On July 23rd, 2017 Natalia gave her goodbyes to her son, Atahualpa, and her husband, Ricardo Mollo, to Madrid, Spain where she was attending the Platino Awards to flew to Kenya, Africa. She was invited by Unicef as the Unicef’s ambassador for Rio de la Plata, Uruguay to experience and share other realities of children and adolescents plagued by malnutrition, one of the many consequences of the worst drought in 35 years. On July 24th, she landed in Kenya, Africa where she was received by the locals with singing and she danced along with them. She was offered to be braided by the African style.
On July 25th, Natalia visited the Primary School Marura, in Korogocho, Nairobi where she spoke with the children. There she was met with Kevin and Rebeca whose are the leaders of the class and they encourage their mates to learn languages, to express ideas and to find their place at the society. “Those children filled my soul. They spoke to me about the importance of studying, because it will allow them to express themselves and gain respect in the face of their worst enemy: extreme poverty”, she said. Also, Natalia was met with the Children’s Government, an institution in which they have the opportunity to participate in decisions about their school.
On July 26th, Natalia arrived to Turkana, Loima after 3 hours flight north from the capital and several more by plane, truck and horse. She volunteered to measure and weighed a young child. The locals needs to travel daily up to 20km to the well in Loima sub-county to get water. “The struggle for survival is a daily one, due to droughts and the difficult access to drinking water, which is why many children needs to walk more than 20 kilometers to the well in Loima sub-county, putting their health at risk”, she said.
On July 27th, she visited the Lodwar County Referral Hospital, where they treat children with severe cases of malnutrition. “I met many children, but I particularly remember a little boy whom I weighed and measured. He was 3 years old and weighed the same as a 1-year-old baby. UNICEF is doing everything it can: providing food, digging wells to find water and supporting local hospitals and communities, but we need to do much more,” adds Natalia, convinced that helping is everyone’s responsibility.
The travel in Kenya, Africa was broadcasted in the charity event “Un sol para los chicos” on August 12th, 2017.
Last update: 3.3.2025