Reaching New Heights to bring AIDS Messages and Water to Africa
(New York, NY and Johannesburg, South Africa, January 8, 2007) Producers of the award-winning children’s television series, Takalani Sesame, have achieved new heights to bring relevant HIV and AIDS prevention messages to African children and their families. The world’s first HIV-positive Muppet, Kami, relays pertinent AIDS facts from billboards on top of water towers created and built by PlayPumps, an organization that provides merry-go-round style pumps that bring water into communities in South Africa and throughout the sub-continent.
The new partnership blends the natural affinity shared by the two bodies for children’s interests through education and insuring daily essentials such as accessible water. Sesame Workshop’s Project Director for South Africa, Robert Knezevic, explains, “Encouraging education though play is an effective way of helping children to learn life-saving messages while they enjoy good exercise.” The United States Government agrees and through USAID and President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief will provide a combined $10 million over three years to support the provision and installation of PlayPumps in approximately 650 schools, health centers and HIV-affected communities. The $60 million dollar Public-Private Partnership also involves the Case Foundation to help bring the benefits of clean drinking water to about 10 million people in 10 sub-Saharan Africa countries by 2010.
Limited access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation facilities have a profound impact on the quality of life of children and families in sub-Saharan Africa. For HIV-infected people to remain healthy as long as possible and for people with AIDS to avoid opportunistic infections, access to clean drinking water and improved hygiene and sanitation practices are of the utmost importance.
Public health messages on PlayPump billboards provide a unique opportunity to promote healthy behaviors that limit the spread of HIV/AIDS. This alliance between public and private partners will promote better care for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, and hope for stronger families and healthier communities.
Since December 1st, World AIDS Day, more than 60 South African communities have seen billboards on village water tanks featuring Kami encouraging tolerance and sharing information about the disease.
We’re proud to be part of an initiative that increases awareness and promotes discussion about HIV/AIDS,” said Daniel Victor, Sesame Workshop’s Executive Vice President, International. “PlayPumps encourage children to be children—to play—while at the same time, help their communities by pumping water into tanks for use by schools, centers, and neighborhoods. The billboards and the playpumps are a great way to keep the community healthy in more ways than one.”
Contact:
Beatrice Chow, Sesame Workshop, beatrice.chow@sesameworkshop.org
Geoff Hopkins, PlayPumps, geoff@playpumps.org
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