Tennis Ace Serena Williams has been appointed as an international Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Williams, who has successfully achieved a decade-long dominance of professional tennis with finesse, is also known for her generous philanthropic endeavors off the court.
She was granted the honour by UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake at the 2nd Annual Social Good Summit in New York City earlier this week.
“Serena Williams isn’t just a world tennis champion, she is a champion for children — and a passionate advocate for providing every child with a quality education,” said Lake.
“We are delighted that Serena is joining us as UNICEF’s newest Goodwill Ambassador and look forward to working together to win for children.”
Though UNICEF has been business coordinating famine relief efforts in Northern Kenya which is faced with a tragic famine, it is unclear whether she will be returning to Kenya to visit the camps hosting Somali refugees in the north of the country.
Williams first teamed up with UNICEF in 2006 when she traveled to Ghana, on her first visit to Africa, for the country’s biggest health campaign.
During her visit, she joined a team of volunteer health workers who immunized children against deadly childhood diseases, distributed free mosquito bed nets to help prevent malaria and joined local authorities in a demonstration of how to use the life-saving nets.
In her new role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Williams will use her popularity and personal interest in children’s issues to support UNICEF’s mission to provide a quality education for the most vulnerable children through the Schools for Africa programme and the upcoming Schools for Asia initiatives.
“I believe all children deserve the chance to make something of their lives,” Williams said. “I am committed to helping UNICEF provide a quality education to children to help them build a brighter future for themselves, their families, and their communities.”
Williams joins a famous roster of past and present UNICEF Ambassadors that includes Danny Kaye, Audrey Hepburn, Harry Belafonte, Mia Farrow, David Beckham, Orlando Bloom, Yuna Kim and Shakira.