Israeli Fund for UNICEF

The Israeli Fund for UNICEF is the Israeli non-profit and non-governmental organization that supports the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). A recipient of the 1965 Nobel Peace Prize, UNICEF has been active for over 60 years and is one of the world's foremost organizations providing children in over 190 countries with health, education, equality, and protection.

The Israeli Fund for UNICEF, a volunteer-led education and fundraising organization, was first founded in 1969 by Ms. Zena Harman. Harman was already a good friend to UNICEF: As a delegate of the Israeli government to the UNICEF Executive Board, she served as the Board’s Chairperson from 1963 to 1965, during which time, as Chair, she actually accepted the Nobel Prize in Oslo on behalf of UNICEF. Back in Israel, she was elected the first Chair of the Israeli Fund for UNICEF.

The Israeli Fund opened its new Tel Aviv office in 2009 and is one of the 36 UNICEF national committees that support UNICEF worldwide through resource mobilization, advocacy, and education.[1] As one of the newest members of the international UNICEF community, the Israeli Fund aims to promote children's rights within Israel and to make Israelis an active part of UNICEF's global efforts to save children's lives. [2][3][4]

The Israeli Fund's board of directors is chaired by Adv. Moriel Matalon and also includes Esther Guluma, Ron Guttmann, Gila Lapidot, Irith Rappaport, and Harriet Mouchly-Weiss.[5]

In 2008, the Israeli Fund for UNICEF entered into a partnership with Amdocs, a high-tech company providing customer management and operating systems to some of the world’s biggest telecommunication providers. The partnership provided Amdocs employees with an opportunity to donate to some of UNICEF's projects around the world.[6]

In October 2009, Mia Farrow, American actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, spent 6 days visiting Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank to draw attention to the impact of ongoing conflict on children and their families. Mia spent a day in Sderot and met with children who told her about their experiences living under the constant threat of attack. Mia also visited a psychological treatment center that received UNICEF support to treat Sderot children traumatized by the violence they experience in their daily lives. During the rest of her trip in Israel, Mia toured Yad Vashem and the Shanti House- A Warm Home for Youth At-Risk in Tel Aviv. Throughout her time in Israel, Mia was accompanied by Israeli Minister of Welfare and Social Services Isaac Herzog, Israeli Fund Chair Moriel Matalon, and Board member Esther Guluma, former UNICEF Director of West and Central Africa.[7]

Today the Israeli Fund for UNICEF continues its non-profit work in support of UNICEF’s global mission, and is on the verge of a new resource mobilization campaign in Israel.