Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kabede became a new goodwill ambassador of the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 7th. The statement was made on Monday by General Director Lee Jong-wook, who told that Ethiopian-born model will be protecting the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
"Liya is a perfect ambassador for this issue," medicalnewstoday.com quoted Dr Lee Jong-wook saying. "Not only is she a young woman and a working mother – she is an Ethiopian who has risen to the top of her industry. She has experienced firsthand the huge gap that exists between two very different worlds and she passionately wants to use her global success and visibility to help bridge this gap."
The statement was made a month before the World Health Day 2005, when WHO is calling the world to “Make Every Mother and Child Count”. The model will take part in celebration of the World Health Day in New Delhi, India, on the 7th of April.
The 24-year-old Estée Lauder model wants the world to know that about half of a million women are dying each year during their pregnancy and childbirth. Moreover, nearly 11 million of children die before they reach their fifth birthday. Almost all of the mothers and children die in developing countries, like Ethiopia. The WHO wants to reduce the number of dead by three-quarters by 2015.
"As an Ethiopian and a mother, I was shocked to learn that so many women and children continue to die unnecessarily each year. In Ethiopia one in 14 women die in pregnancy and childbirth and two in every ten children die before their fifth birthdays. I am completely committed to using my profile to help ensure that these women and children's deaths no longer go unnoticed and unchallenged."