A call for help: facing the reality of the situation.

On December 26, 2004, an earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a massive tsunami that raced across the ocean at 500 mph and slammed into the coastline of Indonesia and other nearby countries, including Sri Lanka, Maldives, India, Thailand, Myanmar, Somalia, and Malaysia. In less than 10 minutes, more than 200,000 people died (or were to be reported missing) and 500,000 people became homeless. In some cases, entire cities and villages were quite literally swept away; when the water finally receded, only a tangled mass of rubble remained.

The full impact of the South Asia tsunami, however, was not known for many months afterward. The final death toll reported by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) climbed above 270,000 people, more than one-third of them children. The urgent need for food, potable water, and adequate shelter, not to mention the need for medical attention and good sanitation, was ever-present--as was the fear of disease. At the time of the tsunami, ACEI had 77 members living or visiting in the region; fortunately, as far as we are aware, they are safe.

ACEI joined with many other nonprofit and trade organizations in the United States and abroad, as well as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) of the United Nations, to help share information about the disaster via our respective Web sites, urging people worldwide to help those in need, especially the children and their families.

A disaster such as this reminds us of the caring that we feel for others and how small the global community is becoming. Since its founding as the International Kindergarten Union in 1892, ACEI has been recognized for its international efforts on behalf of children. To increase our effectiveness as an advocate for children, ACEI became affiliated with UNICEF approximately 50 years ago about the time UNICEF was founded to protect children following World War II. Subsequently, ACEI was granted consultative status with both UNICEF and the Economics and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC) and also became affiliated with the UN Department of Public Information. Each year, ACEI contributes to UNICEF's disaster relief efforts that benefit millions of children and their families worldwide. ACEI is represented at the United Nations by Nancy Brown, Lynn Staley, and Eva Zygmunt-Fillwalk.

Approximately 3.5 million children and women in tsunami-affected countries have benefited from the various assistance programs sponsored by UNICEF. Rebuilding Lives and Restoring Hope: A 12 Month Report on UNICEF's Tsunami Relief Work, available online at www.unicefusa.org, highlights the work that UNICEF accomplished in 2005. For example, UNICEF:

* Immunized more than 1.2 million children against measles

* Provided 500,000 children and mothers with anti-malarial bed nets

* Repaired nearly 400 schools and constructed 200 temporary or semi-permanent schools that eventually will be replaced by safer and stronger permanent facilities

* Registered, placed, and reunited approximately 4,000 separated and or unaccompanied children

* Provided 350,000 children with psychosocial care and support

* Constructed or restored 114,000 water systems, benefiting 500,000 people

* Trained new teachers and supplied textbooks and other learning materials

* Reached nearly 1.4 million children with emergency education supplies, enabling 90 percent of the children to return to school within three months of the tsunami

* Ensured that no child died as a result of preventable diseases attributable to the tsunami crisis.

All of this vital work would not have been possible without UNICEF's unprecedented efforts to coordinate recovery projects. UNICEF helped set standards for the entire relief effort, which involved more than 200 different governments, various other UN agencies, other humanitarian aid organizations, and hundreds of NGOs and local communities.

UNICEF's work in South Asia has shifted from emergency rescue operations to providing basic services and care for hundreds of thousands of survivors and displaced families. Health care, nutrition, and ensuring safe water and good sanitation are all critical aspects of UNICEF's ongoing work. Registering and reuniting children also continues to be a top priority. Rebuilding and reconstructing the infrastructure, on the other hand, is only now beginning in most tsunami-affected areas and it could be a long and involved process that will take years to complete.

I find UNICEF's philosophy in terms of restoring health and community services very impressive. UNICEF does not simply rebuild or restore, but strives to make things better. Schools, for example, are equipped with new furnishings and modern computer labs, indoor plumbing is added, and health care services, such as immunization programs, are extended beyond devastated areas to benefit even more children.

The South Asia tsunami was not the only natural disaster that ACEI responded to in 2005. A similar call for sharing resources went out to the association community to help the victims following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. ACEI, Headquarters staff, and many individual members also made contributions to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, earmarked for the benefit of children. Your donations helped save thousands of lives and offered hope.

In our professional and personal lives, we seek to promote the rights, education, and well-being of all children. I am proud that we share ACEI's child-centered philosophy and proud that we answered the call for help. The South Asia tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita captured the media's attention, but we must not lose sight of the fact that devastating events or situations threaten the lives of children and their families on a daily basis somewhere in the world and many of these are catastrophic. ACEI, I believe, must step up its advocacy efforts on behalf of children. Your continued support as an ACEI member helps to strengthen our voice. Thank you.

Jerry Odland,

Executive Director