Mulder and Scully: As Long As We're Here

Spotlight Video

In honor of the X-Files movie here is a wonderful montage depicting Scully and Mulder's relationship set to "As Long As We're Here" by Clay Aiken.





~Montage by linds7398~

~"As Long as We're Here" sung by Clay Aiken; written by Jan Howard and Rebecca Lynn-Howard~


"As Long As We're Here"

Why do we have to fight?
Why can't spend our time... trying?
I wanna be close to you
Keep love from slipping through... my hands
The words said in anger aimed at someone
Are hard to take back once the damage is done

Let's stop now....

As long as we're here... alive on this earth
I'm gonna love you... for all that it's worth
And one of these days ... we're gonna take off and fly...

Let's make the most of of our time
As long as we're here... (yeah...)

Some people live their lives
Holding their fears... inside them
Afraid to build windows
To let the light of the world in...
They hide in the darkness of self-imposed walls
If they could just tear them down... they'd have it all

As long as we're here... alive on this earth
I'm gonna love you for all that it's worth
And one of these days ... we're gonna take off and fly...

Let's make the most of of our time
As long as we're here... (yeah... yeah... yeah...)

When you're with me.... I breathe easy
You are my need .. right now love me

As long as we're here (as long as we're here)
I'm gonna love you (I'm gonna love you)
And one of these days ... we're gonna take off and fly...

As long as we're here... alive on this earth
I'm gonna love you for all that it's worth
And one of these days ... we're gonna take off and fly...

Let's make the most of of our time
Oh.. make the most of our time
As long as we're here...
As long as we're here...


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An UNICEF Photo Album

Clay Aiken was appointed UNICEF Ambassador in 2004 for his committment to children and education. Since becoming an Ambassador, Clay has performed many duties on UNICEF's behalf including field trips to Indonesia, Uganda, Somalia, Mexico, and Afghanistan, school visits, and he even testified before Congress. Here is a photographic journey of Clay's UNICEF related work.

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Spotlight Video: Olympians -- On Their Way

Here is another beautiful montage in honor of the upcoming Olympics featuring "On My Way Here".

Spotlight Video




~~Montage by Hosaa~~

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UNICEF: Kenya

Clay Aiken has posted his last Field Notes Blog at the UNICEF website. After his trip to Somalia, he visited Kenya to observe the education program in Kenya's Rift Valley.


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Clay Aiken calls for Kenya's kids to return to school

In early July, after visiting Somalia, I traveled to Eldoret, in Kenya’s Rift Valley, to visit camps for internally displaced people. This is where some of the worst violence took place following the Kenya elections in early 2008. Thousands of children were made homeless by the unrest.

Everywhere we went, there were the charcoaled remains of homes, schools and shops. We drove for hours and everywhere we went, we saw people trying to get their lives restored.


© US Fund for UNICEF / 2008 / Nick Ysenburg

Although many schools were re-opened, far fewer children are turning up for class than before. And classes are taking place in schools that have been completely destroyed. I saw children sitting on rocks and bricks—which used to make up the foundations and roofs of their schools—using them now as desks and chairs.

Fortunately, this was not the situation everywhere. In most IDP camps, UNICEF has provided classroom tents and School-in-a-Box kits, along with teaching and learning materials, and even desks and chairs.


© US Fund for UNICEF / 2008 / Nick Ysenburg

Getting children back to school is vital for their protection, and helps build a sense of normalcy in their lives. The re-establishment of schools in the most difficult circumstances is a testament to the commitment of UNICEF and to Kenyans. Many displaced parents told UNICEF that getting their children back to school was their top priority.


© US Fund for UNICEF / 2008 / Nick Ysenburg

Every child has the right to an education. Education transforms lives and breaks the cycle of poverty that so many children are caught in. And an educated child will make sure his or her own children receive an education too. This is just another one of the many amazing ways UNICEF is helping children today, while also building a safer Kenya tomorrow.

To learn more about UNICEF's education program, visit UNICEFUSA

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Spotlight Video: Olympic Dreams

~~SPOTLIGHT MONTAGE~~

In honor of the upcoming Olympics, here is a wonderful video photo montage showcasing the journey to the Olympic Dream.



*Montage by SueRu*
*Song: "On My Way Here sung by Clay Aiken, written by Ryan Tedder*

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Somalia

Here is the newest e-mail sent out by UNICEF on behalf of the fundraising/awareness campaign for Somalia.


