Former African President Stars in AIDS Prevention Campaign; Photo Available 2/4/2003
From: David Olson of Population Services International, 202-572-4614 WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- Former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda promotes compassion for HIV positive people, condom use and voluntary counseling and testing in what is believed to be the first HIV/AIDS prevention TV campaign to feature a former head of state as the central figure. It is certainly the first time that a former head of state has promoted condoms so forthrightly. Dr. Kaunda, 78, a hero of the African independence movement in the 1950s and 1960s, made a series of ten TV spots in November in Boston where he is spending a year as the first African president-in-residence at Boston University's African Presidential Archives and Research Center. The spots were made for an HIV/AIDS prevention campaign implemented by Population Services International (PSI), a non-profit organization that implements social marketing projects in more than 60 countries. The messages started airing on Zambian television in December. Dr. Kaunda spoke from the heart in the spots. "My own son died of AIDS in 1986," he says in one spot. "There were some who thought I should remain silent about it. But Mrs. Kaunda and I decided to make this public. I tell you, if we are to win the battle, we must confront this problem openly." Here are excerpts from other messages, as delivered by Dr. Kaunda: Compassion for HIV positive people: "If you know someone who has HIV or AIDS, please go to them today and tell them that you love them and will always be there for them. People with HIV need your understanding, not your judgment." Condom use: "Condom. The very word makes some people nervous. We need to take time to understand how the condom can protect us. HIV/AIDS is a war we have to win. We must use every tool at our disposal." Voluntary counseling and testing: Go for voluntary counseling and testing at a health center near you. I did. Learn your HIV status today and learn how you can protect yourself and your family." These spots are only the latest collaboration between Dr. Kaunda and PSI. He launched PSI's first voluntary counseling and testing center in Lusaka, Zambia last year by being the first person tested. He was keynote speaker at two conferences organized in Zambia bringing together church leaders and HIV/AIDS prevention organizations. Dr. Kaunda challenged the church to get more involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS and asked church leaders why they had not done more. "Jesus is watching," he said, "and we can no longer keep silent while AIDS is taking our people." PSI, the leading social marketing organization in the world, works through the commercial sector in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, family planning and maternal and child health. Note: Audio and video clips of these spots are available at the contact number listed above. All PSI press materials are available at http://www.psi.org/resources/archives.html. ------ Editor's note: High resolution, publication-ready photo(s) supporting this story available for free editorial use at: http://www.wirepix.com/newsphotos/USN |