Cebu Pacific and UNICEF partners for vital child health and nutrition campaign

Now, flying with Cebu Pacific will not only take travelers to the best destinations here and abroad, it will also bring much-needed health and nutrition to infants and young children.

Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB), the Philippines’ leading airline, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have partnered to introduce the Change for Good program in the country. CEB is the Change for Good launch partner in Southeast Asia.

“Change for Good is an extraordinary opportunity to help lay the foundation for the Philippines’ future. The team looks forward to working hand in hand with our guests in making a difference in many children’s lives,” said Lance Gokongwei, Cebu Pacific President and CEO.

Change for Good is an innovative global partnership between UNICEF and the international airline industry. Established in 1987, the program is designed to collect donations from passengers and convert these into life-saving materials and services for vulnerable children in more than 150 countries around the world.

Change for Good will initially be implemented from CEB’s Manila hub starting July 1, before being rolled out across its other Philippine hubs.

“We are very thankful to Cebu Pacific for empowering its thousands of everyday passengers to contribute through their own small way, towards helping provide health and wellness to children in the most at-risk communities,” said Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF Philippines country representative.

During mid-flight, after the Fun Games, CEB cabin crew will invite passengers to make a donation to help fund UNICEF’s 1,000 Days Health and Nutrition program.

The program aims to provide optimal health and nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a Filipino child, from a mother’s pregnancy to the child’s second year of life. Safeguarding the health and nutrition of children during this critical window will ensure that they are protected from life-threatening childhood diseases, that they finish more years of school, and even earn up to 50% more as adults.

CEB, which marked its 20th year of operations this year, chose UNICEF’s First 1,000 Days Health and Nutrition program as the beneficiary of its Change for Good partnership.The first1,000 days of a child are crucial to physical and mental growth and is the foundation of the child’s ability to grow, learn and earn later in life.


Donate to UNICEF’s Change for Good 1,000 Days program on your Cebu Pacific flights, starting July 1!For more information on Change for Good, visit www.cebupacificair.comand 1000days.unicef.ph.

UNICEF launches Children First! Storybooks with UNICEF Ambassador Ms. Anne Curtis

Reading to your child forms a bonding moment that could instill in his memories as he grows older it is also one of the most important thing you can do to prepare him with a foundation for academic excellence.

As a parent, you have the power to boost your children's learning potential simply by making books an integral part of their lives. Introduce reading before they go to sleep or in their free time.

I remember  my father used to read  Rapunzel to me when I was 6 to 7 years old, it was memorable that I wanted to have a long golden locks like Rapunzel. I was fascinated at the thought of how come she didnt cut her hair and if it has magical powers and all. I was really thinking that time and wondering.  That book alone tickled my curiosity and lead to so many children's book that I lost count of. I do still remember all of them until now, by heart.

UNICEF recently launches Children First Storybooks, the event was attended by UNICEF Philippines representative Ms. Lotta Sylwander and UNICEF Celebrity Ambassador Ms. Anne Curtis, who authored her first book Anita, The Duckling Diva, it tells the story of how one little duckling overcomes her shyness with the help of her family and friends.

UNICEF launches Children First! Storybooks - a collection of six books that promote reading and inspire children’s imagination. Written in Filipino and English text for children ages three and above, the books talk about different topics such as overcoming shyness, cultivating friendships, and reaching for one’s dreams. The stories are presented in colourful illustrations to fire up children’s sense of curiosity and wonder.

Child development experts cite the numerous benefits of a healthy imagination in growing children. By thinking creatively, putting oneself in someone else’s shoes and learning how to express themselves, children grow up to become better problem solvers, have higher self-esteem and have a better understanding of the feelings of others. These are all important in the early years when children begin learning about social, emotional, language and thinking skills which lay the foundation for the child’s future health, happiness, and development.

"Children learn language quickly and easily through hearing and singing songs, having stories told or read to them, repeating rhymes and playing games. Having a supportive environment in these early years will help children get ready for school and life-long learning," said Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF Philippines Representative. 

Written and illustrated by some of the most notable Filipino writers and artists, the collection also includes the storybook Anita, The Duckling Diva written by UNICEF Celebrity Advocate for Children Anne Curtis. Anita, The Duckling Diva tells the story of how one little duckling overcomes her shyness with the help of her family and friends.

"I’m very happy to have written my first children’s book, which I hope can help children particularly with their self-confidence and self—esteem,” Curtis said. "I believe that children should be given all the emotional and moral support they need as they grow so they can express themselves with confidence and explore their full talent.” 

Apart from teaching important lessons to children, the books also contain a child—friendly version of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), as well as internet safety reminders for young people. Proceeds from the book will benefit UNICEF’s programs for children in the Philippines and around the world.

