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As part of its humanitarian efforts to assist communities impacted by natural disasters, Qatar Charity (QC) has signed a Contingency Project Co-operation Agreement (CPCA) with Unicef Pakistan.The agreement aims to strengthen emergency response systems and ensure the timely delivery of relief services during crises across the country.The partnership focuses on implementing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions alongside Nutrition services during emergencies, with a strong emphasis on supporting vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.Under this collaboration, QC and Unicef launched a Nutrition in Emergencies initiative in four districts of Punjab: Rajanpur, Jhang, Muzaffargarh, and Multan, to support those affected by the 2025 floods. The initiative seeks to improve access to treatment for acutely malnourished children as well as pregnant and lactating women.The programme includes the provision of micronutrient supplements for children aged 6–59 months and breastfeeding women, along with counselling on maternal nutrition, nurturing care, early childhood development, and Infant and Young Child Feeding practices. It also incorporates capacity building, co-ordination, and information management to strengthen emergency nutrition systems.A WASH emergency project has been activated to assist flood-affected communities. It aims to provide climate-resilient sanitation facilities for 20,000 people, including toilets, bathing areas, and washing points designed to be culturally sensitive, gender-appropriate and disability-inclusive.Additionally, 100,000 people will benefit from improved awareness of key hygiene practices, disaster risk reduction messaging, and the effective use of hygiene kits. Furthermore, 5,000 children will gain access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities in 20 schools, 10 temporary learning centres, 10 child-friendly safe spaces and 10 health facilities.QC noted that this partnership represents a significant step toward enhancing Pakistan’s preparedness for natural disasters and improving protection for vulnerable populations, ensuring a more effective and timely emergency response. 

Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, a global education and development organisation, and Mantra4Change, welcomed global former footballer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Sir David Beckham during a special visit to one of its education initiatives in India, where he met with students and witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of EAA Foundation’s work.**media[386859]**During the visit, Beckham spent time engaging with children and teachers, observing interactive learning activities, and joining students in outdoor play. delivered in collaboration with EAA Foundation’s local partner Mantra4Change.The children expressed their excitement and joy, sharing stories about their learning journeys and their dreams for the future.**media[386861]**The visit comes as part of the EAA Foundation’s ongoing mission to break barriers to education, empower young learners, and partner with communities and governments to deliver innovative, child-centred learning solutions across India.**media[386858]**EAA Foundation continues to work closely with local partners to create safe, engaging, and inclusive learning environments where children can thrive academically, emotionally, and socially.**media[386857]**For more information about EAA Foundation, visit www.educationaboveall.orgFor media inquiries, please contact:Mohamed Al-AmriSenior Media Relations [email protected]+974-5000-9960Patience RusareSenior Media [email protected]+974-5993-1560 

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has issued an appeal on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. In a series of statements, the UN agency painted a grim picture of life for Gaza's children, saying that although the latest ceasefire had offered a brief window of survival, current aid levels remained vastly insufficient to meet the scale of destruction and need.UNICEF reported devastating statistics on the impact of the conflict, stating that more than 64,000 children have been killed or injured, while over 56,000 have lost one or both parents.The UN agency said Israel had caused widespread destruction across the territory.While acknowledging a slight increase in the flow of humanitarian aid, UNICEF insisted that the current assistance remains far from enough. The agency urged Israeli authorities to open all crossings immediately and unconditionally to ensure that humanitarian supplies can enter Gaza freely.Beyond emergency relief, UNICEF said it is working to preserve Gaza's future by supporting education.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced that it had received reports that 17 children were killed in an attack on a center for displaced persons in Al Fasher, North Darfur, western Sudan. UNICEF said in a statement that the attack occurred at a facility housing families displaced by the ongoing conflict in the region. "This devastating attack on children and families who were already displaced and seeking safety is an outrage," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Killing and injuring children are grave violations of their rights, and attacks on civilians in places meant to offer safety and refuge are unconscionable." Al Fasher has been under siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for more than 500 days, with severe restrictions on movement, access to food, water, and medical care, UNICEF reported. Civilians, including large numbers of children, have faced repeated shelling and deteriorating living conditions. Several areas in North Darfur have been experiencing famine for months, and the food security and child nutrition situation in the state has reached catastrophic levels. Families are surviving on minimal rations, and severe acute malnutrition among children is rising sharply. The organization said that health facilities are reporting an increase in preventable child deaths linked to hunger and disease. UNICEF reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of hostilities across Sudan, including in Al Fasher, the lifting of the siege, respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, the provision of safe passage for civilians, including children and families fleeing violence, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to affected populations, and the holding accountable those responsible for attacks on civilians, including children.

