UNICEF Kid Power is a philanthropic initiative that was launched in 2015 as a division of the

US Fund for UNICEF The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It marks UNICEF's first foray into the hardware space. UNICEF Kid Power, with the help of California-based technology firm Calorie Cloud and design studio Ammunition, developed the world's first "Wearable for Good"

activity tracker An activity tracker, also known as a fitness tracker, is a device or application for monitoring and tracking fitness-related metrics such as distance walked or run, calorie consumption, and in some cases heartbeat. It is a type of wearable comp ...

called Kid Power Bands. These bands act as a kids’ fitness tracker bracelet that connects to a smartphone app. The app lets users complete missions, which counts total steps and awards points. The points then unlock funding from partners, which is then used by UNICEF to deliver packets of therapeutic food to severely malnourished children around the world.

History

Rajesh Anandan, SVP of Strategic Partnerships and UNICEF Ventures, stated that UNICEF Kid Power and its Kid Power Band product is essentially a digital extension of UNICEF's Trick-or-Treat program, which had been started in 1950.

Partnerships

UNICEF Kid Power has a number of partnerships and collaborations. On May 22, 2016, UNICEF Kid Power teamed up with

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

to create an exclusive Star Wars style Kid Power Band. The

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

has also collaborated with UNICEF Kid Power via the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. The collaboration involves the Kings, UNICEF, & City of Sacramento ‘Kid Power’ Pilot Program, in which all 3 organizations teamed up to leverage the power of technology in an effort to educate and highlight student fitness in the wider Sacramento area. UNICEF Kid Power has also collaborated in the classroom, with TEACH UNICEF and Scholastic. UNICEF Kid Power has also teamed up with a number of athletes ranging from Gymnastics, soccer, basketball, baseball and much more. These athletes participated as Kid Power Champions, as part of UNICEF Kid Power's Global Mission program: *

Alex Morgan Alexandra Morgan Carrasco (born Alexandra Patricia Morgan; July 2, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker and captains for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of ...

Tyson Chandler Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then w ...

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Aly Raisman Alexandra Rose Raisman (born May 25, 1994) is a retired American artistic gymnast and two-time Olympian. She was captain of both the 2012 " Fierce Five" and 2016 " Final Five" U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics teams, which won their respective te ...

* Laurent Duvillier *

Dartanyon Crockett Dartanyon Crockett (born May 22, 1991) is a competitive Judo athlete for the United States. Crockett is legally blind. He won the bronze medal in the men's 90 kg division at both the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London in London and the 2016 ...

Meryl Davis Meryl Davis (born January 1, 1987) is a former competitive American ice dancer. With partner Charlie White, she is the 2014 Olympic champion, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time (2011, 2013) World champion, five-time Grand Prix Final ...

* David Ortiz *

Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx, who is currently on sabbatical. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the greates ...

* Cara Yar Khan *

Ashley Eckstein Ashley Eckstein (; born September 22, 1981) is an American actress and fashion designer. She is the founder of the fashion label Her Universe. She is best known for voicing the role of Ahsoka Tano throughout the ''Star Wars'' franchise, beginni ...

Outside of athletics, Grammy award-winning artist

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

has also gotten involved as a UNICEF Ambassador as well as a Kid Power National Spokeswoman.

References

{{reflist

External links

UNICEF USA Announcement

Medscape Pediatrics: UNICEF Kid Power

* ttp://mashable.com/2017/05/23/unicef-kid-power-app-fitness/#QniOwBt4Rqqf Mashable Covers UNICEF Kid Power Bands
People Magazine Human Interest Story: UNICEF Kid Power Month 2017: How Getting Active Can Help Save Lives

The Star Wars: Force for Change Initiative in support of: UNICEF Kid Power, American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Make-A-Wish

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