Perseveranda So & Congo Kids

In Memoriam: Perseveranda So, 1956-2009
Protecting Children from Hard Labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo


The UNICEF family is mourning the tragic loss of Perseveranda So in the bombing of a hotel in northwest Pakistan on 9 June 2009. UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman commented on the death of Perseveranda So and asked for a moment of silence at the Executive Board meeting in New York. UNICEF South Asia Regional Director Dan Toole also paid tribute to Ms. So and spoke about her tragic death.

The World Day Against Child Labour will be celebrated on June 12, 2009. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is difficult to gauge the numbers of children working with their family on the country's many mine dumps. UNICEF and Belgian NGO Group One, seek to remove Congolese children from working in the hazardous conditions of the quarry and get them back to school.