Clay Aiken News Network

Clay Aiken – Shop UNICEF

By musicfan123 · Comments (7)

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

In 2004, Clay Aiken was chosen to be an Ambassador for UNICEF. From their internet site, UNICEF writes about their Goodwill Ambassadors:

“UNICEF’s celebrities have a wide range of talents and achievements, but they all share a commitment to improving the lives of children worldwide. And in each case a celebrity’s association with UNICEF comes about because he or she has already demonstrated that commitment.

Fame has some clear benefits in certain roles with UNICEF. Celebrities attract attention, so they are in a position to focus the world’s eyes on the needs of children, both in their own countries and by visiting field projects and emergency programmes abroad. They can make direct representations to those with the power to effect change. They can use their talents and fame to fundraise and advocate for children and support UNICEF’s mission to ensure every child’s right to health, education, equality and protection.”

Along with most of you, I have been so proud of Clay as he used his role as an Ambassador seriously and worked hard to help children throughout the world.

I received the following e-mail this week from UNICEF. It reminded me of how lucky we all are. I hope you will read it and, if possible, buy a holiday gift through UNICEF. It’s just the right thing to do.

Dear Friend of UNICEF,

It’s a difficult fact to face, but on this Thanksgiving, just like any other Thursday, many children will suffer from malnutrition. The faces of these children remind me why I’m so thankful for the important work that UNICEF does to help them survive.

While we give thanks over our meals on Thursday, UNICEF field staff will be distributing supplies to help thousands of severely malnourished children, including:

innovative packets of nut spread, created specifically to help malnourished children;
high-protein biscuits that are easy to distribute to children in need; and
a formula of nutritious milk and vitamins that boosts children’s chances of survival.

Malnutrition causes up to half of all preventable child deaths. My wish for this Thanksgiving is to give these children the supplies they need to survive until the next holiday.

Visit InspiredGifts.org, where you can purchase lifesaving nutrition products to nourish the starving children of the world. We’ll give you an eCard that you can use to dedicate your gift to a loved one.

Giving a gift of lifesaving milk will help children in emergency feeding centers, refugee camps, and hospitals.

During emergencies, these high-energy biscuits can be quickly and easily distributed to children who desperately need the nutrition and vitamins.

Your gift of therapeutic nut spread, a protein paste for malnourished children, can feed ten children for one month!

You can find even more gifts at InspiredGifts.org, and with just the click of your mouse you can:

Buy a lifesaving gift for children in need.
Dedicate the gift to someone special and create an eCard to send.

We’ll send the card to your honoree and UNICEF will send your gift to the field, where kids need it most! So please don’t wait another moment to get an early start on your holiday shopping and help make a huge difference in the life of a child.

Thank you for supporting UNICEF’s lifesaving work. On behalf of all of use here at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, I wish you and your loved ones a happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Caryl M. Stern
President & CEO
U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Comments (7)

Categories : UNICEF

Tags : Clay Aiken, UNICEF

Clay Aiken – It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

By musicfan123 · Comments (25)

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.” At least it was on November 18, 2006 when Clay Aiken helped light the UNICEF Snowflake in New York.

It was a cold and windy night, but a crowd of about 250 people gathered to mark the beginning of the holiday season. Clay was joined by NBA legend Darryl Dawkins for the lighting of the UNICEF snowflake. Each year, the snowflake decorates the holiday sky in New York. The UNICEF Snowflake has become an fixture in New York City during the holiday season. It was handcrafted by German lighting designer Ingo Maurer and is adorned with 16,000 Baccarat crystal prisms. At 23 feet in diameter, over 28 feet in height and weighing 3,300 pounds, the UNICEF Snowflake is the largest outdoor chandelier of its kind. The UNICEF Snowflake is always illuminated for the entire holiday season.

The UNICEF Snowflake is a special symbol for the world’s most vulnerable children. It is a reminder of UNICEF’s commitment to reach a day when zero children die from preventable causes.

The Brooklyn Youth Chorus entertained that night with holiday carols before Clay Aiken came onto the stage. He was also joined by three young teen aged girls who were the winners of the UNICEF holiday card contest.

Clay gave an impassioned speech about his experiences with UNICEF and joked with the young people on stage. The crowd was supportive and seemed to enjoy the event.

The videos below show Clay’s speech from that evening. He was articulate and seemed so at ease.

