Two things have drawn me to humanitarian work over the past 25 years.
First,  as global citizens, we have a responsibility to reach out to the most vulnerable in our world.
Second, I've seen the results of this work.
Children do get healthier when we invest in them.
Families do have brighter futures with our support.
I've seen this firsthand.
Every time I meet a frontline aid worker, a doctor giving vaccinations to children,
a nurse teaching nutrition and hygiene to families,
an agriculture expert working with smallholder farmers to improve crop yields, I'm inspired.
They're on the front lines. Our job is to serve them.
The key thing that drew me to UNICEF USA was a connection to the global platform of UNICEF.
At UNICEF USA, we're a critical part of an ecosystem of committed people in 190 countries,
creating real, positive change for children — especially the most vulnerable.
I wanted to publicly reaffirm our commitment to racial justice
for our employees, our partners, and Black and brown communities everywhere.
We are deeply concerned about the impact on children of color,
on top of the COVID pandemic, which has already disproportionately impacted families of color.
Children are the silent victims in both of these crises.
When we say Black lives matter, we also need the lives, futures and safety of Black children to matter to all of us.
And I grew up near Minneapolis, so the pain that community is facing is personal to me.
I've spent 25 years working in and leading global nonprofits focused on health
So our response to this pandemic is right in my wheelhouse.
Children and families need good health to make progress in the lives.
It's one of those gating issues.
With good health, people have opportunity.
Poor health, disease and the threat of pandemics puts all of that in jeopardy.
What worked best in West Africa was a committed and coordinated international response.
We recognized we were all threatened, and we're all in this together.
A competent response by the national governments most affected, and most important of all,
behavior change on the part of the public that took the threat seriously.
There's no better platform in the world than UNICEF to fight disease, combat poverty,
and build hope and opportunity for children and their families.
We're in 190 countries with 13,000 staff and many, many partners.
Our job here at UNICEF USA is to rally the American public to support that mission.
We won't stop. We'll do whatever it takes to save the lives of children, protect them and help them thrive.
