General News of Sunday, 6 September 2009

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Disney Star in Ghana

Teen star Selena Gomez has been appointed as UNICEF's newest (and youngest) Ambassador. The Disney actress and singer spent much of the weekend in Ghana to witness first-hand the stark conditions of vulnerable children that lack vital necessities including clean water, nourishment, education and healthcare.

The actress went to Twitter to upload photos and tell her fans about her travels. "I'm having such a wonderful time helping and learning about this culture and life!" she said.

Gomez will help educate and advocate on behalf of UNICEF and support the organization's mission to help reduce the number of daily preventable deaths of children, from 25,000 to zero. In her fist official field mission, Gomez visited Ghana, which is ranked 30 out of 195 countries with the highest mortality rates of children under five.

"Every day 25,000 children die from preventable causes. I stand with UNICEF in the belief that we can change that number from 25,000 to zero," Gomez said.

"I know we can achieve this because every moment, UNICEF is on the ground providing children with the lifesaving assistance needed to ensure zero becomes a reality," she added.

Gomez, who stars in Disney Channel's 'Wizards of Waverly Place,' is the youngest UNICEF Ambassador in the United States and joins a roster of celebrities who have embraced UNICEF through the years, like Joel Madden, Lucy Liu, Clay Aiken, Alyssa Milano and Sarah Jessica Parker among others.