A little Clay tease

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xorSIrX8a4c

Speech Part 1

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4COpsnSOdis

Speech Part 2

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TbjZ5GOx4M

Comments (25)

Categories : Clay News, UNICEF

Tags : Baccarat, Clay Aiken, Darryl Dawkins, Ingo Maurer, UNICEF Snowflake

Clay Aiken – UNICEF Is Helping the Kids

By musicfan123 · Comments (13)

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

I have been a strong supporter of UNICEF for many years. Having worked with UNICEF in many different capacities, I have supported their causes any way that I could. It was especially wonderful to me when Clay Aiken became an Ambassador for UNICEF.

According to their website:

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all girls and boys, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments

It seems that the world has been hit by many natural disasters in the last few weeks. There are so many children throughout the world that have had their world turned upside down by floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

Since Clay has been so involved with UNICEF, I thought it would be interesting to see some information about what UNICEF is doing to help the displaced children and the continuing care for other parts of the world. All of the following headlines have been posted in the last 48 hours.

UNICEF rapid response team on the ground in Samoa
A team of six emergency personnel are currently conducting rapid assessments in Samoa to ensure that the urgent needs of children are met following the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Pacific Island nation on Tuesday, September 29.

UNICEF is closely working with the Government of Samoa and other UN agencies to provide assistance for up to 10-15,000 people. It is estimated that at least 9.000 children are affected.

UNICEF prepares mass vaccination program for Samoa’s children
The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, is preparing a mass measles vaccination program for thousands of children in Samoa in the aftermath of the Pacific tsunami. There is growing concern over the lack of safe drinking water and the potential for disease to spread rapidly.

Nearly 70,000 children return to classes following Indonesia earthquake
JAKARTA, INDONESIA, 5 October 2009 –
Less than one week after a major earthquake devastated the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, nearly 70,000 children have returned to classes in the city of Padang according to local education authorities, as UNICEF rushed school supplies to the region.

Following a call by the Governor of Padang for children to try and go back to school wherever possible, UNICEF rapidly erected the first of a planned 250 classroom tents to provide temporary learning areas in the city; early on Monday morning, local education officials reported that just over 68,000 children – 40 per cent of students – had gone back to classes in Padang city, with more expected to follow across the region in the coming days.

“This is an important sign that life will return to normal for children affected by this tragedy,” said UNICEF Country Representative in Indonesia, Angela Kearney.

Update on UNICEF’s Philippines relief effort
Over 600,000 Filipino families–an estimated 2.5 million people–have been affected by Typhoon Ketsana already. In an effort to ward off disease among the displaced, UNICEF is distributing:

family kits containing cooking pots, blankets, water buckets, sleeping mats and soap;
hygiene kits containing soap, toothpaste, slippers and towels;
emergency health kits with drugs and equipment and water purification supplies.

Children’s psychosocial health is also an issue in the aftermath of a disaster like this, and UNICEF is working to establish safe, child-friendly spaces within the evacuation centers for play and educational activities.

Pampers and UNICEF Launch the “Give the Gift of Life” Campaign to Eliminate Newborn Tetanus by 2012
The universal bond of motherhood unites mothers across the world to help UNICEF eliminate newborn tetanus by 2012 with the Pampers ’1 pack = 1 life-saving vaccine’ initiative

Philip O’Brien is UNICEF’s Director of Fundraising and Private Partnerships.

“As the world’s leading organisation for children UNICEF is committed to eliminating the unnecessary and preventable deaths of women and children. In this 21st century it is ethically unacceptable that some 128,000 babies die from newborn tetanus every year. Our partnership with Pampers has achieved impressive results, making available 200 million MNT vaccines since 2006 and protecting over 45 million mothers and their babies. Partnerships are critical to deliver results for children and we welcome Pampers continued support to achieve the global goal of elimination of Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus by 2012″.

The campaign’s “1 pack = 1 life-saving vaccine” initiative aims to help UNICEF in its goal of eliminating newborn tetanus by 2012. To date, Pampers has donated over 200 million vaccines to UNICEF, resulting in a total of 45.5 million women and their babies being protected. Every two seconds since the start of the campaign in 2006, Pampers has provided a protective dose of the tetanus toxoid vaccine for a woman and her baby.

UNICEF supports national measles campaign in Rwanda
BUGESERA, RWANDA, 6 October 2009 - To continue a tradition launched in 2008, Rwanda today organized the third round of Mother and Child Health Week – with a twist. Not only will children receive the Mother and Child Health Week standard care of life saving interventions, they will also get inoculation against measles.

