Hello UNICEF China!

I'm finally here at UNICEF China! (www.unicef.org/china)

For those who aren't that familiar, UNICEF is the United Nations Childrens Fund and operate in 190 countries worldwide. It's focus areas include child survival and development, basic education and gender equality, HIV/AIDS and children, child protection, and policy advocacy and partnerships.

Day one of work was great! I got to meet my highly intelligent and friendly team mates, learned a bit about the group, and settled into my very own desk! For those of you in auditing/consulting, you know what I mean! We never have our own desk! As this is my first desk ever, it's decorating time! So far, my first decorative item is a small tube of 'kiss my face' peaches & creme moisturizer from Whole Foods in New York City.

UNICEF China is located on Sanlitun Road amongst all the world embassies, which is a very pleasant area to walk around in. UNICEF is treated like an embassy here so we also have anywhere from 1 to 3 Chinese military guards on the front driveway. Everyday I try to smile and say 'ni hao' (hello!) to the guards! UNICEF is also located across from 'The Village' which is a large outdoor shopping and entertainment district - perfect for a little lunch time escape!

So what will I be doing here? I'm not entirely sure yet.. but it will be a mix of different projects - research, project management, and hopefully some field work. My first assignment is to work on a project on public governance for health system reform in China.

Some interesting, yet alarming, UNICEF China statistics:

- 1.5 million children in China are cut off from mainstream society and depend on the street for their livelihood and shelter.
- Nearly 500,000 chidlren under five die every year in China. They are 5 times more likely to die in poor rural areas than in the cities - partly because their families cannot afford medical card.
- Extreme poverty keeps over 3 million children out of school.
- 21.48 million people in rural China live on less than approximately US$0.30 a day.
- Over 22 million children in poor rural areas have been "left behind" by parents who have migrated to the cities.