**Click to Enlarge**

Donate online

SPOTLIGHT VIDEO


**Montage by Yollie950**
~"Grace of God" Sung by Clay Aiken (written by Don Mescall)~

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Clay Aiken Somalia UNICEF Somaliland children poverty montage Grace of God Don Mescall

UNICEF in Somalia: Fieldnotes

Blog #2 from Clay Aiken's recent trip to Somalia was posted at the
UNICEF website.


For children in Somalia, the situation is dire. But, it's just amazing to me that UNICEF is still able to make a difference in children’s lives in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

© US Fund for UNICEF / 2008 / Nick Ysenburg

For instance, while I was in northwest Somalia—where 45 percent of the population are children and women—I observed how UNICEF improves water, sanitation and hygiene conditions for everyone in the region. One of the ways they do this is by drilling "borewells" so that clean drinking water is easily accessible and readily available. Without these borewells, children would have to walk hours to fetch water instead of going to school and getting an education.

I also visited health clinics where women waited patiently in long lines to get insecticide treated bed nets to prevent malaria. With an estimated 700,000 cases annually, malaria is a major public health problem in Somalia. One bed nets used to cost a Somali family about $4—an enormous sum in one of the poorest countries of the world. But UNICEF now provides them for free.

UNICEF also provides much needed support to the education system in Somalia with teacher training and the funding of school supplies. Every child I met wanted to be in school. And because of UNICEF, these children—who would probably never have had any type of education—can go to school and learn in a safe, clean environment.

© US Fund for UNICEF / 2008 / Nick Ysenburg

Educating children is much easier when teachers are trained and school facilities exist. And, providing healthcare is more easily done when aid workers do not have to worry about their security. I applaud UNICEF for doing whatever it takes to make sure children get the healthcare and education they deserve, even in Somalia.

And, I applaud you too. Since my previous blog post, you have donated over $50,000 for children Somalia. On behalf of these children, I can't thank you enough. But I also challenge you to not stop now... encourage your friends and family as well. Ask them to learn more about UNICEF's work in Somalia and around the world, and cheer them on to help out too!

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To help the children Somalia receive care for their basic needs please donate online.

For another great blog filled with information, visit The Conclayve and read UNICEF, Clay Aiken and Somalia's Children: How One Simple Act Can Save the World Entire



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Somalia: The Forgotten Land

In light of Clay Aiken's recent trip to Somaliland on behalf of UNICEF, I would like to feature a 2005 documentary of Somaliland produced by BBC journalist Simon Reeve. Somaliland is a breakaway state that no one in the world recognizes as a legitimate land.

"Places That Don't Exist"

Simon Reeve travels to the unrecognized nation of Somaliland, in the Horn of Africa. On the way he visits Mogadishu, the dangerous capital of Somalia (from which Somaliland has separated), and meets extraordinary characters such as former guerrilla fighter Yusuf, and Mr Big Beard, who sells Simon a Somali diplomatic passport.

Part 1: Simon Reeve's entry into Somalia via Mogadishu



Part 2: Simon Reeve's visit to Hargeisa in Somaliland. Warning: graphic images of a mass grave.



Part 3: Simon Reeve's visit to Hargeisa in Somaliland.




E-Mail sent out by Clay and UNICEF:


~click to enlarge~

Donate online



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UNICEF: Clay Aiken In Somalia

~~Graphic by Invisible926~~

Clay Aiken recently returned from a UNICEF trip to Somalia. His field notes blog was posted at the UNICEF website.

Where is the outrage?

I recently returned from a UNICEF field visit that took me to northwest Somalia. What I saw there was both amazing and heartbreaking. In many ways, the children I was able to meet are doing better than their counterparts in the rest of Somalia. But in other respects, the situation there is still quite serious.


UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken with children he met on his recent visit to Somalia.

For starters, the lack of a permanent central government has contributed to Somalia's status as one of the poorest and most volatile countries in the world. Decades of civil conflict have shattered social structures and exacerbated poverty.

In such conditions—combined with an extremely arid environment and difficult terrain with settlements scattered over vast distances—a Somali child's chances of surviving to adulthood are among the lowest of children anywhere in the world.

Fortunately, UNICEF is there. It has been on the ground since 1972 and is the humanitarian organization with the largest presence in Somalia.

Since the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, UNICEF has continued to provide services to children and women in Somalia.

In Hargeisa, I visited UNICEF-supported schools and hospitals, as well as places girls are able to learn about leadership, get life-skills and play sports. I also visited UNICEF-supported maternal and child health clinics to observe some nutritional feeding and immunization activities. The good news is that these programs are working in the northwest and keeping children alive. The bad news is that one in eight children still dies before his or her fifth birthday in Somalia.


