By Abiodun Omigie, with agency reports
United States singer and songwriter Katy Perry has teamed up with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to bring attention to the situation of children in Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world.
Her trip began in a slum area of the capital Antananarivo, where she visited a child protection centre and met abused and abandoned children and young mothers receiving support and counseling. More than three out of four children in Madagascar live in extreme poverty, making them vulnerable to exploitation.
Perry also visited a pre-school and a primary school that was destroyed by a tropical cyclone. The school had been made from sticks and thatched roofing; UNICEF replaced it with a solid building.
Madagascar is still recovering from a political crisis that began in 2009, after which most international donors froze development aid to the country, forcing the Government to make drastic cuts in public spending. The cuts affected basic services such as health care and primary education
Schooling rates in Madagascar are alarmingly low, with only three out of every 10 children completing primary school, and a majority of teachers not having completed any formal training.
The ‘Fireworks’ singer also visited a nutrition centre in the Androranga village, where UNICEF is tackling chronic malnutrition, a serious problem in Madagascar. The centre, run by a community health worker, identifies cases and works with village mothers to improve children’s nutrition, including focusing on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of a child’s life.
