Clay Aiken Continues Work Helping Kids In Kenya And Somalia

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by meganr July 24, 2008
Categories: Music
Tags: .

It seems like this guy has been focusing on more than just his music.  According to his posts on the UNICEF blog, Clay Aiken has been visiting Somalia and Kenya to promote UNICEF’s work getting kids back to school in areas that have been all but destroyed by election-related violence. He talks about the sight of kids trying to learn among the charred remains of their former classrooms and the need to get the children back to school.

Here, he makes a touching statement about the importance of education and the work UNICEF is doing:

“Every child has the right to an education. Education transforms lives and breaks the cycle of poverty that so many children are caught in. And an educated child will make sure his or her own children receive an education too. This is just another one of the many amazing ways UNICEF is helping children today, while also building a safer Kenya tomorrow.”

Personally, I believe that education is the key to our future and the key to solving our environmental problems, so hooray for Clay for bringing some celeb status to these issues.

via: People.com

Megan is a part-time blogger, part-time ‘Green’ crafter, and full-time Eco-Mom.


Categories: Music
Tags: .
  • Sasha

    Great article of awareness. And I do agree Education is the only way we can transform the world

    Thank you Clay , You are an inspiration

  • Sienna

    True, education is the key to anything!
    Thank you Clay Aiken and UNICEF for bringing awareness to the plight of these poor children! There is no need for any human being especially children anywhere in the world to suffer like this! While we are busy shoveling money into our already bulging pockets, displaced children are busy looking for food and shelter. Why not spare a change?

  • Diane

    Education is a foundation to the future, but they also need teachers and supplies to study and doctors and food to help them concentrate and learn – that is true in Africa and true in the United States as well.

    My pockets are not bulging, but there is always something I can do without.

    A direct link to contribute would be appreciated with these blogs. Thank you.

  • Pat

    It’s always nice to see the great work that Clay Aiken does on behalf of UNICEF to bring attention to the needs of children around the world.

    I applaud him and I applaud UNICEF for trying to make a difference in these young lives.

  • meganr

    Author Update:
    You can donate to UNICEF here.

  • Flo

    It is very true, an education is very important to our children. I commend stars like Clay Aiken and all the other Unicef workers for making a better environment for these children in Africa.

  • elric

    Clay’s fans have known about his recent UNICEF travels for weeks and have donated for the cause to which he speaks. Which made me wonder why the major online mags have not reported about it. Anyway, i think your write-up did a much better handling of this report than People or the Insider which are pretty snide, IMO.

  • Kassa

    Megan! You said alot when you said “hooray to Clay for bringing some celeb status to these issues”. Yes, his statement was very “touching” as you put it but you definately need to do some research into the subject of Clay Aiken.
    Why did it take a trip from him, for his Claymates to realize that there are children in not only Somalia, Kenya but as Diane stated, the US that are in dire need of quality education. What about the children in Uganda, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Mexico has Clay forgotten about them, after all, he did visit those countries as a UNICEF Ambassador.
    Says alot about a man that holds a degree in Special Education, which even though he claims he is a former teacher, he did not receive his degree until December 2003, long after he had left the American Idol stage.
    Guess that also explains why he AI his 50 yr old record producer, just to satisfy a selfish need to be a “Father”, right???
    Ask yourself this, What has Clay Aiken given to bring about changes besides photo ops and constant pleas to his Claymates for donations?? Has he given any $$$$ or used his bare hands to build anything??
    UNICEF has alot of Ambassadors, Clay Aiken is NOT one of them but as long as there are Claymates left with deep pockets, he will continue to manipulate and UNICEF will continue to provide him the avenue to do so.

  • kola

    Kassa, give it a rest. There are a few people with some kind of vendetta against Clay that follow him around from comment page to comment page saying the same old things. Clay raised lots of money for those other UNICEF endeavors, too. So much so that UNICEF officials said they’d never had another ambassador be so effective at the fundraising. UNICEF has also commented about the repugnant people who follow this man around the internet trying to smear his name. He’s formed a foundation to help integrate children with disabilities in the U.S., too. So, just give it a rest, OK? We’ve all heard it before. Your spiel and obsessiveness are getting tiresome. Clay Aiken is a good man and no matter how much garbage you spew, that won’t change.

    On the other hand, thank you, author, for the nice article. (Wish you’d use a different, better more updated picture, though, so he wouldn’t look like what your url says, lol. The ones of him with the kids in Kenya or Somalia would be a start.) But, hey .. nice to see something without tabloid gossip presented as truth (and I count People in that category these days.)

  • Vickie

    Thanks for the article meganr. UNICEF is such a great organization. I admire and respect all their Ambassadors.

  • kat

    Wow I don’t think much of the moderation of the comment section. Kassa how many times have you been to truly dangerous places like Somalia and Afghanistan? UNICEF Ambassador spend their time and their money to visit and call attention to childrens needs.

  • http://fanclubclayaiken donna

    I feel that UNICEF has done great things in making life safer and better for people in third world countries and Clay has been a great spokesman for UNICEF for five years. I beleive, as Clay does, that education is important to help eliminate poverty. Without an education, children and even adults are limited in getting better jobs.An education also makes one more aware of what is happening not only in their country but in other countries as well.UNICEF has taught me so much about events in countries that I haven’t even heard of much less know the devastation that these people live with day in and day out. God bless people like Clay and others who travel to these countries and tell us first hand about what they have seen and what is needed.

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