UNICEF's business is children, not the workings of the international economy. In its everyday work in over 100 developing nations, UNICEF is brought up against the face of today's international economic problems which is not seen in the corridors of financial power, not reflected in the statistics of debt service ratios, not seated at the conference tables of debt negotiations. It is in the face of a child. It is the young child whose growing mind and body is susceptible to permanent damage from even temporary deprivation. The human brain and body are formed within the first five years of life and there is no second chance. It is the young child whose individual development today and whose social contribution tomorrow are being shaped by the economics of now. It is the young child who is paying the highest of all prices. If we are meant to "love thy (your) neighbour as thyself", then surely we should love these children as our own. Children are our most vital resource, our hope for the future. Children cannot wait. They are too fragile to wait for an economic crisis to pass. Their time is running out. We must help them now not only to survive, but to hope and perhaps even to dream. Every child has a right to health, to tenderness, and to life.