Our Labour of Love: Spouses of African Heads of Missions in Beijing pledge UNICEF their support for China's Street Children
In the run up to the China-Africa Cooperation Forum Summit in Beijing. The Group of Spouses of African Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Beijing made a donation to help support the joint UNICEF China-Ministry of Civil Affairs Street Children Program. Chair of the Group, Mrs Monica Mutsvangwa who is spouse of H.E. the Zimbabwe Ambassador said that the group has been in existence for more than 20 years and that the main motive is to bridge the cultural gap and to promote cordial and harmonious relationship between African and the Chinese People. On behalf of the Group, Mrs Mutsvangwa said: "We, as African Mothers are naturally touched by the plight of children for we have all been exposed to a lot of poverty. Children worldwide suffer most from all sorts of tragedies, whether it's HIV/AIDS pandemic, divorce, alcoholism, migration or crime. Faced with neglect or abuse in families, many children turn to the street. In some cases children never make it to adulthood, others get there but are severely handicapped by lack of educational opportunities." "Whilst one has to give a lot of credit to city governments or central government for providing infrastructure and amenities especially in China, which is a society in transition from rural to urban, there are always cases of other children falling out of this net and end up in the street. "We appreciate what UNICEF is doing, working with various Chinese institutions and non-governmental entities to stretch out another net of assistance. We African Mothers in Beijing want to associate ourselves with this noble work!" "We have engaged in various activities and have raised funds according to our abilities. Whist we have in the past donated to several charities through the advice of All China Women's Federation (ACWF) and Association of Former Diplomats of China, today we have selected to donate through UNICEF so that you can use these funds through your network". "This is a labour of love on our part. We do hope it can add a little extra comfort to those children who face harsh realities of street life and more so hope that this gesture we have done today will inspire others." Marc Ono, UNICEF's Child Protection officer thanked the Group for their kind contribution and support and said "UNICEF works closely with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and other partners to implement innovative programs to provide for this group of vulnerable children and improve their prospects so that they too can realize their full potential".
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