Press Release: NEW LIFE FOR LIFESAVING BOOK

Link: http://www.unicef.org/ffl

Facts for Life (FFL), one of the world's most widely-read books with 15 million copies available in 215 languages, itself gained new life Tuesday with its first major revision in a decade and new PDF and Website versions.

FFL is a joint effort of UNICEF, WHO, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNDP, UNAIDS, WFP and the World Bank* to give details on essential information on low-cost ways to help prevent child deaths and diseases and to protect women during pregnancy and childbirth.

"In countries where there is only one doctor for thousands of citizens, Facts for Life is providing basic health information to women and children who often lack any other access to care," said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy. "Facts for Life has revolutionized people's lives by delivering simple health messages that people in every corner of the world can act on."

With the new PDF and Web versions, anyone wanting a copy of FFL can print out an English, French or Spanish version from their desktop at http://www.unicef.org/ffl. The website also comes with a text-only version specially designed for surfers with slow or unreliable Internet connections.

Unlike the print version, the Web site is free and available instantaneously.

"Facts for Life is such an important resource that everyone, everywhere should have the right to their own copy," said Tanya Accone, the head of UNICEF's Web unit. "Therefore it's really important to make it available online, for free, to as many people as possible."

The new version, both online and in print, was completely revised and has three new chapters: one on avoiding injuries, one on dealing with emergencies and one on HIV/AIDS prevention.

Earlier editions of the book have been transformed into folk plays and TV soap operas around the world. In Ecuador, a travelling carnival with mimes, clowns and magicians interpreted Facts for Life for local villages. In Nigeria, local newspapers printed Facts for Life messages as a weekly health column and a comic strip. The book is even used in North Korea, where 70,000 copies have been printed and distributed.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: UNICEF can put you in touch with Communication Officers in your region who can speak about applying FFL locally.

CONTACT: Sascha Segan
917-696-6251
webpromo@unicef.org

UNICEF: The United Nations Children's Fund
WHO: World Health Organization.
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund
UNDP: United Nations Development Programme
UNAIDS: The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS
WFP: World Food Programme