I am amazed at how much UNICEF does for children everywhere……..and they do it immediately!!

For more information on UNICEF visit their site. UNICEF

Comments (13)

Categories : Clay News, UNICEF

Tags : Clay Aiken, UNICEF

Clay Aiken – “We Believe In Zero”

By musicfan123 · Comments (2)

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

I received an e-mail from UNICEF this week. It is a short report on the progress of the “We Believe In Zero” program. Since this is a program that Clay Aiken spoke about and has supported, I thought you might be interested in reading about the outstanding progress that has happened in the last year.

Clay Aiken has given a great deal of important support to UNICEF and their wonderful programs. I am sure they are proud to have him as one of their ambassadors.

UNICEF has given me permission to post the following e-mail on this public board.

Because of your commitment to UNICEF and the world’s children, I could not be more thrilled to share this news with you:

The number of children dying each day has significantly dropped to 24,000. That’s 1,500 more children waking up, playing with friends, making their mothers laugh, and dreaming of the exciting things they’ll do when they grow up.

This reduction in child mortality demonstrates in a concrete way that your support and UNICEF’s leadership, efficiency and resolve are getting us closer to a day when zero children die from preventable causes.

From measles campaigns in Pakistan to emergency therapeutic food in Ethiopia; from tetanus vaccination in Indonesia to well drilling in Sudan; from hurricane relief in Haiti to anti-malarial bed net distribution in Nigeria—UNICEF’s work is having a huge impact.

But we must not stop now. Because every day, 24,000 children are still dying. And this is simply abhorrent.

We know without question that we are on the right path. We must now marshal all our willpower, all our resources, to make sure that—in the fight for survival—not a single child is forgotten.

And we need your help more than ever.

24,000 daily child deaths can become 12,000… then 6,000… and one day, zero.

We believe in zero. You believe in zero. And together, we will get there.

Sincerely,
Caryl M. Stern
President & CEO
U.S. Fund for UNICEF

P.S.: I encourage you to share this news with your network of family and friends and let them know that you believe in zero!

Please watch the following video on the “We Believe In Zero” program.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La_ECJMVLbM

Comments (2)

Categories : Clay News, UNICEF

Tags : Caryl M Stern, Clay Aiken, UNICEF

Clay Aiken – UNICEF Volunteer

By musicfan123 · Comments (15)

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

Because of Clay Aiken, I was a volunteer worker for The Tap Project in 2009. It was one of the best things I have done in years. I didn’t have to be smart; I didn’t need to be pretty; I didn’t need a lot of extra money; I just needed to be hard working and sincere about the cause. I am ready to volunteer again next year.

On August 7th, I received an e-mail from UNICEF. It was just a mass mailing, sent out to all the volunteers throughout the world. But, it still made me proud.

Thanks to the generous volunteer support, corporate donations, and the support of the tens of thousands of diners who donated $1 for the tap water they usually enjoy for free, the 2009 Tap Project raised $819,223 for UNICEF’s Water and Sanitation programs!

The funds will be designated towards the construction of boreholes, wells, water systems and sanitation facilities as well as provide emergency water and sanitation supplies to those who have been displaced from their homes in the Central African Republic, Haiti, Sudan, and Togo. In addition, the Tap Project recorded more than 1.5 billion media impressions and $1.75 million in donated volunteer time!

We couldn’t have done it without you! Once again, thank you for your hard work and dedication in making the 2009 Tap Project a great success.

Clay made a public service announcement about the Tap Project while he was in Africa, When he returned home, he was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight and had the opportunity to tell all us all about the need for clean water in the world. I have included both of these videos in this blog.

And next year, when UNICEF needs volunteers for this worthy project, find out if you can join the team. Clay would be proud and you will feel good that you made even a little difference in the world.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we6mYr__KsQ

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlMbKAufRGo

Comments (15)

Categories : Clay News, UNICEF

Tags : Clay Aiken, The Tap Project, UNICEF

Clay Aiken – Saving The World’s Children

By musicfan123 · Comments (11)

Monday, July 6th, 2009

On July 6, 2008, CNN focused a lens on the children of the world who are in harm’s way and examined child survival issues in-depth during a global broadcast called “The Survival Project: One Child at a Time.”

