XUNICEF News and Views

Editor's Note:  We are anxious for any news of our colleagues in UNICEF and XUNICEF who may have been affected by the major earthquake yesterday.  Bruce Kennedy and Guy Scandlen have been in touch with Doreen Lobo as below.  If anyone else is in contact or has news of others, please let us know.

  Article shared by Bruce Kennedy This sad news will be of interest to many. Bruce

 “As we begin to think about the upcoming reunion in the Philippines, I remember the good times we had together in Malta. So I share these memories in hopes that they will prompt others to sign up and then we will meet again.” Bruce

 During the Medieval period thousands of pilgrims crossed Europe visiting religious shrines of which Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela were most revered. The tradition became less common following the Black Death, the Protestant Revolution and the subsequent political unrest but in recent decades the last named (known in English as The Way of St. James) has seen a remarkable revival. The film "The Way" starring Martin Sheen gives a realistic impression of what the pilgrimage is like. Camino de Santiago de Compestela There are many routes from all over Europe but the most common one (known as the Camino Frances) begins in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees. It then stretches 800 km to end at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. In mid June 2016 I did about half that distance beginning at Leon and then going beyond Santiago to end at the sea at Finisterre. It took me 16 days doing about 25 km per day. In this set of photos will share that ex...

There are so many traditional rehydration treatments for diarrhea, it is hard to imagine ORS was a scientific breakthrough. Nonetheless it was. This article suggests that the obstacles were as much social as technical and it gives a real world insight into the nature of the scientific process. I think many of our colleagues might be interested in this article I found describing the research process which ultimately produced ORS. It is a fascinating story.  Bruce Editor's Note  :  this is a long article and so what follows below is only an excerpt of the first few paragraphs.  We recommend that you read the original article by clicking on the link below: Click here to read the full article Salt, Sugar, Water, Zinc: How Scientists Learned to Treat the 20th Century’s Biggest Killer of Children In June 1832, The Lancet published a remarkable letter written by a Scottish physician named Thomas Latta. Europe was in the grip of the second cholera pandemic — the first outbre...

Bruce began his international career in 1974 as a CUSO volunteer in Thailand and later worked for Plan International between 1976 and 1981 in the Philippines, Haiti and the Sudan. In 1982 Bruce joined UNICEF Zaire as a program officer, followed by Sierra Leone, Somalia, Fiji, and NYHQ. Altogether he worked 17 years with UNICEF. He now lives in Chiangrai, Thailand. Bruce loves travel photography and the slideshow below reflects the simplicity and variety of his travels.  I particularly love his photo of the Dhaka train station at night, and the boat people moored along the river.  Each of his photos tells its own story.  Gianni