We live in tough times... but I have hope

Aleppo child deaths, children starving in Yemen, refugee and migrant children from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan stranded in Greece and the Balkans. Many of these thousands are being housed in shelters that are ill-equipped for winter, even as temperatures fall below freezing. The facts and numbers both, are staggering to say the least. Not news that is easy to live with. And the accompanying images, those are even more difficult to digest.

So how does one react to these incidents after reading about them day-after-day? Feeling sad and horrified is a given, but these children are our global responsibility, our future. Not doing something is definitely not an option. Neither is getting cynical an option. “Once you choose hope, anything is possible,” said Christopher Reeves, the Superman forever. Hope is exactly what I was filled with when I recall my evening at UN, where we had all gathered to celebrate the 70th anniversary of UNICEF and where I was officially named an International Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.

I have worked with UNICEF for over a decade now and 6 of those years in the official capacity of a Goodwill Ambassador for India. Now, UNICEF has made my responsibility global. I do not stand there alone. In fact, I join a very special group of fellow International Goodwill Ambassadors (IGA) like David Beckham, Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, Orlando Bloom, Jackie Chan, Angelique Kidjo, Shakira, Ishmael Beah, Femi Kuti, amongst many others.

Being part of this group of IGA is one of the reasons that fills me with hope. Equally important is the depth of experience that UNICEF brings with its 70 years of tireless working to improve the lives of children and their families across the world (190 countries today). Let me take this a step further… I see us like IGA Jedis, taking UNICEF’s cause further. We are and will always be their catalysts of change.

UNICEF says: ‘Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects’. I echo the thought. Which is why being part of this global effort makes me very proud and grateful for the opportunity to make a difference. 

At the 70th anniversary celebration, as I watched Orlando Bloom conduct an onstage discussion with child refugee Mustafa Al Said, who fled conflict in his native Syria to live in Germany and Ishmael Beah speak about his experience as a child soldier in Sierra Leone and now his work advocating against the recruitment of children into armed groups, there was that same surge of hope… that we can make a tangible difference, no matter what the circumstance.

When Juan Carlos, a 27-year-old lawyer from El Salvador, recalled how UNICEF helped him after he lost his limbs when he stepped on a buried landmine at the age of five, he echoed the same hope. He now advocates for the rights of children with disabilities, working to help break down the barriers and inequities they often face. The anniversary celebration powerfully demonstrated the impact of UNICEF’s work over seven decades to protect the rights of the world’s most vulnerable children.

Can we change the headlines of tomorrow? Maybe not in a day or a year or even a few years, because we know the battle is long and day-to-day but we must continue to work towards building a world where children’s rights are respected and protected. There is no option to that.

Meet Sadhana. A young girl from India whose journey from shy to confident, has given hope to many to emulate her. As an employee of BharatGas she is the new inspiration for her generation. Thanks to UNICEF, I was a part of Sadhana’s journey to economic independence and empowerment.

Sadhana’s journey may not have been one of physical hardships but fighting perceptions and age old ways of life was a Herculean task. In India, women come second. Period. At work and home. After the sons, husbands and male colleagues. Long counselling sessions with both her parents and villagers resulted in young Sadhana, growing from a volunteer with a UNICEF and Barclays Bank programme, to being involved in UNICEF’s social development programme, one which she told me, provided her with life skills which she realised could empower her economically. Today, she is working and supporting her whole family. With UNICEF, I was able to create a platform and provide opportunities for those who showed a drive within themselves to improve their lives.  

These children are our planet’s only future. Our only hope. May the Force Be with all of us. For their sakes, if not our own.

STOP PRESS: The images have been adding up over the weekend. A young boy at an airport desperately clinging to his mother with fear in his eyes after being detained for hours at Dulles International airport in Washington DC, unable to fathom the chaos of being stopped entry into what he knew as his home.

The US, has always acknowledged that it is a country built by immigrants. The anger, frustration and helplessness that has followed US State Department’s 90-day ban of people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from entering the US is justified. 

As a global citizen, this has deeply affected me.

Getting ready to post this blog, I was grounded by the news. All of the 'banned' countries are places where a lot of UNICEF work is going on, where children are suffering the most. What can I add that people across professions and age groups have not already said? But adding your voice will definitely make a difference. 

And make a difference we must. Please join me in making our voice stronger so that globally, our children are not discriminated against on the basis of their religion and do not have to bear the brunt of a political witch hunt.