UNICEF East Asia and Pacific

Every child deserves a chance to thrive, but millions are still held back by stunting, wasting, and anaemia. The Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) is a completely new way to fight child undernutrition. Unlike reactive funding models, CNF works proactively, coordinating global investments to ensure high-impact nutrition actions are fully funded, efficiently delivered, and sustainable. By combining international donor contributions with domestic investments, CNF doubles the impact of every dollar, empowers local manufacturers, and makes life-saving nutrition reach children and women faster and at lower cost. From September 2025, CNF will match contributions up to US$500 million, doubling the impact for children and women—helping transform lives for up to US$1 billion.    Led by UNICEF and supported by visionary partners—including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Gates Foundation, and Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)—unites donors, governments, and strategic partners to reach millions of children and women with life-changing nutrition. Rene Gerard Galera, Jr Alison Feeley PhD RNutr Roland Kupka Mueni Mutunga Sanele Nkomani Moumiita G Dastidar Mera Boulus Grozier Juan Ignacio Calvo Ian Lacey Myo-Zin Nyunt Ann Putnam Marks Corina Câmpian, M.Sc.

When you meet a child suffering from wasting, you never forget it. Wasting is the most life-threatening form of malnutrition—it weakens children so severely that even a common cold can turn fatal. Globally, one million children die from it each year. In East Asia and the Pacific alone, 4 million children are affected, with 1 million facing severe wasting.    The numbers tell part of the story. Children with severe wasting are 11 times more likely to die than their well-nourished peers. But behind those statistics are families facing impossible choices, communities losing their future, and a crisis that remains largely invisible to the world.    The good news? Wasting is preventable and curable. With better nutrition for mothers, exclusive breastfeeding, nutritious first foods, and skilled health care, we can stop it before it starts. UNICEF and partners are helping countries integrate prevention and treatment into primary health care — so every child has the chance to grow, play, and thrive.  Rene Gerard Galera, Jr Alison Feeley PhD RNutr Eliane Luthi Roland Kupka Moumiita G Dastidar Mueni Mutunga Sanele Nkomani Sibylle Newman

Disease knows no borders—but together, we can stop it. In Papua New Guinea’s 9 Mile settlement, clean water and reliable electricity are scarce, making access to healthcare a challenge. UNICEF is bringing polio vaccinations to children’s doorsteps, working hand-in-hand with Ministry of Health, the health workers and local leaders. Basil Rodriques, Regional Adviser Child Survival & Development at UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific, reminds us: vaccination coverage must not only continue but grow. Strong partnerships and resources are key. With collective effort, every child in Papua New Guinea can be protected against polio and other preventable diseases. #EndPolio #WorldPolioDay Salwa Al-eryani Ridwan Gustiana Nattha T. UNICEF Papua New Guinea Veera Mendonca Myo-Zin Nyunt

Floods in Rantau Panjang, Malaysia, affect over 70,000 people annually—nearly 40% of them children. Salidah Ramli’s family has faced rising waters, crowded shelters without electricity or clean water, and disrupted schooling. 🌊 Salidah remembers clutching her children tightly, terrified they might be swept away. “The floods rise so suddenly,” she says. “Even when they subside, they come back again.” Her eldest, Haris, has taken matters into his own hands—raising his school books to higher shelves every time the flood comes. For him, protecting his education is as instinctive as seeking safety. Across Southeast Asia, climate change is displacing families, and children bear the heaviest burden. Stories like Salidah and Haris’s remind us why climate-resilient infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and child-focused interventions are urgently needed. UNICEF Malaysia

In Cambodia, many primary students struggle with foundational literacy—45% of Grade 6 students (aged 11–12) can’t read at a basic level. Phatreaksa, only five years old and just starting Grade 1, now is basically a reading superstar – she confidently reads aloud, creates her own sentences, and shares them with her classmates. Strong early-grade literacy builds confidence, future skills and opportunity. Thanks to UNICEF-supported Early Grade Learning program—structured lessons, interactive materials and teacher training—students are learning to read, learning to love reading, and schools are buzzing with energy. The best part? In just one year, reading fluency almost doubled for Grades 2 and 3. European Union Sida Global Partnership for Education UNICEF Cambodia Mitsue Uemura Linda Jonsson Hadrien Bonnaud

CHERY has renewed its US$6M partnership with UNICEF to champion global education. Over the next 3 years, we will help many more children access quality learning in Mexico, Türkiye, South Africa, China, Viet Nam, and Indonesia. Thank you, Chery, for #PoweringEveryChildsLearningJourney 👉 More: https://lnkd.in/d6K_VFHe  UNICEF China UNICEF UNICEF Viet Nam UNICEF Indonesia Juan Ignacio Calvo Ann Putnam Marks Maria Margarita Uy Baula Manuel Pinzon Myo-Zin Nyunt June Kunugi

In the mountains of Aileu, Timor-Leste, a school garden is doing more than growing vegetables—it’s growing life skills, confidence, and community resilience. 🌱 Students at EBF Madabeno, with support from UNICEF and partners, are learning and practicing permaculture gardening, an environmentally friendly and sustainable way of growing vegetables that children can easily adapt to. The harvest feeds the school lunch program (merenda eskolar), reducing costs while providing fresh, organic, healthy meals. Thanks to these efforts, children are planting confidence, responsibility, and future-ready skills. And their parents? Inspired by their little climate superheroes, they’re adopting new gardening techniques, improving household nutrition, and strengthening their connection to the environment. Warning: Reading this may cause sudden urges to start your own school or home garden. Check the link in the comments… at your own discretion. 💚 Julio Talimeta UNICEF Timor-Leste Tapuwa Loreen Mutseyekwa

At just 20, Lương Thị Bạch Dương is turning her childhood struggles into solutions for her community in Viet Nam. Through UPSHIFT 2025, UNICEF’s social innovation program with AIESEC, her team Seeds of Hope is working to revive traditional Khmer crafts to generate jobs for women, elders, and people with disabilities. The goal is to help families gain stability, so that children have the chance to stay in school and thrive. But for Dương, the real win is not just the project: it’s discovering her voice, her confidence, and her role as a changemaker. This is where cross-sector collaboration matters: when business, government and civil society align, young innovators like Dương can scale solutions that strengthen community resilience. UNICEF Viet Nam Raweekarn (Paopao) Amarachgul Mirjana Unčanin Ticiana Garcia-Tapia