Voice of America Washington, DC 20237  Tel: (202) 619-2538 Fax: (202) 619-1241 E-mail: pubaff@ibb.gov

Washington, D.C., January 24, 2000 - The Voice of America has received a Medal of Honor from the Africa-based Confederation of East and Central African Football Associations, CECAFA, in honor of a special series of AIDS-related programs of interest to sports fans.  VOA English to Africa reporter Kemi Southey-Cole and stringer Francis Niba worked together on the programs.  Dr. David Awasum of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communications, which facilitated VOA's work with CECAFA, received the Medal of Honor from CECAFA on VOA's behalf.

Dr. Awasum said that "the VOA broadcasts during the two weeks touched many hearts." The programs coincided with a series of soccer tournaments on the African continent, reaching large audiences of men in their teens and early 20's. This age group is one of the most vulnerable in the effort to combat the spread of the AIDS virus.

Dr. Awasum plans to use news clips from VOA, and other stations that participated in the initial special programming, at a booth in Accra that will be set up for over fifty soccer delegations.  Johns Hopkins wants VOA to become a partner in training such groups in South and West Africa to disseminate health information via sports events.

The Voice of America's English to Africa Service broadcasts a total of 28 and a half hours each week to the African continent.  VOA broadcasts news and information in 53 languages to an estimated audience of 91 million people each week.

Contact: George Mackenzie
Phone: 202-619-2538
E-mail: pubaff@voa.gov