Former WNBA player and ODU Hall of Famer Clarisse Machanguana named a UNICEF Ambassador

Former WNBA player, Clarisse Machanguana, a member of the Old Dominion Sports Hall of Fame, was named a UNICEF Ambassador for her home country of Mozambique.

Machanguana has been an activist for children’s rights in Mozambique since her retirement from basketball. She was a member of the 1997 Lady Monarch team that advanced to the NCAA finals. She spent four years in the WNBA playing for the Los Angeles Sparks, the Charlotte Sting and the Orlando Miracle.

This spring she began a three-month trek across her country, walking 50 kilometers a day, to bring awareness to the HIV epidemic in Mozambique. She chronicled her journey with an essay in The Players’ Tribune.

“Clarisse Machanguana has been showing high commitment to child rights, with a particular focus on adolescents and girls empowerment,” according to UNICEF. “She has also developed her own awareness raising and life skills initiatives with young people mobilizing a range of stake holders partners from Government, donors to development partners, and proactively approached UNICEF for collaboration. She is a respected personality for her integrity, reputation and high networking skills among development partners, line ministries and key influencers in the Mozambique.”

Machanguana’s jersey was retired at Old Dominion University in 2000. She scored 1,813 points during her career, which is ninth on the Lady Monarch’s all-time scoring list.