rogerfederer.com - Roger to visit India

Roger to visit India

In his role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Roger will visit Tamil Nadu, India - the country's hardest hit state - to mark the two-year anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami on Friday.

Roger will visit UNICEF's tsunami recovery programs in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu. Over 18,000 people in India were killed or went missing in the tsunami, with a third of them children.

UNICEF has designed its tsunami programs with the guiding principle of Building Back Better to not only restore services but raise the standards and provide access to those that were lacking or not available to everyone. In India, that approach has steered programmes in health and nutrition; provided safe drinking water; raised the quality of education; developed policies on child protection; and raised HIV/AIDS awareness.

More than 200,000 people globally lost their lives in the 2004 tsunami. Tamil Nadu suffered India's largest toll, with 8,000 dead. UNICEF has been working on tsunami relief and recovery in eight countries since the tsunami struck.

Roger was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador on April 3, 2006. The nine-time Grand Slam champion first teamed up with UNICEF two years ago when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck. In the disaster's aftermath Roger led several fundraising initiatives including the ATP All-Star Rally for Relief, a unique exhibition tournament with proceeds benefiting UNICEF's tsunami-relief programmes. Roger is also the founder of The Roger Federer Foundation which focuses on disadvantaged children in South Africa.

About UNICEF

For 60 years UNICEF has been the world's leader for children, working on the ground in 156 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

UNICEF and the ATP joined forces at the beginning of 2005 with an aim of creating a better world for every child. Through ACE -- Assisting Children Everywhere -- the two organizations work to use tennis' popularity to help secure access to education, protection and health for the most vulnerable children.