You could be a witch or a vampire for Halloween, but what about a hero?
Rowena Pinto, the Chief Program Officer with UNICEF Canada, tells our newsroom the pandemic has weighed heavily on the welfare of children.
“Children have really been the invisible victims in all of this with schools closed,” Pinto says. “We’ve got more severe impacts like disruption to food systems . . . employment opportunities disappearing, that’s also having an impact on children, and not being able to access healthcare.”
She adds the pandemic has been exceptionally difficult and they’re hoping to get as many people as possible involved.
Pinto hopes you can help by participating in this year’s Halloween Walk-A-Thon.
“We are just looking to raise as much as we can. COVID-19 has actually been incredibly difficult,” Pinto says. “We’ve actually seen a lot of the advancements that we’ve had for children in the past few decades roll back.”
She says it’s a pivotal time to help kids around the globe have access to healthy food, clean water, education and health care.
A little can go a very long way. A $22 donation would fund what the program calls “Plumpy’nut,” which is a therapeutic food that could feed up to 18 malnourished children.
UNICEF is also aiming to attract a younger generation of families to the fundraiser.
(CREDIT: UNICEF)
The iconic orange box is back this year in a digital format with a QR code that links to a fundraising page.
Children who sign up by October 18th will receive a walk-a-thon package in the mail, which will include a Halloween Hero Card and the QR code.
Pinto urges parents to sign their kids up by the deadline.
“We’ve seen Canadians step up during COVID. I think this is just another opportunity that’s very child friendly,” Pinto says.
