"My week in Inner Mongolia has really opened my eyes to the plight of poor families in remote, rural areas of China, and of the great work UNICEF and its partners are doing to help them", Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF Ambassador Gigi Leung reported to those gathered at a UNICEF Debriefing.

Gigi Leung pays a visit to a local family in Inner Mongolia.

Inner Mongolia, an enormous province spanning almost half the width of China's north, is one of the poorest of China's provinces, with high maternal and child mortality rates and high rates of child malnutrition.

The population of almost 25 million is widely dispersed, making access to good health services difficult. While agriculture remains the province's economic mainstay, the soil is poor and the harsh climate allows only one harvest per year for farmers cultivating the two staples of wheat and maize. The risk of drought often threatens the livelihood of commercial farmers and this year's catastrophic flood has devastated some communities.

Gigi had direct contact with families who experienced tragedy in Keerqinyouyizhongqi county in northeastern region, including the parents of a newborn infant, Xiao Xu (pseudonym). He died aged just 23 days when his family failed to seek proper medical care for a fever he developed soon after his birth. Attempted treatment by a village doctor did not help Xiao Xu and his parents could not afford the cost of transport and treatment at the nearest township clinic.

Gigi was also deeply moved by the parent's loss. She stressed that families should heed UNICEF's message that the newborn period is the time of highest risk for children in China, a time when parents must seek treatment for illness by skilled health providers without delay.

She noted that she had learned that subsidized costs for poor families like Xiao Xu's are creating access to better, more affordable care now. "In Hong Kong, we take for granted the availability of food, water, transport and access to good care. Here, people are struggling with very basic conditions. My heart goes out to them and I am glad to be able to help UNICEF's activities in Inner Mongolia."

UNICEF's Chief of Health in China, Dr. David Hipgrave, praised the tireless efforts of the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (HKCU) and the top celebrities who frequently attend UNICEF advocacy and fundraising events on the Mainland.

"UNICEF's committees in 37 countries and territories are an enormous source of funding for our programs, and their efforts directly benefit communities like those Gigi visited this week", he said.

"We are sincerely grateful to her and all the Hong Kong Committee for the time and energy they have donated. We also give thanks to our government counterparts in the Ministries of Commerce and Health and in Inner Mongolia, who provided great support for this week's visit, and to you, the media, for relaying information about our work to assist China's poor children, hopefully inspiring others to also assist our cause. Thank you all for being here today!"

Gigi Leung plays together with local residents in Inner Mongolia.

(China.org.cn October 22, 2007)