UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo promotes the rights of children in Benin

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo traveled to Benin from 12 to 14 January 2026, to visit UNICEF-supported programmes and witness the progress made in promoting and protecting children’s rights, in a context where many children are still living in poverty and experiencing malnutrition. Kidjo’s visit comes at a time when many governments around the world are scaling back foreign assistance.

On her first day visiting UNICEF programmes, Kidjo traveled to Djidja, Zou district to meet with U-Reporters and young people engaged in community projects to support hard to reach communities with climate action, child protection, and healthcare. U-Report is a UNICEF-supported digital youth participation platform that enables over 200,000 adolescents and young people to speak out on issues that matter to them most and create tangible changes in their communities: “I’ve met extraordinary young people. I am thinking about Théodore Gboyou, 28, using recycled food items and compost that he turns into charcoal for cooking instead of cutting down the trees. Young people like him are exactly the ones our country needs to be encouraged and supported,” she stressed, noting that youth engagement is a key lever to protect the environment and advance children’s rights, alongside strong action from governments and the international community. The young activists she met also have been extremely effective in increasing routine immunization rates in their communities by mobilizing parents and local leaders.  Recent data in Benin shows that the proportion of children who are fully vaccinated remains low, with significant disparities between departments despite recent progress. To improve immunization coverage and reach the most remote children in Benin, UNICEF is supporting the digitalisation of vaccination data.

“Progress on immunization in Benin has helped push back many serious childhood diseases, but we cannot be satisfied with low coverage as that still leaves far too many children completely unprotected,” said Kidjo. “I met with community health workers who told me that by moving away from traditional paper-based records around children’s vaccines, the digitalization process will help store and manage their records, track their vaccination histories, and identify children who are due for a vaccination.”

In Benin, nearly one in three children under five suffers from stunting due to malnutrition, a level considered a major public health concern. In the department of Couffo, Kidjo travelled to Lalo, to the Kpassakanme public primary school, to observe joint nutrition activities such as school feeding programmes implemented by WFP and UNICEF, which help keep children in school and improve their learning. “I met a woman, Hélène Wewe Tabo. She explained that she sometimes has to skip meals so that her children can eat and stay in school. When a child is malnourished, it is not only their body that is affected – it is their brain, their learning and their entire future,” said Kidjo, who did not have opportunities like this when growing up in Benin.  “In Benin, too many girls and boys still start life without the nutritious food they need in the first years. But I also see incredible energy from young people who are ready to speak out, support families and change things in their communities. We must stand with them – so that every child eats well, grows well and can one day use their talents to build a stronger country.”

“Angélique Kidjo’s visit comes at a critical moment for children in Benin,” said Ousmane Niang, UNICEF Representative in Benin. “With shrinking aid budgets, essential services that protect children from malnutrition, preventable diseases and child labour are under immense strain. We are deeply grateful to the governments and partners that continue to stand with children in Benin – but we urgently need sustained and increased investments to reach every child, especially the most vulnerable.”

In Benin, UNICEF works alongside the government and partners to strengthen essential services for children – health, nutrition, education, protection, and participation – with a focus on the most vulnerable. Through the voice of its Ambassador, UNICEF calls for sustained and increased investments in girls and boys so that every child can grow up, learn and thrive free from violence, malnutrition, and child labour.