Help For Needy Children: Appeal To New Zealanders

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23271, 5 June 1950, Page 2

Help For Needy Children: Appeal To New Zealanders

WELLINGTON, June 5,

Have you ever heard of UNICEF? While statesmen argue about the rights and wrongs of the world at an international level, while nations hurl charge and countercharge against one another, and the ordinary people wonder whether they are living in the shadow of a third world war, there is one international organisation which is quietly and efficiently, almost unpublicised, going about a job of major importance, with the unqualified support of all the fifty or more participating countries.

This is UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. 'Today it is doing a job that staggers the imagination, saving countless thousands, perhaps millions, of children from early death, setting others on the way to good health they would otherwise never enjoy. UNICEF may well go down in history as ono of the greatest practical results of the idea of the United Nations. It is the greatest child-saving organisation the world has yet seen.

/Must Also Help Themselves

Not one of Europe's war-torn countries has not received the help of UNICEF—food for the children, medical supplies for them and their mothers. But UNICEF does not just give away its help; it operates on a “matching” principle which' requires that nations receiving aid shall also help themselves. UNICEF assistance is supplementary to, ! and not a substitute for, Government efforts. So well is this principle established that many recipient countries are going further than helping themselves; they are sending to other needy _ nations some of the necessities of which they have a surplus. Polish sugar goes to Austria. Italian rice goes to Yugoslavia, dried fruits from Greece go to Arab refugees. Many of the countries on the list of those receiving aid are also on the list of countries providing money. UNICEF is entirely voluntary. While other United Nations’ agencies are financed by assessments on member countries. nobody is compelled to support UNICEF. But because this organisation is carrying on a work which every normal person wants to help the contributions roll in from the Government and private citizens of more than 50 countries. Spent In Own Country The broad plan is that each contributing country spends' its contribution in P* own land to buy supplies urgently needed in some other, part of the world. In .1948 and 1949, for instance, New Zealand spent £521,230 on supplies for overseas recipients of UNICEF aid. The money was all spent in this country to buy fish-liver oil capsules, soap, cheese, meats, milk, wool. The goods went to Yugoslavia, Italy, Greece, Austria, Poland, 'Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Lebanon, China, Egypt, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Finland, Manila and Israel. The principal work of UNICEF since It was established late in 1946 has been in European countries. Now that conditions there are improving. attention is being switched to relieving misery, sickness and starvation in Asia and Eastern countries, nearer neighbours of New Zealand. National or international politics mean nothing to UNICEF. Iron curtains don’t exist for it; wherever it goes it is welcomed and trusted. Its only criterion is the need of the children it serves. Not only starvation, but diseases like tuberculosis, yaws.' and malaria are on UNICEF’s black list. In conjunction with the World Health Organisation it is vigorously attacking illness in many countries. But it faces a terrific programme and, so far, despite the generosity of so many people of so many different nationalities it has only managed to make a dent in the problem. New Zealand’s Proud Record New Zealand has a proud record to date. Only Iceland has subscribed more money to UNICEF on a per capita basis. The Government of New Zealand has given generously—£2so,ooo in 1948, £IOO,OOO in 1949, and £IOO,OOO a few weeks ago. But UNICEF relies as much upon individual donations as unon Governments. That has been one of it- principles from the start. It is a personal matter, this help from peoole everywhere to their less fortunate fel-low-humans in other countries.

Two years ago New Zealanders re-

sponded to the appeal of UNICEF by subscribing £400.000. This year the appeal is for £500,000. It is based on the slogan: "One Day of Your Pay will Save Another Child.” Every person and organisation in the country will be invited in July and August to give one day’s pay, income or profit to this cause. * If that is done the total will greatly exceed the target. No one needs reminding that now is no time for heedless spending. But UNICEF’S question which every New Zealander should answer is: “Can I turn a deaf ear to the plea of millions of side and hungry children? Would I. if they were my children or my relations?” UNICEF is not asking much of each individual, but New Zealand’s total can mean the difference between life and death to thousands of children. Your contribution can and will save a life. Why not save two lives?