One of the most incredible things I learned on my trip is that there are only 350 doctors left in the entire country, mostly because of the violence and insecurity. And many of these doctors are older than the average life expectancy in Somalia, which is only 45. I can't help but wonder, what is going to happen in a couple of years when there are no more doctors? What will happen to the children who struggle to survive?

What disturbs me most about this terrible situation for children is that most of the world has ignored it. Millions of children live in fear and poverty—where is the outrage?

At least we know something can be done. Help UNICEF save and improve the lives of children in Somalia. Donate online, right now.

Please help if you can.

For more information on the plight of the children of Somalia, please visit The Conclayve: Turning Outrage into Action: Clay Aiken, UNICEF and the Children of Somalia








In keeping with the UNICEF theme, here is a beautiful montage set to clips from The Survival Project which recently aired on CNN.


Song: Grace of God by Clay Aiken

~~Montage by gerswip~~

All children are born innocent and deserve the chance to thrive. To do that they need basic resources: water, shelter, nutrition. To have a better life they need healthcare and education. UNICEF helps in all these areas. Please visit unicef.org for more information and ways to help.


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Hope: Rising from the Ashes

~~Spotlight Video~~

Overcoming Adversity

Montage by IU Gal

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Song by Clay Aiken: Ashes

Capitol 4th Revisted

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY


Revisit Clay Aiken's 2004 Capitol Fourth appearance in this montage by Yollie950:

Montage by Yollie950


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UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken Visits North-West Somalia

UNICEF Ambassador, Clay Aiken talks to 9-year old Rahma during a visit to the Somaliland Cultural and Sports Association (SOCSA) in Hargeisa, North West Somalia. The UNICEF-supported organization teaches girls about leadership, health, life-skills and provides a safe space in which to play sports. (PRNewsFoto/U.S. Fund for UNICEF)

UNICEF is making a difference in Somalia despite difficult circumstances; Urges world to remember Somali children

NAIROBI, KENYA (July 3, 2008) — UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken today ended a five-day visit to the troubled East-African nation of Somalia and called on the world to remember the plight of that country’s children.

“Unfortunately this is a region that’s better known for conflict, insecurity, drought and floods,” said Aiken who has been a UNICEF Ambassador for four years. “It’s truly remarkable that UNICEF is still able to make a difference in the health, education and overall well-being of Somali children.”

Aiken traveled to Hargeisa, Gabiley and Boroma located in the northwest region of the country, known as the republic of Somaliland. Here, Aiken was able to observe first-hand UNICEF-supported projects that promote child health, safe water, sanitation and hygiene, primary education, child protection and girls’ empowerment.

Somalia is a country in which less than 25 percent of the population has access to basic health services, less than 30 percent of children attend primary school and only 29 percent have access to a safe water source.

It's also a place where 98 percent of girls are subjected to genital circumcision and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world.

One of Aiken’s first stops was the Somaliland Cultural and Sports Association (SOCSA), an enclosed facility in Gabiley dedicated to empowering girls through sport and cultural activities.

“The girls here are able to learn about leadership and health, acquire life-skills and play sports within a safe environment,” said Aiken. “Even the youngest girls that I’ve met at SOCSA impressed me with how confident and articulate they are as a result of this project.”

At a camp for 1500 internally displaced families in Hargeisa, Aiken met 11-year-old Abduraman, who helps to support his five siblings and blind mother by working each morning to collect stones. He uses his earnings to pay for school which he attends in the afternoon.

“Somalia has some of the lowest enrollment rates in the world, but every child has the right to an education,” Aiken stressed. “UNICEF is working to help ensure that even working children get to go to school.” UNICEF has also provided the camp with child protection monitors, teacher-training and school materials.”

In Boroma, Aiken also visited maternal and child health clinics to observe nutritional feeding and immunization activities along with projects supporting children with disabilities, the eradication of female genital mutilation and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

“Now that I have seen Somalia for myself, I feel it is important for the American public to remember that the Somali people have the same dreams for their children that we do,” said Aiken, who in recent years has also visited conflict areas in Afghanistan and Uganda for UNICEF.

“The country is one of the most desperate in the world. Fortunately, UNICEF has always been there and continues to provide the support needed to make a difference. No other organization is more capable of making such a difference than UNICEF," Aiken added.

The lack of a permanent central government has contributed to Somalia’s status as one of the poorest and most volatile countries in the world. One of the most serious droughts since the 1970s has affected large parts of the country, exacerbating hardships for rural populations.

Donate now to support UNICEF's work for the children of Somalia.

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