By Tim Saunders on
LA Lakers star Pau Gasol was in Ethiopia recently with UNICEF to visit education, nutrition and child protection programs in the country.
The basketball star – who has been an Ambassador for UNICEF Spain since 2003 – took the time to visit the construction site of a school in the village of Buko being built with the support of UNICEF, Schools For Africa, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Hamburg Society for the Promotion of Democracy and International Law.
“There are many kids that have to work at an early age to bring home some money so the family can have something to eat and can survive,” he said. “It’s crucial that we continue to fight for the rights of the children, for the right to receive an education.”
He also visited the Community Based Nutrition Program, which monitors the nutrition of children under the age of 2 and provides parents with useful information on hygiene and more. He ended his trip in Addis Ababa, where he played basketball with a group of children with disabilities.
“The most promising thing was to see how UNICEF is working in many of these communities,” he said. “This trip has been the confirmation that many kids in the world, millions of kids, need our help.”
To read a complete report of Pau’s trip, click here.
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