"...SOMEONE WHO HAS COME TO HELP THEM..."

by Dr. Carolyn Farb

Handsome, suave and famous are just a few of the compliments used to describe Sir Roger Moore, one of the most recognizable people in the world. Somewhere in the world, every day, his many movies are screened. But it is his work for UNICEF on behalf of the world’s children that is most meaningful to him. “The children have no idea who I am. They don’t see an actor, but someone who has come to help them,” he says.

Born in South London’s Stockwell to Lily and George Moore, Roger Moore left high school and entered art school with the dream of becoming an artist. Later, with encouragement from his friends, he decided to try his hand at
acting. His father, George Moore, a detective sergeant, was responsible for what became Roger’s first piece of luck. The senior Moore impressed film director Brian Desmond Hurst with his efficient handling of a robbery case for Hurst. Proud father George introduced Roger to Hurst, and Hurst cast the
young hopeful as a production extra. Soon, Roger’s acting abilities won him a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He later joined the Cambridge Arts Theatre, which led to roles in London’s West End.

After serving in the British Army, Roger landed several important acting roles in the London productions of Mr. Roberts and The Little Hut. The world’s fascination with the talented young actor began when Moore starred as the
dashing Simon Templar in “The Saint.” He moved to the big screen in 1973, as the legendary James Bond. From 1973 to 1985, he made seven Bond films: Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View to a Kill. He was
equally successful in a variety of film and television productions.

As his film career grew, so did his charitable activities. In 1973, as chairman of the Stars Organization for Spastics, he raised thousands of pounds for the charity by asking companies such as Fabergé to sponsor events. He lent his name to a series of children’s crime books entitled, Roger Moore and the Crime Fighters, donating one hundred percent of the proceeds to the charity.

Moore’s association with UNICEF began in the early eighties when he promoted the organization’s annual holiday cards in radio announcements. In 1990, he served on National Committees as a UNICEF spokesperson at the Zecchino d’Oro Children’s Song Festival in Italy. He was a co-anchor for the Danny Kaye International Children’s Award television show, produced in The Netherlands, from 1990 to 1992.

In 1991, at the urging of his dear friend, the late actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Audrey Hepburn, Moore embarked on a new career path as a children’s rights advocate. When Hepburn asked him to participate in a press
conference, Moore demurred. “I didn’t feel I had enough knowledge about
UNICEF to be part of the press conference,” he says. But she persisted. “Don’t worry…they only want to talk to us about movies.” But at the press
conference, Hepburn sidetracked the reporters by refusing to discuss the
movies and focusing on the topic of the children.

Hepburn’s field missions on behalf of UNICEF had given her a window on
the tragic conditions of children living in third-world countries. “When
Audrey asked me to become more involved with UNICEF, all I knew were
statistics without faces,” says Sir Roger. “I wanted to know more about
UNICEF than just facts and figures. I wanted to put faces to the statistics of
the 40,000 children who die each day. What has always been important for me is to go into the field and see for myself firsthand what the conditions were, and that’s what I did.”

Sir Roger set out on advocacy missions to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, and saw the multitude of problems the children faced. “My God,” he remembers saying at the time, “we’ve got to do something about this.” Today, he makes fact-finding missions in countries where he is asking for support to determine the greatest needs of the children and their families and travels extensively to promote projects in Mexico, Slovenia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, China, and Korea.

Sir Roger Moore is truly “The Saint” of UNICEF, speaking at innumerable gatherings and public functions to promote UNICEF fundraising initiatives and concerns and supporting the fundraising and advocacy activities of the 37 national committees for UNICEF.

Sir Roger is accompanied and supported every step of the way by his wife, Lady Kristina, “Kiki” to her friends. More dazzling than any “Bond Girl,” she travels and fully participates in the humanitarian journey with her husband and keeps the busy UNICEF ambassador on track.

Even in their personal travels, Sir Roger and Lady Kristina keep UNICEF in the forefront of their thoughts, encouraging fellow British Airways passengers and crew to donate their loose foreign change to UNICEF through the “Change for Good” program. In January 2004, Sir Roger visited Mexico to commemorate
the tenth anniversary of the program, which has raised 15 million British pounds for children worldwide. In the U.S., Change for Good has raised $53 million since its inception. With great pride, Sir Roger speaks of a young boy he had helped off the streets who had been collecting pennies while living in a shelter for street children in Mexico. Now, the young man is working in the shelter. Sir Roger says, “We are the ones who should beg for pennies – so these children don’t have to, and that’s the way it was meant to be.”

Another of the many successful programs Moore initiated is “Check Out for Children” in Brazil, an initiative in conjunction with the Starwood and Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, which encourages guests to donate $1 at checkout. These funds are used to provide immunizations to the world’s children. Since its inception, the alliance has raised more than $13 million for children around the world.

In October 2000, Moore undertook a five-day mission to Ghana accompanied by representatives of the United Kingdom. He and his team visited UNICEF supported projects in Accra and attended a national immunization campaign in addition to cultivating private-sector participation.

Another alliance the tireless Moore launched is between the world soccer governing body, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and UNICEF. An example of the innovative work of the alliance, initiated in 2001, is a project in Kenya. “Football is being used as the common denominator in that project,” Moore says. “The vital message of safe sex is being communicated to boys and young men about the use of condoms to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.”

Moore’s work as honorary chair of Kiwanis International Worldwide Service Project has helped to raise $75 million to eliminate iodine deficiency. Kiwanis International has provided more than $63 million to fund UNICEF’s programs in over 90 nations.

Moore has earned many honors in recognition of his dedication to UNICEF, among them the UNICEF Gold Medallion of Honor in December 1998 from the Texas Chapter for UNICEF. The award, presented in Houston, was in recognition of his help in raising $250,000 for UNICEF programs in Latin America.

In 1999, Queen Elizabeth II made Moore a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his noble humanitarian efforts on behalf of UNICEF. Two years later, he received the Marcus Garvey Lifetime Achievement Award, and The World Service Medal from Kiwanis. In February 2003, he was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau. In June of the same year, Moore was granted knighthood by the Queen for his ongoing and tireless efforts for UNICEF.

Sir Roger Moore is unstoppable, ever-youthful, and shows no signs of slowing down. With pacemaker on board, he maintains a grueling travel schedule as a Goodwill Ambassador for the world’s children. A man of many talents, Sir Roger is an excellent cartoonist and delights in playing practical jokes on his friends and colleagues.

He is totally committed to his work as a Goodwill Ambassador for the children of the world. The consummate fundraiser, Sir Roger Moore has put his celebrity at work for the noblest of causes – making a difference in the lives of thousands of children.

“It’s difficult working for UNICEF,” he says. “You always have this sense of guilt. You see these children and say to yourself, how lucky am I. The positive is that you are able to help, either by raising money, creating awareness, or giving back.”

His favorite poem, If, by Rudyard Kipling, best expresses Sir Roger Moore’s feelings about his work on behalf of UNICEF:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!