On March 14, 2005, Clay Aiken who is an ambassador for UNICEF, toured the tsunami-ravaged Indonesian province of Aceh. This was Clay’s first trip as an ambassador for UNICEF.
“The trip was for fact-finding purposes. There are citizens in the U.S. who have offered their time, effort, money and resources,” Clay told the Jakarta Post. “There are some who try to find out where their money is going, what type of work is being done.”
On December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake occurred. The epicenter was off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake triggered a series of devastating tsunami along the coast of the Indian Ocean. People were killed in eleven countries and coastal communities were hit by waves up to 100 feet high. The earthquake was the longest in duration ever observed and lasted somewhere between 8 to 10 minutes. It caused the entire planet to vibrate and triggered earthquakes as far away as Alaska.
The most recent analysis compiled by the United Nations lists a total of 229,866 people lost. It was also reported that one-third of the dead were children.
While Clay was in Indonesia, he participated in UNICEF programs that helped children in many ways. Some of these important programs included helping children to reconnect with their families, caring for orphans, preventing the spread of disease and assisting children in returning to school.
According to an Indonesian news source, Clay spent an afternoon with about 100 children from Lampuuk Beach. The children were housed at a refuge camp and they greeted him with songs. It was reported that Clay sat and chatted with some of the children and tried to get them to laugh.
Clay was accompanied by Ferry Salim who is a local celebrity and a UNICEF ambassador. He reported that Clay learned quickly to sing a children’s song in the Indonesian language. The song ‘di Sini Senang, di Sana Senang’ translates to “happiness everywhere” and is a popular Indonesian nursery song.
Salim reported that Clay accompanied some children to therapy and seemed to show great empathy for the children. Clay said that it was important that the children get back to their known routine and that getting back to school on a daily basis was most important.
While Clay was in Indonesia, UNICEF distributed 4100 school-in-a-box tools and 1700 packages of games. They planned on sending 200 teachers to Aceh a soon as possible.
UNICEF has many celebrity Ambassadors who donate time and money to many causes throughout the world. They are lucky to have Clay Aiken on their team.
The following is a video of two interviews Clay did about his trip to Indonesia. The first is a UNICEF interview and the next is from WRAL.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2wR1MCfs4M
It was good seeing the video again….
Yes, Unicef is very fortunate to have Clay on their team, but I’m sure Clay will tell you that he is honoured to be making a difference….
He is such a good man… It is an honour to be a fan of his.
Thanks CANN for bringing this over again for us to read…
Hugs,
Judy
Thank you so much for the informative article!!
Clay is so incredibly articulate. He is a wonderful representative for UNICEF.
That barge was 😮 wow!!! I can’t even imagine. I am so thankful for organizations like UNICEF who are there, on the ground, helping and making a difference every day.
Thank you for this great article! Clay’s work with UNICEF is just one more reason why I love the man! I can’t even imagine the things that he has seen on his trips. I have to think that he is changed forever because of what he has experienced.
Great blog! It’s so great to see this footage of Clay’s very first Unicef trip. A match made in heaven, Clay Aiken and Unicef.
Musicfan,
Another awesome blog! Thnx for spotlighting Clay’s Indonesian trip as a UNICEF ambassador.
Have a great weekend!
Caro
What an amazing man. I think he will be with UNICEF forever,.They do such good work and Clay is the perfect ambassador for them. Where did the 5 years go, though?!
Clay is always going where he is needed most. I can’t wait to hear where he is going next.
Another great blog. I look forward to new ones each day. Clay has always been about making a difference and he will continue to do so.
Clay has done so many amazing things for Children. I would imagine his relationship with UNICEF and his travels around the world bringing attention to their cause has been most rewarding and humbling for him. I wonder where UNICEF will send him next.
Thanks for bringing this back to us again. What devastation. Clay always seems to look for the positive and these poor people sure seemed to be resilient after facing such a devastating disaster in their lives. It reminds me of the song, Always look on the bright side of life. I’m very proud of Clay and all of the Unicef workers who give of their time, money and heart to make a difference for those in need.
That was a beautiful and informative post. The devastation from the Indonesian tsunami was everywhere in the news when it happened, but rarely did the papers follow up on what happened afterward to help people get back on their feet. Organizations like Unicef are indispensable and having the ambassadors helps bring attention to the work they do, and the work they need to do. I applaud all of the ambassadors and the risks they take at their own expense for such a worth cause.
It was so nice to see that interview again. I so remember how bad the Tsunami was and how it was all over the news. I applaud Clay and all the Unicef Ambassadors for going to these places and helping out. Wonder where Clay will go next?
I am so proud that Clay works with UNICEF. It was good to watch the interviews again about this trip. Clay not only talks the talk, but walks the walk also about truly caring for the world’s children.
Clay is an amazing man, he has done so much for kids all around the world. I always think if there was more people like him, this world, would be a better place. I’m very proud of call myself a Clay fan.
Great blog once again! So nice to see that interview once again. We do have us a wonderful articulate boyfriend, don’t we!
Super job!
Clay Aiken has done amazing work with UNICEF and has helped many children in the world and that’s why UNICEF is so pleased with him.
Clay’s dedication to the children of the world through UNICEF is one of the many reasons I am proud to be a Clay Aiken fan.
Great site! I’m an avid fan of Clay and I’m glad I could read everything about him here. Keep posting.