Since Fall 2019, Drexel Dragons have taken up their place as UNICEF Unite’s grassroots advocates in the US to amplify children’s voices around the globe. The overarching aim of the organization is to empower the youth with the skills to become effective global citizens, aiming to build community, fundraise and promote UNICEF’s child survival work.
Dragons for UNICEF started their work last Fall with #trickortreatforUNICEF, whereby they collected funds for the children impacted by the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Afterall, a little children’s rights advocacy alongside some cotton candy can never hurt. In northeast Syria, children flee their homes in search of refuge, from the multi sided violence perpetrated by the Civil War. Latest escalations of violence have displaced 40000 children. Hence, UNICEF continues to focus on life saving services like water trucking, distribution of hygiene kits, installation of emergency sanitation facilities and child protection. The event at Drexel aimed not only to educate students on the gravity of the situation but to actively collect donations and aid UNICEF’s humanitarian work.
This academic year, there are a couple of projects that you’d be excited to become a part of. With the January theme of “human trafficking”, Dragons for UNICEF held a screening of the documentary “Not My Life”. The film looks to attach faces to this highly organized, cross border trade in order to educate people on the extent of the problem. The reality is that approximately 28 percent of identified victims of trafficking tend to be children, as researched by UNICEF and ICAT. However, these children are infrequently identified because they fear coming forward due to fear of their traffickers, lack of information regarding their options, mistrust of the authorities, fear of stigma or the perceived (and many times real) likelihood of being left unsupported.
With a decent turn out during for the screening, students were able to discuss how modern-day human trafficking is a form of slavery and what measures can be taken in our own capacities to alleviate the plight of those entangled in these nets. The discussion ended with the audience seeking to reach out to Philly based anti-human trafficking organizations such as:
- Covenant House
- Women’s Way
- Freedom and Restoration for Everyone Enslaved
- Polaris Project
Finally, the organization is working towards it’s big closing event for the Winter term; a panel discussion. While I don’t want to give away too much (well, I don’t know much myself), the executive board is working to put together a panel of healthcare providers, public policy professionals and local representatives to discuss the pertinence of effective healthcare during the early days of a child being born, the cultural blocks that prevent open access to healthcare, institutional inefficiencies across countries and much more. These themes of discussion brought forth by members of the organization is heartening evidence of the sincere involvement of students in the organization’s mission statement.
While every single individual is key in bringing about change and positively impacting lives of those who need refuge the most, we would love to see more of you join us in this journey. Sign up on Dragonlink! Come see us at a General Body Meeting. We are nice people (well, most of the times). Feel free to follow @dragonsforunicef. You can also read up more on UNICEF Unite’s mission here.