Mica Paris has been announced as the new Patron of the charity KIN (Kibera in Need).

The charity was established in 2007 to improve the quality of life for families
living in the vast Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mica has been making records since the late eighties and shows no signs of slowing down. She was recently honoured as an "Icon" by the Duke of Edinburgh and is among the artists performing at Windsor Castle for his 90th birthday celebrations.

She is also in the middle of recording a long-awaited new album of original material featuring renowned guest singers and musicians, due to be released later in 2011.

Conditions for the hundreds of thousands of people living in Kibera, the second largest slum in Africa, are desperate.

KIN is helping to make life that little bit better by funding more than 200 Kibera children through school. It also runs a weekly feeding programme, offers small business loans, and provides mattresses, vaccinations, medical support, outings and vocational training.

Commenting on her new appointment, Mica said: "It is indeed an honour to be a patron of this great cause. Our children are our future.

"Please join me in reaching out to give these children and their families, living in such desperate conditions, a chance of a better life."

KIN’s main fundraiser this year is a Sapphire Ball which will take place at the Hallmark Hotel, in Manchester, on October 1.

Mica will be performing some of her songs at the ball. Tickets are priced £45 each and include dinner and a live band.

KIN founder Estelle Goodwin said, "We are delighted that Mica has agreed to be our Patron and will be coming to the Sapphire Ball.

"With the support and celebrity kudos Mica now brings to the charity we hope to be
able to raise further awareness nationally and internationally for KIN.

"The charitable donation of her time will help our fundraising and also may tempt
other key figures in the media and entertainment industry to lend their support to this truly worthwhile cause.

"We are very grateful for her involvement and I am looking forward to introducing the children of Kibera to her music on my next visit to Nairobi."