Katty Perry in Madagascar

     

United States singer and songwriter Katy Perry has teamed up with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to bring attention to the situation of children in Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world.

Her trip began in a slum area of the capital Antananarivo, where she visited a child protection centre and met abused and abandoned children and young mothers receiving support and counseling. More than three out of four children in Madagascar live in extreme poverty, making them vulnerable to exploitation.

Perry also visited a pre-school and a primary school that was destroyed by a tropical cyclone. The school was made from sticks and thatched roofing; UNICEF replaced it with a solid building.

Madagascar is still recovering from a political crisis that began in 2009.