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Jesús Vázquez
Jesús Vázquez was formally appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador during a ceremony in New York in July 2008. But the popular Spanish TV presenter had been working with the UN refugee agency as a special collaborator since 2007.
In that role, he made a big impact all over the world with his tireless promotional work. Before his appointment as Goodwill Ambassador, he paid a field trip to refugee camps at Dadaab in north-east Kenya in March 2007 and later helped to raise 300,000 euros for humanitarian projects within the region.
Vázquez has vowed to continue actively helping uprooted people around the world and spreading awareness about their situation and needs. In August 2008, he made his first official trip as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador - returning to Dadaab to a warm welcome from Somali refugees.
He also visited UNHCR-funded projects in Nairobi and a settlement for internally displaced Kenyans in Naivasha in the Rift Valley. The information and images gathered will be used for awareness and fund-raising activities, as well as to monitor the progress on a project he has helped fund to set up a camp radio station.
Vázquez is particularly interested in education for refugees, gender issues and measures to control HIV. He promises to be a very valuable asset for UNHCR.
