Kami, HIV+ puppet now 'champion for children'

The UN Children's Fund announced has announced that it has appointed an HIV-positive puppet who stars in the South African version of Sesame Street as a "global champion for children."

The UN Children's Fund announced has announced that it has appointed an HIV-positive puppet who stars in the South African version of Sesame Street as a "global champion for children."

Kami, a furry yellow puppet who appears regularly on the children's TV programme Takalani Sesame, represents a five-year-old girl who has been orphaned by AIDS. UNICEF said she "has brought levity and compassion to a topic that so often evokes the opposite."

Kami will help promote messages of acceptance and an end to stigma for HIV/AIDS sufferers around the world in a way that is appropriate to the age group, UNICEF said yesterday, announcing a partnership with the Sesame Workshop, which gives creative support to the South African makers of Takalani Sesame.

"The appeal of the partnership is that through characters like Kami, we can highlight areas where children are particularly vulnerable - from illiteracy to disability and abuse - in ways that are gentle, honest and compassionate," said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy.

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