What supporters
should know about
their donations

Saving the lives of children during an emergency

Cyclone Pam devastated Vanuatu in 2015. It was the most powerful cyclone to ever hit the Pacific – decimating crops, contaminating water sources and destroying buildings. Almost 200,000 children and families were put in danger.

Caring New Zealanders helped us raise $2.5 million to protect and care for kids affected by the cyclone. However, it was the generosity of our UNICEF Global Parents that allowed us to be one of the first humanitarian aid agencies on the ground – responding to the urgent needs of tens of thousands of children.

Global Parents are crucial for UNICEF’s success. Their monthly gifts support wherever the greatest need is, at any given time. This regular income is the only reason we are able to prepare for emergencies, by stocking our warehouses with life-saving supplies, training specialised aid staff and procuring the transport required to respond to a disaster in a meaningful and immediate manner.

Because of UNICEF New Zealand monthly donors, more children are saved, cared for and protected when disaster strikes.

Building a better world for children

No other children’s organisation has UNICEF's experience, expertise and reach. For over 70 years, we’ve not just been helping one child, but all children in need. And because of our experience, we understand the importance of supporting children for a childhood – not only in the wake of a disaster.

We rely heavily on Global Parent monthly donations to tackle the root cause of children’s suffering.

These regular gifts are essential to break cycles of poverty and fund long-term projects which create lasting differences for generations of children.

Monthly donations are vital to build solar powered clean water systems for communities in developing countries, support children into getting a quality education, vaccinate kids against deadly diseases, and much much more.

These regular gifts allow us to relieve issues that may not feature on the news, but have equally devastating impacts for children.

Global Parents truly help build a brighter and safer world for vulnerable children.

Supporting our tamariki in Aotearoa

As well as caring for children overseas, our Global Parent monthly donors help protect and enrich the lives of children right here in New Zealand.

Kiwi kids today are facing high rates of child poverty, abuse and preventable illnesses. Families are also struggling to find affordable housing and many of our youth are dealing with mental health issues.

UNICEF Global Parents are vital to improving the wellbeing of our tamariki. But because wellbeing means different things to different people, our Te Hiringa Tamariki Framework ensures we support whānau in ways that are right for them.

This could be through strengthening a child’s sense of community, supporting kids to excel academically or in sport, nurturing positive mental health practices, advocating for safer warmer homes, and so much more.

We listen and work with communities to help deliver outcomes that Kiwi families not only want, but need – and use these views with our own independent research to advocate for children and influence government policy.

We have recently made huge gains for our tamariki and have successfully influenced child-friendly policies that help tackle issues like mental health and child poverty.

UNICEF wants to see a brighter, safer future for all of New Zealand’s children.

However, it is only because of our Global Parents monthly donors that this life-changing work for tamariki is possible. Please consider joining us today.

Reducing costs and getting the job done

The simple truth is that monthly donations are better for children, for us and for you. Monthly gifts reduce fundraising and admin costs - giving us more resources to do what we do best: deliver life-changing projects for vulnerable children around the world.

Think of it this way: imagine you are a parent of two and paid the same income each month. With that income, you know how much you need to budget for your food, power, housing, childcare, transportation, clothing, school supplies and any treats like meals out and trips to the movies.

If your income was unreliable and unpredictable, how much more difficult would that task become? How much more difficult would caring for your children become?

By knowing the value of donations we can expect each month, we are equipped to deliver the best outcomes for children.

This means being able to buy life-saving supplies in bulk – reducing costs even further, being able to commit to projects on a scale that will make a truly life-changing impact and still being positioned to save and protect children’s lives at a moment’s notice when emergencies strike.

When you sign up to donate monthly, you can rest assured that you are making the biggest impact for children, at the smallest cost. We think that’s something we could all get behind.