Pavarotti concert to benefit Angolan refugee children – UNHCR

Renowned Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, has decided the proceeds from this year’s charity concert will go to Angolan refugee children in Zambia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today.

The concert, which is held in Mr. Pavarotti's home town – Modena, Italy – will take place on 28 May, and will feature the tenor and other international performers.

Mr. Pavarotti – a UN Messenger of Peace – said he hoped his focus on Angolan refugee children this year would draw attention to the plight of people affected by one of Africa's most forgotten and its longest-running and deadliest civil wars. The money raised will be used primarily for health and education projects for Angolan children in Zambia.

"We are thankful to Maestro Pavarotti for his decision to help Angolan refugee children in Zambia," said UNHCR head Ruud Lubbers. "The concert will help to give thousands of children a somewhat brighter future."

Last year, Mr. Pavarotti raised $1.5 million for Afghan refugee children in Pakistan through his 2000 concert for refugees. In 1999, a similar effort yielded more than $1 million for Kosovo refugees.

According to UNHCR, around 4.5 million Angolans – over a third of the country's entire population – are internally displaced, while another 450,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries, mostly to Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.