Celebrities United Around Ban Ki-moon for African Children

Clockwise from top left, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, actress Kim Yunjin, swimmer Park Tae-hwan, and K-pop band Girls' Generation

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other celebrities including K-pop outfit Girls' Generation, Olympic swimmer Park Tae-hwan, and "Lost" actress Kim Yunjin will get together to raise funds for children in Africa this week.

The Korean Red Cross Society and the nation's UNICEF committee will launch the "Help African Children" project in Seoul Plaza Hotel at 3 p.m. on Friday. Other celebrities such as bands f(x) and SHINee, as well as marathoner Lee Bong-ju and actor Shin Hyun-joon, will also take part as goodwill ambassadors.

The project, which runs under the banner "Together for Africa", was conceived after Ban made a call to help poverty-stricken countries in Africa. It will start with efforts to raise funds for children in East Africa for a period of three months.

At the launching ceremony, Ban will deliver a speech to bolster support for those affected by poverty and the recent droughts in the region.