She is the youngest goodwill Ambassador ever to be appointed by UNICEF and she follows in the footsteps and commitment given by such beloved Hollywood legends as the late Audrey Hepburn and Danny Kaye, to contemporary celebrity talents such as such Anjelique Kidjo and Jessica Lange— all who have had a personal mission: helping children of the world.
Now it is Selena Gomez’s turn. The 17-year-old Disney actress/singer who is a favorite among tweens, teens and their parents, is traveling halfway around the world to Ghana in West Africa, not for a photo-op, but to bear witness and shed awareness on the plight and suffering of children in that corner of the world.
Gomez will be seeing first hand UNICEF’s life-saving programs in action, and according to a statement released today by he U.S. Fund for UNICEF, she will also “witness the stark conditions of vulnerable children that lack vital necessities including clean water, nourishment, education and health care.”
Statistics from a UNICEF-endorsed report, which are startling, cite, “Ghana is ranked 30 out of 195 countries with the highest mortality rates of children under five.”
Gomez will report on all that she sees on her West African visit and will work to bring that same awareness to the global community through education, advocacy and fund raising.
Caryl Stern, President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF says,
"We're very pleased to have Selena join the UNICEF family, as a longtime supporter, she will continue to capture and engage an audience of millions of young people to help ensure the health, education, equality and protection of every child."
She added, "UNICEF Ambassadors have a wide range of talents and achievements, but they all share a commitment to saving the lives of children worldwide."
Gomez expressed her thoughts by saying, "Every day 25,000 children die from preventable causes. I stand with UNICEF in the belief that we can change that number from 25,000 to zero.”
In 1993, Audrey Hepburn had two passions in her life: the children she served as goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, and flowers. During the filming of "Gardens of the World," an eight-episode television series, Hepburn took a momentary break to reflect on them both. The brief clip below speaks volumes of the special type of person who makes a commitment to serve and help those less fortunate.
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Comments
im going to a consert
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She is such a great person. She deserves everything good she is getting :]
Thank you all for stopping by to read about Selena and UNICEF - she truly is an amazing young lady!
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