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26/05/2003
Geldof returns to dought-stricken Ethiopia
Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof is returning to Ethiopia with UNICEF this week for the first time since his landmark visit to the drought-stricken country 20 years ago.
Geldof has been moved to make the trip following what UNICEF has described as a "severe humanitarian emergency" that is threatening some 14 million people - most of them children.
The five-day visit will begin in Addis Ababa tomorrow where Geldof will see at firsthand the challenges the country faces today - 20 years after he first visited the country and launched a world-wide campaign to save the east African nation from famine.
Facilitated by the UNICEF office in Ethiopia, Geldof will visit relief projects for children, speak with government officials and members of the diplomatic community, and meet with other key humanitarian players.
UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia Bjorn Ljungqvuist said: "What we have here is a much more complex emergency than the drought crisis of 20 years ago. This time it is compounded by HIV/AIDS, which has weakened medical systems and coping ability at the family level.
"UNICEF is grateful for Bob Geldof's visit right now because it will help draw global attention to the new mix of challenges we must overcome to build a more peaceful, stable world - a world that is truly fit for children."
The visit will include stops at UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding centres in the south of the country and focus not only on immediate needs but on the longer-term solutions needed.
Geldof will also visit water projects and AIDS counselling centres for young people, where he will meet with the Ethiopians at the forefront of tackling HIV.
Drought, flood, malnutrition and disease among children and the blight of HIV/AIDS are all part of the growing crisis. Ethiopia is also one of the five poorest countries in the world, with an estimated gross national income of just $100 a year per person.
(GMcG)
Geldof has been moved to make the trip following what UNICEF has described as a "severe humanitarian emergency" that is threatening some 14 million people - most of them children.
The five-day visit will begin in Addis Ababa tomorrow where Geldof will see at firsthand the challenges the country faces today - 20 years after he first visited the country and launched a world-wide campaign to save the east African nation from famine.
Facilitated by the UNICEF office in Ethiopia, Geldof will visit relief projects for children, speak with government officials and members of the diplomatic community, and meet with other key humanitarian players.
UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia Bjorn Ljungqvuist said: "What we have here is a much more complex emergency than the drought crisis of 20 years ago. This time it is compounded by HIV/AIDS, which has weakened medical systems and coping ability at the family level.
"UNICEF is grateful for Bob Geldof's visit right now because it will help draw global attention to the new mix of challenges we must overcome to build a more peaceful, stable world - a world that is truly fit for children."
The visit will include stops at UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding centres in the south of the country and focus not only on immediate needs but on the longer-term solutions needed.
Geldof will also visit water projects and AIDS counselling centres for young people, where he will meet with the Ethiopians at the forefront of tackling HIV.
Drought, flood, malnutrition and disease among children and the blight of HIV/AIDS are all part of the growing crisis. Ethiopia is also one of the five poorest countries in the world, with an estimated gross national income of just $100 a year per person.
(GMcG)
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