Hosted by CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the special focused on healthcare, education, water sanitation and protection from violence for children. UNICEF ambassador Lucy Liu and Good Charlotte musician Joel Madden joined Gupta as panelists for the program and spoke about their experiences with UNICEF.

Also featured on the program were Clay Aiken, Dayle Haddon, Ne-Yo, Nicole Ritchie, Al Roker, Marcus Samuelsson and Amare Stoudemire who all appeared in special video diaries of their volunteer experiences and encouraged viewers to help children around the world.

The CNN program highlighted four areas where UNICEF demonstrates its remarkable on-the-ground expertise in doing whatever it takes to save a child:

Child protection in Iraq
Water and sanitation in Laos
HIV/AIDS in Peru
Child survival interventions in Ethiopia

One year ago, over 2 million children, worldwide, were dead due to conflict in the last decade and over 1 million children have been orphaned. In 2007, 1.2 million children in Iraq have been forced from their homes; there are 70,000 new widows and 14 million children in need in Iraq. At the time of the program, UNICEF was vaccination children in Iraq against polio and measles.

Luciano Calistini is an emergency specialist and was a panelist on the show. He reported that Iraq is one of the most difficult countries to assure safety for UNICEF staff.

The program highlighted the clean water projects in Laos. It showed a family who had lost their 2 year old to illness because of contaminated water. Their village now has a simple $5000 clean water tap, built by UNICEF.

According to the World Health Organization, the lack of clean water and sanitation contributes to the leading causes of death to children under 5.

Another segment of the program focused on HIV/AIDS prevention in children. The program highlighted the country of Peru where there is a high rate of maternal to child transmission of the disease. UNICEF is active in educating the mothers so that the infection will not be passed on.

The last part of the program was about Ethiopia which has one of the highest child mortality rates due to malnutrition. At this time, UNICEF is training 30,000 young women to go out to the villages. They have a device which helps them determine how malnutrition and they can tag those who need immediate help.

Because of the drought, over 6 million children are at risk. Prices are rising and food is difficult to buy. UNICEF is trying to help by providing a nutritional high energy peanut paste that is used as a supplement for the children.

Fans of Clay Aiken were proud that Clay was a part of this informative program. Clay was articulate and knowledgeable about the plight of children throughout the world and helped the audience understand the role UNICEF plays in helping them.

“The Survival Project: One Child at a Time” was a chance to get a first-hand look at the plight of millions of children around the world, struggling each and every day for survival. The program urged people to find ways to help and listed many organizations that are actively working to help the children of the world. Have you donated to UNICEF recently?

The following video shows the quick comments made by Clay on the show. It is spliced together and jumps around. But, it still is Clay!!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nVyHThsYs4

Comments (11)

Categories : Clay News, UNICEF

Tags : Clay Aiken, CNN, Dr Sanjay Gupta, UNICEF

Clay Aiken – Somalia

By musicfan123 · Comments (10)

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Last year, on June 25^th, Clay fans received the news that UNICEF Ambassador, Clay Aiken was in Somalia. Somalia is a country where conflict and hunger have created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Clay traveled to to Hargeisa, Gabiley and Baroma located in the northwest region of the country, known as the republic of Somaliland. The area is a relatively peaceful area that has declared itself independent but has not been recognized internationally.

Somalia has suffered relentless civil conflict since 1991 when the military dictator, Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled from his post. Some of the latest violence in the region has killed thousands and made over one million people homeless.

Clay, who was traveling on behalf of UNICEF, said of the region:

It’s the most dangerous place for a child to be. In the lower part of the country, southern part, I feel it’s a more desperate situation than any other place we’ve ever been.

According to UNICEF, Somalia is a country in which less than 25% of the population has access to basic health services, less than 30% attend primary school and only 29% have access to a safe water source. It is also a place where 98% of girls are circumcised and has amongst the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.

Clay visited a camp for 1500 displaced families in Hargeisa. He met a young 11 year old boy who helped support his five siblings and his blind mother. He did this by collecting stones. He was able to save enough to pay for school which he attend each afternoon.

A visit to the Somaliland Cultural and Sports Center was also a part of Clay’s trip. It is an enclosed facility where the girls are able to learn about health, acquire life skills and play sports. It was rumored that Clay even played a bit of basketball with the girls.

Next on his list of visits was to the town of Boroma, where Clay saw how the town’s new water system was functioning. It was financed and built by UNICEF. Clay also visited maternal and child health clinics where nutritional feeding and immunizations are available.

When Clay returned from his trip, he said:

Now that I have seen Somalia for myself, I feel it is important for the American public to remember that the Somali people have the same dreams for their children that we do. The country is one of the most desperate in the world. Fortunately, UNICEF has always been there and continues to provide the support needed to make a difference. No other organization is more capable of making such a difference than UNICEF.

In the last year since Clay visited Somalia, the situation has become so much worse. The United Nations agency for children on Wednesday accused Somali militiamen of aggression and hostility against its aid workers and said they were putting over 40,000 lives at risk.

In a recent upsurge in violence, Al Shabaab Islamist militia took over of a UNICEF compound in Jowhar. This isthe organization’s biggest operational hub and is located north of the capital Mogadishu.

Since the beginning of May, over 200 people have been killed and more that 122,000 displaced by the fierce fighting in Mogadishu.

“While local authorities and UNICEF maintain cooperative relationships in many areas of Somalia, we are witnessing and experiencing an unprecedented level of aggression against humanitarian work in Jowhar, a situation that should cause a great deal of concern not only to the aid community but primarily to Somali communities,” said Hannan Sulieman, Acting UNICEF Representative to Somalia.

Highly valuable nutritional supplies meant to be distributed to 40,000 of the most vulnerable children under three years old to prevent malnutrition were looted by the militiamen, UNICEF said.

The aid agency said that its nutrition and sanitation projects risked total collapse if the Jowhar UNICEF compound remained occupied and inaccessible to UNICEF staff.

To this date, UNICEF said its compound remains occupied by militiamen and inaccessible to the UN agency’s staff.

Somehow, this unacceptable and irresponsible action must be stopped. The lives of Somali children and women are at great risk. The world needs to be informed of what is going on and insist that something be done.

Unfortunately, there was no available video of Clay’s trip to Somalia. Clay did two wonderful short videos while he was there. The first was an informational piece on netting for beds. The other video was about the Tap Project. Both of those videos are available on this site. Look under videos and then UNICEF.

Instead of repeating one of those videos, we are featuring a wonderful montage by SueReu that is about Clay and Somalia.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8hUlMCNQVw

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Categories : Clay News, UNICEF

Tags : Clay Aiken, Somalia, UNICEF

Clay Aiken – Helping Children

By musicfan123 · Comments (16)

Monday, May 25th, 2009

Uganda is twice the size of Pennsylvania and is in East Africa. It is bordered on the west by Congo, on the north by the Sudan, on the east by Kenya, and on the south by Tanzania and Rwanda. The country, which lies across the equator, is divided into three main areas-swampy lowlands, a fertile plateau with wooded hills, and a desert region. Lake Victoria forms part of the southern border.

In an effort to bring attention to the plight of children in northern Uganda, UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken traveled to the conflict affected region to witness the phenomenon of “night commuters,” children who trek from the countryside into slightly more secure towns and UNICEF supported shelters every night to avoid being abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

The conflict in northern Uganda has displaced approximately 1.4 million people — 80 per cent of them children and women — as the rebel (LRA) seeks to overthrow the Ugandan government. Each evening, the threat of LRA attacks and abductions drives over 40,000 child “night commuters” to leave their homes. An estimated 12,000 children have been abducted by the LRA in the conflict-affected districts since June 2002, to be forcibly recruited as child combatants and sex slaves.

Clay interacted with children who were abducted by LTA rebels and then visited the Pabbo IDP camp in Gulu on May 25.

“Northern Uganda is one of the most dangerous places in the world for children,” said Clay. “Children are being forced to commit appalling acts of violence. Children are being killed and raped. It was all too clear that those living in the conflict-affected districts of Uganda deserve much more. The global community must act now with utmost urgency to put an end to these atrocities. No progress will be made until there is peace throughout the country.”

Comparing the situation in northern Uganda to the tsunami disaster that hit Asia at the end of last year, Aiken said the Ugandan situation is worse because of the continuous war. In the case of tsunami, he said, reconstruction is already underway.

On his role as UNICEF ambassador, Clay said, “Everyone deserves the best start in life, which is what UNICEF is working to provide the world’s most vulnerable children with. Education is essential to a child’s development. I hope that as an ambassador, I can encourage people to join UNICEF’s mission to make education a reality for children throughout the world.”