SOBERING STATISTICS ON CHILDREN

Worldwide: Each day some 40,000 youngsters under five die from malnutrition and disease. Nearly 100 million school-age children have never stepped inside a classroom. In the developing world: Only 50 percent of the children now have access to clean drinking water. 40 percent of the children are malnourished.

In the developed world: In the United States, 1 of every 5 children live in households below the poverty line. In New York City, 2 of every 5 youngsters grow up poor. The US ranks only 20th - Finland is first - among nations with the lowest infant mortality rate. The US and Great Britain now have double the number of homeless they had a decade ago; 1 in 4 is a child. In Canada, 1 of every 6 youngsters goes to bed hungry every night. SOURCE: UNICEF