From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: SOMALIA: Children's plight brings actress
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 23:25:02 GMT

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: SOMALIA: Children's plight brings actress to the point of tears


an inter press service feature

by moyiga nduru

london, sept 29 (ips) -- barely holding back the tears, actress
audrey hepburn tuesday joined the cry of aid organisations who are
pleading to the international community to help the millions
starving in somalia and not to just let them ''vanish from the
earth''.

having recently returned from a five-day visit to the war-torn
country, the united nations children's fund (unicef) goodwill
ambassador says the sight of the starving somali children was
''the worst thing'' she has ever witnessed.

''some of the children i had visited in the feeding centres could
barely walk,'' she recalled, ''and when you go nearer, they don't
react. ''i couldn't even carry them in my arms because they look
so delicate that i thought they would break.''

briefing journalists in london, the international film star and
academy award winner, appealed to the international community to
step up its aid efforts. ''for many (children) it is too late. but
for many others there is still time and some hope,'' she says.

hepburn's plea comes against the backdrop of recent reports that
many european countries -- in the face of domestic economic
problems -- are contemplating aid cuts by as much as 10 percent to
developing countries.

unicef's uk director robert smith says that already aid agencies
throughout britain are trying to persuade the british government
to reconsider such cuts.

he is also urging ''all governments in the world to respond to
the need of the child'' as agreed by world leaders at the world
summit for children in 1990.

unicef has earmarked 13 million dollars for its programme in
somalia, says anne winter of unicef, which is now expanding its
immunisation programme in the country.

''somalia had one of the best established health systems at the
village level in africa, and by reactivating this structure unicef
believes that we will not just have a successful measles campaign,
but a sustainable health programme,'' adds mark stirling, a unicef
representative based in somalia.

indeed, the campaign has taken off. in the first phase alone,
over 67,000 children have been immunised against measles and over
20,000 of these have also been vaccinated against tetanus, polio,
diphtheria, tuberculosis and pertussis (whooping cough).(more/ips)

somalia: children's plight brings actress to the point of tears(2-e)

somalia: children's (2)

''with greater access to the interior regions of the southern,
central and northern somalia, unicef's initial aim of vaccinating
140,000 children by the end of december, has been increased to a
target over one million children,'' says stirling.

for the campaign to succeed, somalia needs to assure the various
non-governmental organisations (ngos) working in the country, of a
lasting peaceful solution to its 20-month old civil war.

the unrest in the country heightened early last year after the
various clans that had united to drive out dictator mohammed siad
barre turned against each other in a vicious battle for power.

the former president was forced to flee the capital, mogadishu,
after 20 years of dictatorial rule, leaving a trail of famine,
exacerbated by the drought and civil war. aid agencies estimate
that 1.5 million people require urgent food aid in somalia.

hepburn is optimistic that there will soon be peace in somalia.
during her visit (sep. 20-24), she met with various u.n.
officials, including ambassador mohamed sahnoun, special
representative for the secretary general, brigadier general imtiaz
shaheen, the chief military officer, and dr. david bassiouni, the
coordinator for humanitarian assistance for somalia.

she says the three hold round the clock talks with the various
warlords. but they report that the progress is slow and time
consuming.

but there's still hope, she says, drawing reference to her
childhood in the netherlands during the second world war. born in
belgium of a british father and a dutch mother, she painfully
recalls: ''we had to wait for five years to be liberated from (the
nazi) repressions.'' (end/ips/ip/mn/cpg/92)