UNICEF Executive Director Starts Mission Tour in South Africa & Swaziland

The United Nations Children's Fund Executive Director, Ann M. Veneman currently making her first seven-day mission tour over three southern African countries is meeting with senior government officials, donor representatives and aid agencies.

Visiting the countries most affected by the 'triple threat' of food insecurity, weakened capacity for governance and AIDS, Ms. Veneman discusses about the maternal and child health facilities, schools, community outreach centres and supplementary feeding programs.

The first field visit of Ann M. Veneman was the sub-Saharan hospital in Soweto, one of the first hospitals in the region to treat HIV-positive children. There she met with the hospital officials and discussed strategies to best protect the rights of children.

From Soweto, Ms. Veneman headed to visit the tiny African country of Swaziland, suffering from one of the world's highest HIV prevalence rates. About 38% of its adult population are carrying the virus and about 69,000 children who have lost one or both parents.

Ms. Veneman expressed, "There is no other region where children face so many threats, and in southern Africa the HIV/AIDS crisis is particularly devastating to children’s well-being."

UNICEF has been working to make supporting programs to help vulnerable children, providing them at least with two nutritious meals a day at school and setting up neighbourhood care centres for orphaned children, where adult volunteers teach them skills, cook food, and give them love.