The Children First! Storybooks launch was made possible through the support of SM North EDSA and SM Cares. Visit the Children First! Storybooks Illustrations Exhibit at the 3rd level, The Block, SM North EDSA in Quezon City from February 20 to 25, 2016 and get the entire collection of Children First! Storybooks by donating to UNICEF. For more details on UNICEF’s work and programs, visit www.unicef.ph.

UNICEF prepares for Super Typhoon Maysak/Chedeng

Super Typhoon Maysak (local name Chedeng) has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility and is expected to make a landfall on the eastern coasts of Luzon over the weekend.

According to latest reports from PAGASA, the country’s weather bureau, Maysak has maximum sustained winds of 175 km/h and gusts of up to 210 km/h making it a Category 2 typhoon. This typhoon has slightly slowed down from its previously recorded sustained winds of 215 km/h.

Latest estimates forecast Maysak’s landfall on the eastern coasts of Aurora and Isabela provinces in the evening of 5 April (Sunday). Residences particularly in the said provinces are warned to be ready to evacuate as moderate to heavy rainfall may trigger flashfloods and landslides.

The Philippine government has also issued a warning against possible storm surges of up to four metres on the eastern coastal areas of Samar and Bicol regions, as well as in Aurora and Quezon provinces.

“UNICEF is ready to support the government with pre-positioned emergency supplies from our local warehouses in Manila, Tacloban, and Cotabato once the emergency hits. In times of disasters, children face the risk of disease outbreaks, malnutrition, violence and disrupted education. Our priority is to ensure that children and their rights and welfare are protected before and after disasters,” said Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF Philippines Representative.

UNICEF has pre-positioned essential supplies that include water kits, hygiene kits, water purification units, school tents, student and teacher materials, child friendly space tents, medical supplies, nutritional therapeutic food items to combat malnutrition, oral rehydration salts, tarpaulins and generators enough for at least 10,000 families.

UNICEF has staff on standby ready to be deployed in rapid assessments as soon as it is safe to travel. UNICEF, with the Philippine government, co-leads the joint response in the areas of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Nutrition and Child Protection.

Lotta Sylwander Provides Strategic Leadership as UNICEF rep.

Lotta Sylwander joins as UNICEF Philippines Representative

Ms. Lotta Sylwander has submitted credentials as UNICEF Representative to the Philippines to Mr. Albert del Rosario, Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs.

As UNICEF Representative, Ms. Sylwander provides strategic leadership in the design and implementation of programmes on health, on education, on protection and for the wellbeing of Filipino children, as part of the Government of Philippines-UNICEF Country Programme of Cooperation.

In welcoming Ms. Sylwander, Secretary Rosario recalled the longstanding partnership between the Govt. of Philippines and UNICEF and said: “Children in the Philippines are our future and we are very happy that you are here, Ms. Sylwander, to assist us in ensuring a brighter future for children and for our country.”

Looking forward to her time in the Philippines, Ms. Sylwander said: “The Philippines is such an interesting country with so much capacity and energy, I am looking forward to working with the Government to improve the lives of children who make up for half of the country’s population.”

Ms. Sylwander brings with her over three decades’ of substantive experience in the social development sector, garnered from leadership positions she held in many regions across the world where she championed the cause of children and women.

Before coming to the Philippines, Ms. Sylwander served as the UNICEF Representative to Vietnam from 2010-2014, where she was instrumental in changing and transforming UNICEF programming for continued relevance in a rapidly evolving and developing middle income country. Her efforts led to a stronger focus on child protection, on social protection, and on ethnic minority issues and to decentralized planning and programming. Ms. Sylwander and her team worked in close collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and justice agencies to promote the establishment of a child friendly justice system, including for children in conflict with the law and child victims and witnesses of crime.

In Vietnam, she engaged in policy dialogue and developed and maintained effective relationships with key national and international partners to advance the child rights agenda. Ms. Sylwander had also actively advanced the key priorities of the UNICEF Viet Nam Resource Mobilisation Strategy, establishing and maintaining donor relations and pursuing fund-raising opportunities to support UNICEF programmes in Viet Nam.
She played a major role in conceptualization and development of the One Plan III (UNDAF).

From 2006 to 2010, Ms. Sylwander served as the Representative of UNICEF to Zambia.

From 2001 to 2006, and before joining UNICEF, Ms. Sylwander served as Deputy Director General and Director of the Africa Department at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida.

A citizen of Sweden, Ms. Sylwander holds an equivalent to Masters’ degree in Social Anthropology and was a lecturer in the University of Stockholm. Ms. Sylwander began her career in the non-government sector in Sweden and had spent time in the Philippines in the 1970 and 80s.

UNICEF began its operations in the Philippines in 1948, working with the people and the Government as a longstanding, trusted partner in advancing the rights of children through regular programmes and in support of countless emergencies caused by natural calamities. The current Country Programme of Cooperation (2012-2016) is the seventh five-year agreement UNICEF has signed with the Government of the Philippines, which serves as the basis of UNICEF programme implementation in the country.

About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and well being of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

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