India's cricketing stars bowled over by Zimbabwean orphans

September 15, 2005

HARARE - A group of India's star cricketers recently met with some of Zimbabwe's

1.3 million orphans, listening to the problems faced by the children and

visiting a UNICEF-supported education project.

During a rare half day away from practice, and as part of the team's tour of

Zimbabwe, vice-captain Rahul Dravid, fast bowler Ifran Pathan, off spinner

Harbhajan Singh and India's Ambassador to Zimbabwe met with more than 100

orphans on the outskirts of the capital, Harare. There the players spoke with

the children, and watched as they performed theatre and music aimed at HIV

prevention and confidence building, before the players put on a coaching clinic

for the youngsters.

" These children are inspiring, " said Rahul Dravid. " I don't know if they are

Zimbabwe's next test cricketers or not, but certainly given half a chance they

can be the country's next teachers and doctors. "

More than one in five Zimbabwean children are now orphaned, most of them due to

HIV-related deaths. Orphaned children are typically the first to drop out of

school, are more vulnerable to exploitation, have endured the trauma of watching

a parent die, and are at great risk of ill health. They are at the heart of

UNICEF's work in Zimbabwe, where the UN Children's Fund provides community

support to counseling and psychosocial support for 100,000 orphaned children,

together with education and health projects throughout Zimbabwe.

The players were a huge hit for the orphans at the UNICEF-supported project,

after which they accompanied a 14-year-old boy to his one-room home, where he is

the head of the household. Both the boy's parents have died, leaving him to care

for his two siblings, seven and five. There are 50,000 such 'child headed

households' in Zimbabwe and hundreds of thousands across Southern Africa.

" For me these children are a reminder of both how fortunate we are, and our

obligation to use that fortune to help others, " said Dravid. " It doesn't take

much to help a child through school, but from what I have seen today, the impact

is enormous. "

The Indian team is well known for its support to UNICEF projects across the

cricketing world.

Source: Kubatana News, UNICEF Zimbabwe, August 31, 2005

Cross posted:PSS E Forum

Forwarded by :

----------------------------

A.SANKAR

e-MAIL: <ttn_empower@...>

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