As part of her quest to help the children of Afghanistan, former ‘It’ girl and current UNICEF UK’s Special Representative Jemima Khan is planning an orphanage to help children left parentless in the war-torn country.
“The eyes of the world have been focused on Afghanistan in the past few weeks,” explained Jemima, who is currently in London with her work as Special Representative for Children in Conflict. “Now we need people to focus their eyes on the children of Afghanistan. We want people to visit the UNICEF UK website, to look at the faces of those children and find it in their hearts to help save their lives.”
Jemima, who is hoping to rejoin her husband ex-cricketer Imran Khan in Pakistan with her two sons in a few days' time, has set up her own appeal for the Afghan refugees and is hoping to establish a temporary orphanage on her return.
“Every time I watch the TV and see the misery of these people, particularly the children, I feel guilty that I am not there trying to help,” she says.
During last week’s launch of UNICEF’s Afghanistan Crisis Leaf Appeal, Jemima helped distribute 5,000 autumn leaves printed with the message “Winter’s Coming – Help Afghan Children Now” to commuters around central London.
Jemima is well aware of the increased hardship ahead for the Afghan people once the harsh winter sets in and temperatures plummet as low as 36ºC. “As many as 100,000 more Afghan children under five will die this winter if aid does not reach them in time,” she says. Statistics issued by UNICEF last week also estimated that of the 7.5 million Afghan people who may have to rely on aid this winter, 70 per cent will be women and children.
The children's advocate was joined at the launch by Hermione Youngs, the British grandmother and UNICEF Education Officer based in Afghanistan who was dubbed the “Queen Of The Donkeys” when she led a donkey convoy carrying 111 tons of emergency supplies into the country last month.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
