Halloween may be over but kids never stop dreaming about what they want to be when they grow up, which is why I want to share this video. Over the weekend you might have seen kids dress up and “pretend” to be all kinds of people, professions, creatures and everything in between. I went “trick or treating” with a seven-year-old who dressed up as Darth Vader, and fortunately he doesn’t plan to grow up and join the dark side of the Force—he’s just excited about the new movie coming out in December. He doesn’t know what he wants to be yet, and he’s too young to know what to expect from life as an adult. He’s not the only kid in this situation. And this is why it’s up to each person in the world to advocate for the needs of children in order for kids to thrive.

So what do kids need to grow up and achieve their dreams?

Education, clean water, sanitation, shelter, food, support and encouragement, etc. It may seem like kids around the world need a lot to achieve dreams such as becoming the best doctor in the world, or creating a drink to turn someone into a scientist. But there is one thing children need before they even start school that can help make sure they have the chance to become whatever they want—Vaccines. Immunization can prevent 3 million deaths and illness for children around the world each year.   

Did you know that one third of deaths of children under the age of five can be prevented from vaccines, according to UNICEF?

Accessibility to vaccines for children in developing countries is so important because it’s one of the first steps towards equality in a person’s life. In Madagascar, a low-income country, children from wealthier families are 1.5 times more likely to vaccinate children, primarily because of access and affordability to immunization.

Also, mothers who have received some education are 1.7 times more likely to vaccinate children than mothers who received no education.

Creating a world where every child can grow up with a full education to realize their dreams begins with immunizations against preventable diseases.

To learn more about how UNICEF is helping children around the world access immunization you can go to http://www.unicef.org/immunization/.