“Promoting the rights of every child isn’t just a job — it’s a calling.”
These are the words emblazoned on the bright blue background of UNICEF’s homepage, an international organization dedicated to putting boots on the ground to help children across the world. The group stretches across 190 countries and has provided for more than 210 million children since its founding in 1946.
To promote funding for childhood development, UNICEF, or the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, has thousands of nonprofit organizations under its umbrella, including one in the heart of Aggieland.
For the past 18 years, UNICEF at TAMU members have dedicated their time to serving not only the members of the Bryan-College Station area but also the world. The student organization offers weekly volunteer opportunities while fundraising for UNICEF, helping to provide medicine, vaccines, education, food and more to children in need.
While normally led by a team of seven to 10, five officers lead the organization this year. The team, led by president and computer science senior Simon Varadaraj, dedicated this year to building up a strong organization while he combats difficulties behind the scenes.
Due to their few numbers, the five have spent the year rebuilding with what feels like double the workload, as a “lack of direction” for the organization may have been what led to its fragile state, Varadaraj said.
“I feel like if we had a volunteering opportunity, even many of the officers wouldn’t appear,” Varadaraj said. “We would regularly cancel events if there was a low attendance, so that just set a precedent where things just would never happen. Then, rinse and repeat.”
In light of this, Varadaraj called for change. Upon becoming president in August 2024, he dedicated his term to bringing direction back to the organization. He tackled the issue by working on outreach and building a community in the group, a place for people to bond over their passion for volunteering.
“Now the org is thriving,” Varadaraj said. “I love meeting people who like volunteering. It’s really refreshing to see people actually put time out of their day to do these things, and they’re smiling at the end of it.”
With increased community and member engagement, UNICEF at TAMU has seen new member opportunities as well, including a trip to Washington D.C..
Early last fall semester, Varadaraj came into contact with the Southwest UNICEF USA representative, Maryann Wanjau. The senior community engagement associate offered Varadaraj the opportunity to travel to the nation’s capital for World Children’s Day, where he advocated for the passing of the READ Act Reauthorization Act — a bill that promotes education in partner countries.
“It was a very, very good experience,” Varadaraj said. “Over the course of two days, we talked with two or three congresspeople in their teams.”
The opportunity also introduced Varadaraj to Catherine Russell, the executive director of UNICEF, helping tie the student organization to its highest level of contact. Varadaraj was one of only eight individuals in the country selected to travel to the capital.
The advancements made during his seven months of leadership have helped rebuild what began the year as a fragile organization, a feat that even garnered compliments from Wanjau.
“I really admire how [they] all focus on volunteering in the community, and of course focusing on issues that concern children and young people,” Wanjau said. “It seems like there is, or has been, a culture of wanting to become closer as a group of club members. I really like seeing that.”
Their focus on volunteering extends to UNICEF at TAMU’s weekly visits to Neal Recreation Center — an after-school program for Bryan-College Station children where they can play games and socialize.
“I love it,” oceanography senior and UNICEF at TAMU Social Media Coordinator Paulina McAllister said. “The kids love to see us, like we have relationships with the children. It’s just really rewarding. You can tell that they love you.”
The group also holds annual profit shares and fundraisers to raise money. At the end of the academic year, they send the funds to UNICEF’s headquarters to support their humanitarian mission.
“There’s no major fund that funds UNICEF, but it receives volunteer contributions from governments, and then, of course, other private donors,” Wanjau said. “What’s really fulfilling to me is working with young people who are so smart and so passionate about children and their well-being and want to advocate for children and change the world.”
And that’s exactly the mission for UNICEF at TAMU: change the world. It may be hard, but it all starts here — a small, dimly lit room in Rudder Tower — and it ends thousands of miles away in other countries. The objective may seem out of reach, but with UNICEF at TAMU the goal is closer than some might think.
“We are an organization that is very much oriented on service for kids,” mechanical engineering senior and UNICEF Treasurer Dakota Salazar said. “If that’s something that interests you, I think this is a great place to sign up.”
While UNICEF at TAMU may be on the rise, their efforts are far from finished.
“It’s a wonderful community,” Varadaraj said. “It doesn’t take as much effort as you think to make someone’s day a little bit better. Even if you don’t feel like you have that much time, I would highly consider joining because … I think you’ll be very happy with the work you do and the impact you cause.”
