There is a 20-member organization at Texas A&M that wants to help save the lives of at least 6,000 children. This group is TAMU UNICEF.
TAMU UNICEF started organizing at the end of the fall semester. It is now a University recognized organization.
“Basically, Aqueel Suleimanji and I, he is the vice president, tried to do a project with UNICEF last year and found out there was not any organization here that was affiliated with it, so we decided to make one ourselves,” said Farida Akberali, a sophomore biomedical engineering major.
TAMU UNICEF will be selling water bottles in the MSC April 8 and April 9 to raise money to build wells in Africa. According to the UNICEF website, $35 will help provide clean water for 6,000 children.
The United Nations Children’s Fund or UNICEF was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1946. They are an anti-discriminatory organization that raises money for children in need. But for such an established and active global organization, few students on campus know what they do.
“I had heard of UNICEF but I never really knew what they stood for or what they did. And I definitely didn’t know about the crises across the world,” said Stacy Prukop, sophomore biomedical engineering major and treasurer of TAMU UNICEF.
“There are the children dying from water problems because they do not have a vaccine. It is just amazing what UNICEF can do with such a small amount of money. A dollar can save a child from malaria,” she said.
“They do water sanitation and education,” Akberali said, “they are always giving money for medication and immunization.”
TAMU UNICEF raises money for the global children’s fund and tries to educate students about the many global crises that are going on. In April they are focused on the water crisis in Africa.
“In parts of Africa, two-thirds of the households don’t have clean water and they have to walk miles to get any water at all,” said Prukop said. “UNICEF as a whole tries to promote awareness, especially in America because we take free water for granted. We can go to restaurants and get free water.”
In addition to their water fundraiser, TAMU UNICEF will be volunteering at the Brazos Valley Children’s Museum.
“We are going to do human rights week April 14 to 18,” Akberali said, “we are going to have a table set up almost every day there.”
“Honestly, we just felt really passionate about the cause. Whenever we first heard about UNICEF, what they do and how they are non discriminatory,” Akberali said, “we just wanted to spread word all over A&M and let more people know about it so people that haven’t heard of UNICEF before can learn, and tell other people.”