Warwick UNICEF fast for change

Warwick UNICEF on Campus took part in two charitable campaigns last week to raise funds for UNICEF’s Ebola Crisis Appeal and the protection of children’s rights worldwide.

The society held a sponsored fast called ‘Mission24’ and a social media project known as the ‘Mini Me’ campaign.

The ‘Mission24’ event, during which members of the society took part in a 24-hour sponsored fast, was held on 15 November.

The campaign raised a total of £8,264.29 through bake sales, online donations and bucket collections. This exceeded previous records for both Warwick and national UNICEF on Campus campaigns.

The event supported the Ebola Crisis Appeal, which aims to help families and health workers in the worst hit areas of West Africa by donating aid supplies to vulnerable children and raising awareness of the disease in order to prevent its spread.

Commenting on the campaign’s success, Molly Fleming, vice-president of Warwick UNICEF on Campus, said: “We could not be more proud of our members and how much they have provided.

“As it stands the money we’ve raised has provided 263 families in threat of Ebola with protection kits providing a crucial lifeline for those most vulnerable.”

Warwick UNICEF on Campus’s most recent campaign, ‘Mini Me’, encouraged Warwick students to change their Facebook profile pictures to a photograph of their younger selves.

Students were invited to to also donate £3 and nominate three friends to do the same with the hashtag #minime.

The campaign, which began on Monday 10 November, ran until Thursday 20 November, coinciding with Universal Children’s Day. This aimed to raise money for the worldwide protection of children’s rights.

It follows a number of similar social media projects, including the highly successful ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ and ‘No-Makeup Selfie’ campaigns this year, which raised money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Cancer Research UK respectively.

Jacqueline Man, President of Warwick UNICEF on Campus, said that both the Mission24 and Mini Me campaigns have been received well, she commented: “[the campaigns] received a lot of backing from the SU – sabbatical officers have even changed their profile pictures and the official SU account have been posting about our events.”

She added: “Even UNICEF UK tweeted about us yesterday, which is a first for all ‘on campus’ societies!”

The society generally aims to promote and raise awareness of international children’s rights at the university, supporting the charity UNICEF UK through campaigns and donations on campus. Donations can be made through a link provided on the society’s official Facebook page.