers are key to fighting HIV AIDS in Thailand, particularly in slum areas of Bangkok where Thai Concern Foundation teaches young children about the dangers of HIV AIDS. UNICEF admits that the response to HIV AIDS has not been commensurate with the size of the problem, but believes that the resources now being put into the global fight against HIV AIDS, they can scale up these types of programmes.
Common Diseases Kill, Too
 Measles vaccines in Bangladesh
To try to reverse this, the programme shows what is being done in Vietnam, Egypt and Bangladesh.
In Chieng Khoa province in northwestern Vietnam, efforts are underway to reach some of the remote mountain communities and provide basic health care and immunisation against TB, Hepatitis B, measles and polio. Mortality rates are higher here than in the country's delta region and providing vaccines and setting up community health and nutrition classes are being organised to support mothers with young children.
 Mass immunisation saves
A similar mass immunisation campaign has been launched in Bangladesh - this one against measles. Twenty thousand children die each year in Bangladesh from this preventable disease. A huge supply of vaccine and a team of 50,000 vaccinators went out into the countryside on a three week mission aimed at reaching 32.1 million people. The reason for this huge effort - measles accounts for 50% of vaccine-preventable deaths among children.
 David and Spike campaign for Unicef
An update also on Goodwill Ambassadors, UNICEF's top notch celebrities who lend their support to its work. David Beckham was in Denmark talking about the value of School in a Box, as he packed boxes for children affected by the tsunami. Amitabh Bachchan, a Bollywood star, signed up to help eradicate polio and HIV AIDS. And Spike Lee, the American film director, talks about 'Jesus Children of America' a film project about HIV AIDS, on which John Woo and Ridley Scott are also involved.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 19 July 2006 )
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