It's easy to forget, in these media-saturated times, that in 1971 few people living in industrialized societies really paid attention to humanitarian emergencies far from home.

Fortunately for the children of Bangladesh, one of those few - Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar - was intimately aware of the tragedy then unfolding in their war-torn homeland. Convinced that something could be done, Shankar contacted his friend, George Harrison. Together, they conceived the Concert for Bangladesh as a fundraiser to support relief efforts by UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund.

The results were critically important to UNICEF's crisis response, which was already underway as part of a wider international campaign. The Concert for Bangladesh itself brought in $250,000 that was immediately converted to urgently needed aid. Artists' royalties from the release of the triple album boxed set in December 1971 and the concert film in March 1972 dramatically increased the revenue donated to UNICEF in the decade that followed.

These donations had a profound impact on UNICEF's ability to provide Bangladeshi children and families with the basic nutrition and clean water they needed to survive. The funds had a longer-term impact as well, helping UNICEF to expand its work in Bangladesh. While still poor, the country has made tremendous strides for its children in the past 30-plus years.