Scottish actor to ride through Africa for children

Jul 26, 2007, 19:16 GMT

New York - Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, who serves as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund, plans to ride his motorcycle through several African countries to raise awareness of the plight of vulnerable children, the UN said Thursday.

McGregor will start his so-called 'Long Way Down' trip across the African continent from northern Scotland, accompanied by fellow actor Charley Boorman, UNICEF said. The pair will make several stops along the way, including in Uganda and Malawi, before reaching the southernmost tip of Africa.

McGregor said in a statement that the trip will raise awareness of the dangers facing children in some conflict zones where they are vulnerable to landmines.

'With landmines and unexploded ordnance lying in homes, fields, rivers and schools in Ethiopia and other countries, I can really see how UNICEF's Mine Risk Education is an essential life-saving intervention,' he said.

McGregor and Boorman teamed up in 2004 on their 'Long Way Around' bicycle trip, from London to New York, that went through Cenral Asian countries, also to support UNICEF programmes.

On the African trip, they will visit children whose lives were hurt by conflicts and see firsthand UNICEF's work in assisting children in countries like Ethiopia and Uganda.