UNICEF Offers Shoppers the Chance to Give the Gift of Life This Mother's Day

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Apr 18, 2011, 10:44 ET

On Mother's Day: Healthy Mom = Healthy Child

NEW YORK, April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With Mother's Day just around the corner there is still time to plan a special gift. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is pleased to announce the wide selection of Mother's Day gifts available in the UNICEF Inspired Gifts collection and the UNICEF cards and gifts spring catalog. This spring, shoppers can help UNICEF continue its lifesaving work and offer children hope for a brighter future with purchases from this assortment of gifts.

"UNICEF provides the opportunity for compassionate people to give their loved ones gifts that deliver health and happiness beyond their own family and friends," said President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF Caryl Stern. "With every purchase from the collection, proceeds will support UNICEF's mission to do whatever it takes to provide children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more."

One of UNICEF's priorities is to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child. Today only one in four pregnant women in poor countries has access to HIV testing to know her status. UNICEF is offering everyone the opportunity to help save the lives of mothers and babies around the world this Mother's Day. The purchase of an HIV test kit from the UNICEF Inspired Gifts collection can provide 65 expectant mothers with the tests they need to determine their HIV status. This test is vital to ensure that a mother takes appropriate measures to treat her condition and protect her child. To learn more about the HIV test kit visit: www.inspiredgifts.org/hivtest.

There are even more ways to help mothers and children across the globe this Mother's Day. Through the purchase of a family water kit, also from the Inspired Gifts collection, shoppers can provide access to safe, clean drinking water for families. Each kit contains buckets, collapsible water containers, soap and water purification tablets that can help 10 families during an emergency. To combat the severe threat posed by malaria, people can also purchase mosquito nets from the collection. Mosquito nets provide effective protection for children and their mothers against the disease. Malaria is the leading child killer in Africa, accounting for 20% of all childhood deaths on the continent.

UNICEF Inspired Gifts is an innovative program that allows consumers to purchase actual, lifesaving products that will be shipped to one of over 150 countries and territories where UNICEF works. Upon purchase of an Inspired Gift, a card will be delivered to the family, friend or loved one announcing the gift made to UNICEF in their honor. Inspired Gifts can make a dramatic difference in the life of a child and mother threatened by malnutrition and disease, or lacking access to clean water or educational opportunities. Visit www.inspiredgifts.org to learn more.

Those who want to show how much they care through a more traditional Mother's Day gift this year can choose from a range of items in the 2011 UNICEF spring cards and gifts catalog, including a sparkling hand-beaded clutch, artisan-crafted jewelry, and a must-have bronze sculpture—all the while knowing that the purchase price goes to help children in need.

To view UNICEF's wide selection of Mother's Day gifts visit: www.unicefusa.org/shop.

About UNICEF

UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. Working in more than 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States.

UNICEF is at the forefront of efforts to reduce child mortality worldwide. There has been substantial progress: the annual number of under-five deaths dropped from 13 million in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008. But still, 22,000 children die each day from preventable causes. Our mission is to do whatever it takes to make that number zero by giving children the essentials for a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

SOURCE U.S. Fund for UNICEF