BECKS IN AFRICA
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and British football star David Beckham visited Sierra Leone to call international attention to the issue of child survival.
"We can't turn a blind eye to the tens of thousands of young children who die every day in the developing world, mostly from causes that are preventable," he said.
"Saving these children's lives is a top priority for Unicef and as an ambassador I hope I can help to draw attention to this issue across the world.
Beckham's visit preceded the January 22nd launch of UNICEF's State of the World's Children 2008 report. The report details the continuum of maternal, newborn and child care needed to reduce the number of children under-5 worldwide who die every year; currently more than 9million. In Sierra Leone, under-5 mortality rates are the highest in the world; some 27 per cent of the country's children die before reaching their 5th birthday. Sierra Leone also has the world's highest maternal mortality rate, estimated at 1,300 per 100,000 live births. While in the country, Beckham traveled to the town of Makeni in Northern Province.
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