New campaign aims to stop epidemics among kids

MANILA, Philippines — Studies of non-government organization United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines show that due to decreasing number of vaccinations among Filipino children, there might be epidemics soon even for common diseases like measles.

“We really fear that a lot of children are going to die, unless we get vaccinations again,” a UNICEF Philippines representative told Philstar.com in an interview. 

Besides immunization, Filipino kids have “quite a lot of needs,” said the representative, and these also include education, sanitation, hygiene, and protecting kids from online sexual abuse.

These needs, said the representative, are among the ones UNICEF would try to address through its new partnership with personal care company Unilever Philippines and online shopping site Lazada.

Through “Shop2Give,” a 24-hour shopping fund-raising event on October 17, a portion of the sale of participating Unilever Philippines products from Lazada would go to UNICEF beneficiaries.

“The more people who will support the cause, the more will benefit in the Philippines,” a Unilever Philippines representative told Philstar.com. “We have a long history with UNICEF. Since 2012, we started with Domex, promoting toilet hygiene through the one million toilet campaign.”

According to a Lazada representative, their partnership is a way to let people know about the plight of Filipino children. To mark the partnership, a special packaging was designed featuring personal care products drawn like kids’ artworks, inspired by UNICEF Christmas cards.

UNICEF works across 190 countries and territories, including the Philippines. It has provided relief and recovery support for children and families affected by disasters and armed conflict. 

The organization has also helped pass laws that target to protect and promote children's welfare in the last 70 years. Among these laws are Childhood Care and Development Act, the Milk Code, and the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.