Martial arts legend and UNICEF Ambassador Jackie Chan just returned from a visit to the island nation of East Timor, where he promoted peace—and martial arts. The martial arts are hugely popular among the young people of East Timor, and Chan urged his young fans to use their sport "as a peaceful force." For the children of East Timor, Jackie Chan's visit marked the beginning of a return to normalcy for their country after years of unrest and violence.
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| © UNICEF/HQ08-0644/Josh Estey |
| Jackie Chan joins children at the Comorro Youth Center in Dili. The center provides literacy classes, skills training and sports and recreation for young people. |
East Timor, a country that has had independence for a mere six years, is one of the poorest countries in the East-Asian region and has an extremely high mortality rate for children (130 deaths out of 1,000 births). As you may remember, civil unrest and violence broke out in 2006. As a result, 178,000 people became refugees in their own country. Children saw their homes and their schools burned to the ground and had to fear for their lives following violent attacks. Living in refugee camps without clean water and sanitation, they often became sick.
Today, most of those who were displaced are still living in refugee camps or with relatives. In the camps, children are often victims of violence and trafficking. And sadly, half of all children under five in East Timor are now malnourished.
UNICEF has been working with other organizations and the government to get the country back on track. We are distributing School-in-a-Box kits and building temporary classrooms so that children can finally return to school. Child-friendly spaces set up by UNICEF give children a safe place to play and to receive the psychosocial support they may need. We are feeding malnourished children and bringing clean water and proper sanitation to their families. And hundreds of volunteers are once again combing the remote countryside on foot to lend medical help where necessary.
For the young people of East Timor, Jackie Chan's words of encouragement signaled a long-awaited step towards a peaceful future.
Comments (2)
I saw an earlier version of this story on the UNICEF international site a couple of days ago, but I don't recall seeing this statistic, which really makes this story hit home:
"East Timor... is one of the poorest countries in the East-Asian region and has an extremely high mortality rate for children (130 deaths out of 1,000 births)."
A 13 percent child mortality rate is absolutely catastrophic. I am so glad that UNICEF and Ambassador Jackie Chan are bringing attention to this crisis in child survival. I will continue to educate myself about it and do my part to bring attention to the situation.
It's good to see this photo of the smiling and excited children surrounding Jackie --- he brings a message of hope to what must often a dire situation. And he is right: sports like the martial arts can be a peaceful force in an otherwise too-violent environment.
Thank you for this enlightening blog.
Posted by mmberkeleyca | July 5, 2008 12:14 PM
Posted on July 5, 2008 12:14
Thanks to Unicef and Jackie Chan for all you do for the children of the world.
Posted by wynette | July 10, 2008 12:00 AM
Posted on July 10, 2008 00:00