A new campaign has been launched which aims to support two billion Covid-19 vaccinations
UNICEF and Crowdfunder are working together to ensure countries across the world have access to lifesaving vaccines
The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) and Crowdfunder today launch the VaccinAid campaign, calling on the nation to ‘Give the World a Shot’ and help provide Covid-19 vaccines to people around the world.
VaccinAid will help fund the biggest vaccine drive in history, providing nearly two billion vaccines to health workers and the most high risk and vulnerable people on our planet, no matter where they live.
The campaign aims to harness the public sense of spontaneous gratitude for the UK’s vaccine programme and mobilise the collective power of the nation, turning optimism into action to give the world a shot.
It’s not just people who have been vaccinated who can support – anyone can donate or fundraise at vaccinaid.org to help protect the world from Covid-19.
Crowdfunder initiated the idea behind vaccinaid.org after seeing a huge number of people who needed support due to the pandemic fundraising on their platform. Through VaccinAid, people can now get involved with the drive to tackle the biggest global crisis since World War Two.
The money raised will help UNICEF purchase and deliver nearly two billion Covid-19 vaccines this year, as well as tests and treatments, to 190 countries around the world through the global COVAX initiative. It is the biggest health operation in history, to ensure no one is left behind in the efforts to eradicate Covid-19 and its devastating impact.
Supported by the NHS, leading faith groups including Church of England, Office of the Chief Rabbi and the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, businesses and celebrity supporters, the campaign aims to reach as many people across the UK as possible. VaccinAid and the ‘Give the World a Shot’ campaign was created by Mother, one of the world’s leading creative agencies.
Vaccines are essential to overcoming the Covid-19 crisis. With half of UK adults having had their first dose, now is the time to support communities in low and middle income countries around the world with equal and free access to protection against the virus.
David Harewood, UNICEF UK ambassador said: “Everyone deserves the opportunity to feel safe, no matter where they live, and the aim of the VaccinAid campaign is to protect everyone from Covid-19. I’ve seen the amazing lengths UNICEF goes to getting vaccines to those who need it the most – in Sierra Leone I saw them arriving in cold boxes on boats, in the remotest part of the country, to make sure they reach the arms of even the hardest to reach communities. The sheer logistical operation of it all is staggering yet well established – but we can’t do it without the support of the public to fund this historic vaccine drive. I really do believe that no-one is safe until we are all safe, and one thing I’ve learnt from the past year living through this pandemic is that kindness and fairness has the power to do incredible things. So let’s celebrate what unites us and come together to Give the World a Shot.”
Steven Waugh, interim executive director, UNICEF UK said: “The launch of today’s VaccinAid campaign comes at a historic moment for UNICEF in the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines around the world. Having so many organisations and high-profile individuals come together to show their support for the appeal gives us a real chance of unlocking vital funds that will enable UNICEF to fulfil its critical mission of protecting the world against Covid-19. I am incredibly excited to be asking the nation to ‘Give the World a Shot’ over the next few months, as here at UNICEF we know it will ultimately help save lives around the world.”
Rob Love, Crowdfunder CEO, said: "Crowdfunder is proud to be joining forces with UNICEF to launch VaccinAid and support the biggest vaccine roll-out in history. Over the past year, we have seen a sharp rise in people fundraising for causes linked to the Covid-19 pandemic on our platform. Crowdfunder was created to help solve the challenges that governments and charities cannot tackle on their own, by bringing organisations and people together and enabling connections that help our global community. By launching VaccinAid with UNICEF to Give the World a Shot, we are harnessing the power of the crowd to help bring an end to the pandemic and its devastating impact."
The money raised for VaccinAid will help UNICEF get vaccines to the most remote places in the world by ensuring they are safely stored and transported, protect and train health workers to vaccinate their communities as well as test and treat those in need.
UNICEF is the only global organisation equipped to deliver an operation of this size. With more than 70 years’ experience, it is the world’s largest vaccine buyer and already helps vaccinate almost half the world’s children, travelling to some of the most remote places on earth to deliver nearly 2.5 billion doses of life-saving vaccines every year.
