In support of Universal Children’s Day and UNICEF, we’re highlighting several celebrities who have made some outstanding contributions to human rights causes across the globe. Please check out our “Children’s Rights” infographic we developed and if you know of anyone who has contributed greatly to children’s rights, recognize them in our comments section!
Golden Globe nominee, Screen Actors Guild Award winner, People’s Choice Award winner, Bambi Award winner, and ALMA Award winner Eva Longoria Parker stars as “Gabrielle Solis” on the ABC mega-hit Desperate Housewives, but the actress’ most important role is the one she plays off screen in her altruistic endeavors within the Hispanic and charitable communities. Longoria Parker was recently selected as one of 12 female celebrities, including Sienna Miller, Marcia Cross, Milla Jovovich, Emily Blunt, Susan Sarandon, Christina Ricci, Andie MacDowell, Sienna Miller, Helen Hunt, Lauren Hutton and Mira Sorvino to take part in the “Montblanc Signature for Good” charity initiative to benefit UNICEF’s battle against illiteracy. Follow Eva Longoria on Twitter @EvaLongoria.
Selena Gomez is taking the world by storm; at just 19, she has already gained world-wide recognition for her role in the Emmy Award winning show ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ on the Disney Channel and has since starred in numerous films such as ‘A Cinderella Story’ and ‘Princess Protection Programme’. The teenage phenomenon has not only done all this but has also become UNICEF’s youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador, when she was made spokesperson for the Trick or Treat campaign which worked to raise awareness of the plight of children in Ghana and has done a huge number of other activities for the charity. Follow Selena Gomez on Twitter @selenagomez.
Taylor Swift became one of country’s brightest (and youngest) faces in 2006, when the 16-year-old released her first album. Back in March, Taylor Swift joined UNICEF’s Tap Project initiative. For this undertaking, celebrities bottled tap water from their homes in order to help raise funds for the 900 million people globally that lack access to fresh, clean and safe drinking water. While many of us take the availability of water for granted, the lack of fresh water is an epidemic in many countries, which makes this celeb-driven project so relevant and easy to partake in. Follow Taylor Swift on Twitter @taylorswift13.
Alicia Keys’ positive outlook on life has flowed like a river through her songs, and has been reflected in her appearances at the New Jersey Live Earth concert, the Philadelphia Live 8 concert, as well as several concerts to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. Keys is the ambassador for Keep A Child Alive, and has travelled to countries such as Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa. While she was there she spoke to teens and young adults who’ve lost their parents to AIDS and are now the heads of their own households. Keys was also the musical director for the 2006 Keep A Child Alive Charity Gala, and offered a private concert as a prize in an auction to benefit the charity. Follow Alicia Keys on Twitter @aliciakeys.
After achieving superstardom throughout Latin America, Colombian-born Shakira became Latin pop’s biggest female crossover artist since Jennifer Lopez. Shakira is a long time UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In December 2007, Shakira traveled to Bangladesh to visit UNICEF-supported education projects. She also met with women and children affected by Cyclone Sidr. “I am sorry for what happened to you,” she told cyclone survivors. “But things are going to get better again. I admire your resilience and your patience and how much you can still give when you have so little for yourselves.” Follow Shakira on Twitter @shakira.
Mia Farrow is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a high profile advocate for children’s rights. She has worked extensively to fight polio, a disease she survived as a child. Mia Farrow has been in the world’s largest refugee settlement in north-eastern Kenya to raise awareness of the famine in East Africa. “We’re having hard times around the world, I’m aware of that,” said Farrow. But they’re not as hard as for the people here. I mean, most of us can count on surviving the night. UNICEF needs your help to save lives, the lives of children in the Horn of Africa, who depend on you and me right now.” Follow Mia Farrow on Twitter @MiaFarrow.
Heidi Klum is a top model, host and executive producer of Project Runway. Back in August the U.S. Fund for UNICEF announced that Heidi would be taking on yet another role, this time as the 2011 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Ambassador. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is one of the longest-running youth volunteer initiatives in America. For 61 years it has served as the original Kids Helping Kids® campaign for American children, providing them with an impactful way of making a difference in the lives of their peers in other countries. Follow Heidi Klum on Twitter @heidiklum.
Grammy award-winning singer Rihanna has time and again proven her dedication to helping children in need, and created her Believe Foundation in 2006 to help terminally ill children. In partnership with charities across the nation, Rihanna has performed a number of concerts to raise funds for both those charities and the Foundation. After her performances, she met children from the local charities, signing autographs and posing for pictures with her young fans. Follow Rihanna on Twitter @rihanna.
The Gift is a short film that features Gwyneth Paltrow as she narrates a poem by Simon Armitage for UNICEF. The dramatization depicts a typical, small African village, young love, a dark discovery, the social stigma of a pregnant woman with AIDS, and fear for the baby’s future.“I hope that this new short film will raise awareness and funds about this issue,” said Paltrow. “And UNICEF will be able to reach every woman with the vital care and medicines they need.” Follow Gwyneth Paltrow on Twitter @GwynethPaltrow.
When Grammy Award-winning soulster John Legend first read The End of Poverty by Earth Institute director Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, he was so inspired that he traveled straight to Ghana to learn more about the problems faced by African countries. Legend established the Show Me Campaign to raise the required funds soon after his fact-finding mission. The organization provides mosquito nets to curb the millions of avoidable deaths from malaria, free meals to children attending school which raises attendance rates and health, safe water points, local clinics and fertilizer to improve crop production and eradicate food shortages. “Some people will say with some justification that we have a lot of problems here at home that we still need to solve,” said the 29-year-old singer. “But I don’t believe you have to choose. I think every life is valuable and poverty anywhere is something we should address.” Follow John Legend on Twitter @johnlegend.
