2005 World of Children Awards Winners Announced

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- World of Children, an international child advocacy organization, announced the winners of their 2005 World of Children Awards today in New York. The awards were presented at the UNICEF House and included more than $200,000 in prizes funded in part by Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund, the charitable arm of Kellogg Company, and the Cardinal Health Foundation. Recipients included humanitarians from Brazil, China, Kenya and the United States.

The annual World of Children Awards recognize and elevate selfless individuals who make a world of difference in the lives of children globally, regardless of political, religious or geographical boundaries. The World of Children Awards include the Kellogg's Child Development Award, the Cardinal Health Children's Care Award, and the World of Children Founder's Award.

Following are the 2005 World of Children Award recipients who were selected from a pool of 200 applicants:

Irving C. Williams of Maryland, USA, received the $100,000 Cardinal Health Children's Care Award for his lifetime contributions to the health and well-being of children. Dr. Williams has spent the last four decades providing comprehensive health services to children in Gambia, Tanzania and the United States. In 1974, Dr. Williams moved his family to Tanzania to help establish a Pediatric Sickle Clinic at Bugando Hospital for the Ministry of Health. In 1981, he founded the non-profit organization Adventures in Health Education and Agricultural Development (AHEAD, Inc), which works to reduce and eliminate disease and premature death, cultivate and advance healthy living and to foster sustainable environmental activity. AHEAD is based on the philosophy that good health requires the involvement of health providers as well as the community. Dr. Williams and his programs have helped more than 1.5 million children.

Hui-jung Chi of Taiwan, China, received the $100,000 Kellogg's Child Development Award for her lifetime contributions toward helping children learn and grow. Chi, a former journalist, has worked tirelessly for the past 13 years as a child advocate and devotee to social reform in Taiwan. Boldly addressing issues such as child prostitution, domestic violence and sexual abuse, Chi's voice has compelled the government of Taiwan to take action. As a result, the anti child-prostitution law was passed, helping keep an estimated 13,000 children out of the sex industry since 1992. Chi also initiated the revitalization of the Garden of Hope Foundation in 1992, transforming one shelter into a network of counseling centers, short-term emergency shelters, and long-term halfway houses that provide outreach and job programs, and advocacy services. Chi's work has directly benefited the lives of 100,000 children in Taiwan and has spread to New York City where a Garden of Hope has been established.

Cristiano Pinheiro Fedrigo of Brazil, received the $15,000 World of Children Founder's Award, sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Harry Leibowitz, Limited Brands, Inc, and Medifacts International, for his extraordinary contributions to the plight of other children. Living among the impoverished quarry workers and their families in the hamlet of Morro da Pedra, Brazil, 17 year old Fedrigo has chosen to rise above the limitations of poverty by creating helpful solutions for himself and other young people in his community. When Fedrigo was 12 years old, he created the "Share a Bike" program and acquired donated bicycles to help kids in his community who lived far away from the bus stop get to the bus stop on time. He also initiated swim lessons with help from one of his teachers to prevent children in his community from drowning in the quarry swim holes. Fedrigo further displayed his innovative spirit by convincing local doctors and dentists that they would make a higher profit if they discounted their prices. Now, more individuals in Fedrigo's community receive healthcare coverage at lower prices. These are only a few of his many accomplishments.

Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund and Cardinal Health Foundation also honored four other individuals for their humanitarian efforts with a $10,000 prize each. Following are the 2005 Honorees:

* Olga Murray from the USA is a Kellogg's Child Development Award Honoree. She founded the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation (NYOF), which provides the impoverished children of Nepal with housing, scholarships, schools, food and medical care. Murray and the NYOF have directly impacted the lives of more than 4,000 children. * Lucy Yinda from Kenya is a Kellogg's Child Development Award Honoree. She created the Wema Center, a rehabilitation program for street children in Kenya. Yinda and the Wema Center have directly impacted the lives of 10,000 children. * Shankar Man Rai, MD from Nepal is a Cardinal Health Children's Care Award Honoree. Dr. Rai is a reconstructive plastic surgeon and director of the Interplast Surgical Outreach Program which provides medical care to aid children with birth defects and injuries in developing countries. Dr. Rai has personally performed more than 6,000 free surgeries and his speech therapy camps have greatly benefited more than 800 children. * Chakunga Sibale from Malawi is a Cardinal Health Children's Care Award Honoree. He is the founder and director of the Malawi Children's Village, which works to ensure the survival and future well-being of orphaned children in Malawi. In 2004 alone, the Malawi Children's Village aided more than 3,000 children from 37 different villages and provided food for nearly 2,000 households caring for orphans.

"World of Children and its award sponsors, Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund and Cardinal Health Foundation, are honored to recognize the extraordinary lengths these men and women have gone through to change the lives of millions of children around the world," said World of Children Founder Harry Leibowitz. "The 2005 award recipients and honorees are powerful role models for all of us. As we look at our own lives, I hope their example will remind us that we all are responsible for the futures of our world's children."

About World of Children

World of Children, Inc. (http://www.worldofchildren.org/) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to honor, illuminate and inspire action on behalf of children by raising global awareness of the plight of children and by recognizing and bringing together individuals who have had a profound positive effect on the well-being of children. Since 1998, the World of Children Awards program has recognized 52 honorees from 20 countries, awarding more than $1.25 million that has been reinvested in helping more than 30 million children worldwide. Annual awards include two lifetime achievement awards: the $100,000 Kellogg's Child Development Award and the $100,000 Cardinal Health Children's Care Award, and a $15,000 Founder's Award, which honors youth serving other youth. Additionally, all Honorees who are not award recipients will receive $10,000 cash prizes from Kellogg's and Cardinal Health Foundation to continue their good work.

About Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund

Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund is the charitable arm of Kellogg Company. With 2004 sales of almost $10 billion, Kellogg Company is the world's leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, frozen waffles, meat alternatives, pie crusts, and ice cream cones. The company's brands include Kellogg's, Keebler, Pop-Tarts, Eggo, Cheez-It, Nutri-Grain, Rice Krispies, Murray, Austin, Morningstar Farms, Famous Amos, Carr's and Kashi. Kellogg products are manufactured in 17 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, visit Kellogg's web site at http://www.kelloggcompany.com/.

About the Cardinal Health Foundation

Supported by the global resources of Cardinal Health (http://www.cardinalhealth.com/), including more than 55,000 employees around the world, the Cardinal Health Foundation is the focal point of the company's community relations efforts. The Foundation's mission is to advance and fund regional and national programs that improve access to and delivery of quality health care services. With annual revenues of more than $75 billion and operations on six continents, Cardinal Health is the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry.