This morning we met our colleagues at the UNICEF office in
Lomé. One of the Togolese doctors who will be teaching with us attended medical
school and received Pediatric and Neonatology training in Bordeaux, France,
where I served my mission. We figured out that we were there at the same time
in the early 1980’s. Another Pediatrician who will be part of our team in Dapaong
went to medical school in Shanghai, China. She studied Chinese there for a year
and then attended medical school. Our third Togolese colleague is a
Public Health specialist. He did his training in the neighboring country of
Benin. The final member of our team is a Belgian public health specialist who
works with UNICEF. She completed her training in Belgium. Her prior UNICEF
position was in Ethiopia where she also organized joint sponsorship of neonatal
resuscitation courses with LDS Humanitarian Services.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is a United
Nations Program that provides long-term humanitarian and developmental
assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.
UNICEF was created in 1946 to provide emergency food and
healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II.
In 1953 its name was shortened from the original United Nations International
Children's Emergency Fund, but it has continued to be known by the popular
acronym UNICEF based on this previous title.
UNICEF relies on contributions from governments and private
donors. Governments contribute two thirds of the organization's resources;
private groups and some 6 million individuals contribute the rest. 92% of
UNICEF revenue is distributed to Program Services. UNICEF was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1965.
