Google, Inc. Grants U.S. Fund for UNICEF $ 4 million to Support Critical Funding Gap and Sustain Polio Eradication in 2011
New York, NY (Vocus) December 14, 2010
The U.S. Fund for UNICEF gratefully acknowledged receipt of a $ 4 million grant from Google, Inc. to address the critical fundraising gap of $ 14 million in UNICEF’s Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) pipeline for outbreak response. Recent outbreaks in Congo, Kenya, Liberia, and Tajikistan have diminished supply. Funds will enable UNICEF to ensure security in the vaccine pipeline and sustain its polio eradication program in 2011.
“No child should ever have to suffer from the crippling effects of this preventable disease, especially when such a simple, inexpensive solution exists,” said President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF Caryl Stern. “We are so grateful to Google for their incredibly generous donation, which will help us in our goal of eradicating this dreaded disease by 2012.”
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that can spread rapidly through communities. Children under five years of age are the most vulnerable to the disease, which can lead to temporary or permanent muscle paralysis, disability, and deformities of the limbs. As a result, children who survive polio may spend their lives with severe disabilities. Approximately one out of every 200-400 children infected will suffer from paralysis and even death.
UNICEF and its partners are in the final push to eliminate polio. Since the inception of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the number of polio cases reported annually has decreased by over 99 percent –from 350,000 in 1988 to 1,606 cases in 2009. Much work remains to ensure that this progress is permanent. Polio is still active in four endemic, four re-established, and eleven re-infected countries, and just this year, an outbreak in previously polio-free Tajikistan accounted for over 62 percent of new polio cases.
Bob Manoukian, dedicated U.S. Fund for UNICEF National Board Member, was inspired by Google’s grant and has sponsored a generous donation of $ 1 million. “Google’s gift demonstrates their commitment to contributing resources to address the world’s most urgent problems,” said Mr. Manoukian. “I am honored to provide further support of Google’s grant and I would encourage others to join this final push in supporting UNICEF’s work to ensure that zero children suffer from polio.”
Google’s significant contribution will be critical in empowering UNICEF staff to reach the children in greatest need and the hardest to reach. The grant will enable UNICEF to procure vaccines, funding social mobilization and operational costs as part of the immunization campaigns. UNICEF and its network of national committees, which includes the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, will leverage resources for additional funding in support of the shortfall.
For more information or to join the effort, please visit http://www.unicefusa.org/polio
About UNICEF
UNICEF has saved more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. Working in over 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF’s work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States.
Despite extraordinary progress, 22,000 children still die each day from preventable causes. Our mission is to do whatever it takes to make that number zero by giving children the essentials for a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit http://www.unicefusa.org
For more information, please contact:
Marci Greenberg, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212-922-2464, mgreenberg(at)unicefusa(dot)org
Lauren Monahan, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212-880-9136, lmonahan(at)unicefusa(dot)org
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