
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 27, 1994                   TAG: 9410270053
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JERRY MARKON ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

AMERICAN KIDS ASKED TO RAISE MORE MONEY TO HELP UNICEF

Those nickels and dimes scared up by American children for UNICEF on Halloween do make a difference in developing countries.

Last year's Halloween fund-raising campaign raised $2 million to support UNICEF programs in Liberia, Namibia, Mozambique and Zambia, said Nancy Sharp-Zickerman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Committee for UNICEF.

The money helped 15,000 displaced families in Mozambique grow food with 800 tons of seeds; in Namibia, it was used in literacy and vocational programs serving 360,000 people.

The ``Trick or Treat for UNICEF campaign'' has been part of the Halloween tradition for 44 years. But this year, the U.S. Committee for UNICEF, is adding a new twist to the annual fund-raising drive by designating October as National UNICEF Month.

The U.S. committee, one of 35 around the world that support the United Nations Children's Fund, hopes to raise $3 million by expanding the program to include such fund-raising activities as walk-a-thons and Halloween carnivals.

The money will help build health clinics and schools, improve nutrition and provide drinkable water in eight countries - Mexico, El Salvador, Cambodia, Vietnam, Mozambique, Zambia, Liberia and Namibia.

The U.S. committee has launched a pilot progam to introduce National UNICEF Month to 40,000 fourth- through sixth-graders in 20 school districts in 12 metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, Baltimore and Atlanta - as well as throughout Delaware.

Teachers have been sent a guide about the more than 130 countries UNICEF serves, student activity booklets and a poster listing the rights of children, said Gwendolyn Calvert Baker, president and CEO of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF.

The committee hopes to expand the program nationwide in coming years.

Baker says the program not only raises money for a worthy cause, but also teaches children a valuable lesson.

``We believe that in helping children understand global diversity, they will become more comfortable with the diversity that is no longer across the ocean but is in our classrooms and on our playgrounds,'' Baker said.

Betty Marshall, a sixth grade teacher in Wilmington, Del., credits the U.N. agency for helping teach her students about global issues.

``Our world is shrinking and we need to be aware of what's going on beyond our school,'' said Marshall.

Poet Maya Angelou, chairwoman of National UNICEF Month, said the focus on increasing global awareness in the United States is important given today's ethnic bloodshed and humanitarian crises.

``Because of the hot spots, the hot zones, the children are the first and last to suffer,'' she said in a recent interview.

UNICEF fund-raising materials and collection cartons can be obtained by calling 1-800-252-KIDS.

by CNB