Teaming up with UNICEF
Part of being one of the most in-demand models in the fashion industry, means that you have a platform and a voice, which Gigi Hadid continuously uses to raise awareness. Other than walking runways and red-carpets, the Palestinian-American is known for her philanthropic work, which includes her current visit to Senegal.
Teaming up with UNCIEF, the 24-year-old traveled to Dakar, Senegal to visit a shelter supported by the humanitarian organisation. Gigi took advantage of her platform and large following and took her almost 51 million Instagram followers on an eye-opening journey. Through her trip, the model is seeking to spread awareness about the lives of abused girls, women, and their children.
Gigi posted several striking and heartwarming moments, which included a video of her cradling a baby in her arms. Accompanying the pictures was a lengthy post from the UNICEF Goodwill ambassador highlighting the struggles that the women in the shelter face.
“After being raped and/or impregnated from a sexual attack, it is common that these girls are shunned from their families and kicked out of their homes. Some women travel from very rural parts of the country, some even coming from other countries (one girl we met today is from Libya). After traveling sometimes to many cities trying to find their ground, most girls learn about this home through word-of-mouth; no one will be turned down and they will be supported physically, emotionally, and psychologically here.”
While in the African country, Gigi also visited two UNICEF supported schools. One was an “urban” pre-school in Kolda and the other was a village elementary school outside the city. She posted sweet videos of the kids in class, while highlighting the importance of these institutions.
“Studies show that children here who start at this level are more likely to go further with their schooling, but only 17% of children here have access to and attend a pre-school. As well early development education, French is introduced to their local dialect in pre-school, so they are up to date linguistically and more developed mentally and educationally when they enter elementary school,” Gigi captioned her post.
The super-model also made sure she visited the Maternal and Child Health Post in Bagadadji. “This is one of 29 posts, there is one “Center” in Kolda and 5 health “huts” to support the 72 surrounding villages. These posts work mostly on child birth registration, vaccination, disease prevention, protection, free medical consultation for children under 5 y/o, and community sensitization on hygiene- all supported by UNICEF.”
