The Ministry of Transport and Communication and the Armenian Postal Service “HayPost” today issued a stamp that honours children and supports the work of UNICEF in Armenia. A portion of the revenue from the sale of the stamp will be donated to UNICEF to assist the UN agency’s programme to support children in Armenia.
“UNICEF is the world’s leading children’s organization. HayPost, in turn, places a high priority on social responsibility, and the need to help address outstanding issues in this society. We want to put a special emphasis on meeting the needs of childen, as children are the future of any society and at the same time its most vulnerable part,” said HayPost General Director Hans Boon. “We are very glad to start the cooperation with UNICEF in Armenia with such a significant and useful initiative, and we hope this will become a well-established practice of addressing outstanding issues existing in the society.”
The launch of the stamp marks the beginning of a nation-wide advocacy and fund-raising campaign to help reduce neonatal mortality rates in Armenia. The 100 AMD domestic letter rate stamp was designed by HayPost based on a drawing of seven year old Eduard Shahbazyan who won in a drawing competition conducted under the theme of a “World fit for Children.” Over 600 children between the ages of seven and 16 participated in the competition.
“In Armenia, roughly 26 infants per 1,000 live births die before their first birthday. Approximately 65 per cent of these deaths are during the first 28 days of life – the neonatal period. The sale of this stamp sends a strong message about the imperative of placing child survival on top of government’s and public agenda and provides an avenue for the public at large to participate in this campaign to highlight the issue,“ UNICEF Representative in Armenia, Sheldon Yett said during a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. “Infant mortality rates in Armenia are nearly three times higher in the poorest households than in the wealthiest households.”
Interventions need not be expensive. Better routine maternal and newborn care, including the promotion of breastfeeding, and the provision of basic equipment will help. UNICEF and the Ministry of Health are currently developing a new neonatal strategy that will establish standards for the country’s health providers to follow when taking care of infants and their mothers.
The stamp is the first of its kind ever issued in Armenia. UNICEF will receive 30 AMD (approx. $ US 0.10) from the sale of each stamp that will go to support the country’s efforts to reduce neonatal mortality and meet the Millennium Development Goal 4 that calls for a two-thirds reduction in child mortality by 2015.
Special flyers, posters and direct mails promoting the stamp and featuring the campaign’s slogan “Buy Five, Help Save a Life!” have already been sent to 900 post offices across the country, and to philatelist organizations throughout the world. HayPost will also provide to UNICEF advertising space in its 900 post offices throughout the country, providing an important new mechanism to help in social mobilization efforts.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments
This article was first published on unicef.org