Unicef says children's deaths could spikeChildren haven't eaten properly for 'way too long'WFP, Israeli security source expect 600 trucks a day to enter GazaUNRWA says it has enough food for three months waiting outside GazaThe UN children's charity Unicef called on Friday for all crossings for food aid into war-shattered Gaza to be opened, saying children in the territory were especially vulnerable because they have gone without proper food for long periods."The situation is critical. We risk seeing a massive spike in child death, not only neonatal, but also infants, given their immune systems are more compromised than ever before," said Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires.Children's immunity is low because "they haven't been eating properly and recently at all for way too long", he said.Israeli troops began pulling back from some parts of the Palestinian territory on Friday under a ceasefire deal with Hamas, in the first phase of an initiative by US President Donald Trump to end the two-year-old war.The United Nations plans to ramp up its delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, where some areas are experiencing famine, in the first 60 days of a ceasefire in the enclave, a top UN official said on Thursday.An Israeli security source and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said they expect about 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily."Under the ceasefire arrangement, we will have more than 145 community distribution points, in addition to up to 30 bakeries and all of our nutrition sites," Ross Smith, WFP Director of Emergencies, told Reuters on Friday.The WFP expects to begin scaling up deliveries early next week, but that would depend on the withdrawal of Israeli forces so that humanitarian safe zones can be expanded.COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees aid flows into Gaza, did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.In a televised address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would stay in Gaza to ensure the territory was demilitarised and that Hamas disarmed in future stages of Trump's plan.Access to northern Gaza is critical, the WFP said, with up to 400,000 people who have not received assistance for several weeks.The agency has urged improved scanning and approval of aid convoys to speed truck entry.Unicef said 50,000 children were at risk of acute malnutrition and in need of immediate treatment. Unicef also aims to provide one million blankets for every child in Gaza and hopes to deliver wheelchairs and crutches, which it said had previously been blocked.Both Unicef and the UN Palestinian refugee relief agency UNRWA said they have yet to receive details on their roles during the ceasefire.UNRWA, which is banned from operating in Israel, has urged the Israeli authorities to allow it to take 6,000 trucks' worth of aid into Gaza, including enough food to feed the population for three months, from Jordan and Egypt."We've not had any progress to move those supplies into Gaza... and this is absolutely critical in controlling the spread of famine," Juliette Touma, the spokesperson for UNRWA, said.CARE International told Reuters on Friday it still had not received clearance for its supplies to enter as it faces ongoing registration barriers, like other agencies including the Norwegian Refugee Council."We still need clarity on how we'll be able to get supplies into Gaza that have been stuck outside for months," said Jolien Veldwijk, CARE Palestine Country Director.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) confirmed that children in the Gaza Strip need more life-saving nutrition and health services in light of the ongoing Israeli occupation aggression on the Strip. UNICEF explained in a statement that one in five children in the Gaza Strip is born prematurely or has a low birth weight. UNICEF also noted that it provided essential hygiene supplies to hospitals and health centers in Gaza City this week, but emphasized that Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip need access to more life-saving nutrition and health services. The UN renewed its call for immediate, large-scale aid to reach children, infants, and families in the Gaza Strip. It also renewed its call for a ceasefire in the territory, which Israel has imposed a systematic starvation on for months and a stifling blockade for nearly two years.