POP STAR PINK NAMED UNICEF AMBASSADOR

Alecia Moore is a singer from the U.S. She goes by the name of Pink. In November 2015, Moore was named an ambassador for the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). In this role, Moore helps promote a new effort to encourage physical activity in young children in the United States and helps raise money to feed children around the world. Moore went to Haiti to hand out food packets to children. During an interview, Moore said that the trip helped her understand the importance of the program. “I got to watch mothers learning how to feed it to their kids,” Moore said, “and within a week, you can see the difference in these children. It brings them back to life. It’s amazing.” Moore is working on a project called UNICEF Kid Power Band. U.S. kids get wristbands that work with a computer app. When the children exercise, a computer keeps track. Kids can earn points by doing things like taking 12,000 steps a day or completing a goal. Some companies are giving UNICEF money for the points that kids earn. These companies include Target, Disney, and Star Wars: Force for Change. The program sends food packets to children who do not get enough to eat. For children in the U.S., Kid Power not only gets them to exercise but also teaches kids about the countries and cultures they are helping. To get them more excited about the program, the app allows kids to unlock special videos and messages and track their progress online. “They found a brilliant way, and a fun way to get kids here involved and empowered and motivated,” Moore said, “and they are also turning them into global citizens and they get to be hands-on.” UNICEF has been around for many years. It started in 1946 to help children in Europe and China. Many of them needed food and clothing after World War II. In 1953, the United Nations decided to keep the program going. Now it works to make sure that children everywhere are safe and healthy, have food and clean water, and get an education. Today, UNICEF has headquarters in the United States, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, and Japan. Many countries donate money to UNICEF but UNICEF needs more than money. It also needs volunteers. In 1954, Danny Kaye, a famous actor from the U.S., volunteered for UNICEF. That was the start of many famous people giving their time to the program. These people are called Goodwill Ambassadors. They take part in UNICEF projects and try to reach more people worldwide. Who are the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors? There are many. Some are sports stars. Others are singers, actors, artists, or businesspeople. They all work with UNICEF to help children. Some of the Goodwill Ambassadors that you will probably know are famous singers such as Rihanna, Madonna and Katy Perry, tennis champions Serena Williams and Roger Federer, football players David Beckham and Leo Messi and many more. They all work to help people who are in need and inspire people to do the same.