UNAIDS Special Ambassador
Placing children and families first is a long-standing commitment of Mrs Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire and Founding President of the Children of Africa Foundation. Through multiple platforms, the First Lady has defended children’s rights to health and education.
In 1998, Mrs Ouattara created the Children of Africa Foundation, which has supported various projects in Côte d’Ivoire, including the construction of a hospital for mothers and children and several schools and day-care centers.
In 2011, she was appointed President of the National Oversight Committee of Actions for the Fight against Trafficking, Exploitation and Child labour.
In 2012, she launched a fund to help financing women’s micro-projects. This fund aims to facilitate financial emancipation and encourage entrepreneurship among women.
Focus on the mother and the child
Through her role as UNAIDS Special Ambassador for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and the promotion of pediatric treatment, Ms. Ouattara helps to raise awareness on access to antiretroviral therapy for women and children living with HIV.
Recognizing that stigma and discrimination are the cause of many barriers to health and education, Ms. Ouattara is a non-discrimination fervent advocate.
Her contribution in organizations such as Organization of African First Ladies against AIDS (OPDAS) which is now OPDAD (Organization of African First Ladies for Development) and the Association Synergie Africaine, as well as her participation in First Ladies’ meetings in Deauville (France), Bamako (Mali), Accra (Ghana), and other major events around the world, show her commitment to fighting the pandemic.
