Under-18 zone: Profiles
Kenya's Yvonne speaks for Africa
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Yvonne Maingey, 13, of Kenya
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With her Maasai bead headdress, Somali skirt and Kamba shawl,
Yvonne Maingey radiates the style and harmony of Kenya's 40 different
communities in one outfit.
"I call this my 'United Nations of Kenya' outfit," she
says with an infectious smile.
The 13-year-old from Nairobi is in New York representing Child
Life Trust, an organization that provides assistance and education
to thousands of children living on the streets of the Kenyan capital.
She was elected from among 64 young delegates attending the regional
preparatory committee meeting in Cairo in May to present
a position paper to government delegates and non-governmental
organizations at the third Preparatory Committee meeting
for the UN General Assembly's Special Session on Children.
The Prepcom is being held this week.
"I was voted for by the children in Cairo, but only after
a reading test and a question and answer session to see who would
be the best spokesperson," she said.
She honed her presentation skills in Nairobi where she hosts a
children's television show on Saturday morning called Club Kiboko.
"In an ideal world, I would like children to be taken seriously,"
she says.
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