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A Letter from CARE's President
Dear Friends:
On June 13, we at CARE join the world community in observing International Children's Day and renew our commitment to improving the lives of children around the world.
The need to reach out to the youngest members of our world community was brought home to me in dramatic fashion on a trip to Angola, where one child in three dies before the age of five and more than 80 percent of the population lives
in poverty. In Angola, I witnessed children living in crumbling, bombed-out buildings and in the tiny shelters of internally displaced persons' camps with plastic sheeting for roofs. I met children who had lost limbs and families to war, children who had little or no income and no access to clean water. These children knew no other way of life.
| Mozambique. (© 2001 CARE/Karen Bell) |
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Around the world, even in the most desperate situations, people show astonishing determination and nurture high aspirations for their children. Today, CARE is working in over sixty countries to help parents build better lives for themselves and their children. CARE has chosen to concentrate our efforts on basic and girls' education as one of three focus areas over the next five years. We at CARE recognize the vital role that schooling plays in the health, safety, and social and emotional well being of children. We believe that the rate of return on investment in education is greater than any other investment we make in the developing world. We commit ourselves to promoting access to a quality education for all children.
We also strive to improve the lives of young people by seeking innovative solutions to poverty, including programs that provide emergency relief, promote economic opportunity, and integrate human rights concerns into humanitarian assistance. By attacking poverty at its roots, CARE helps to build a future of dignity and security for all the world's children.
Peter Bell
President, CARE USA
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