Even though most of us don’t reach large groups of people, we can still do our part: “This is one thing that I’ve learned: The problem looks so big that you don’t do anything; you just think ‘What can I do? What can I do about 1.6 million people?’”

But India Arie has come to terms with the fact that every little bit helps. “I just do what I can,” she says. And with the conviction she often shows in her music she affirms: “I’m certain I’ll go back.”

To see how you can help visit www.unicefusa.org or call 1-800-4UNICEF.


Spotlight on a Volunteer.
While celebrity ambassadors bring attention to UNICEF, there are thousands of other staffers and volunteers who keep the organization running. Kini Schoop, 29, is one of them. As a Public Relations Officer for UNICEF, she has been called to disadvantaged places like Darfur, Bhutan and the Democratic Republic of Congo to lend a hand.

About two years ago on a trip to Gaza and the West Bank, she visited a school that had been caught between the crossfire of the warring parties. “As I walked around the school complex I noticed that the walls were riddled with bullet holes and that there was some destruction from artillery shelling,” she says. “The windows were covered with cinder blocks to keep random fire from penetrating and injuring students.”

As she heard the sounds of conflict in the background she immediately became terrified. And then, the most unlikely person came to her rescue—a ten-year-old boy.

“He said in his accented but perfect English, ‘Do not worry. Why are you frightened? [The gunfire] is not near. I can hear when it is close. You should not worry.’”