? appointed Board Member of WOFA
Accra, 1st November 2007 ? An International HIV/AIDS Charity Foundation based in Accra- Ghana, the Woyome Foundation for Africa (WOFA) has announced the appointment of the internationally acclaimed trumpeter and flugelhornist Hugh Masekela to the Foundation?s Board. The South African composer and singer is expected to augment the efforts of the Board and Management of WOFA working with other bodies to fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa through a direct approach aimed at achieving universal accessibility to treatment, therapy and care.
Mr. Masekala who is currently in Accra says he is happy to serve on the WOFA Board because it gives him an opportunity to contribute to halting the spread of the disease which is tearing the continent apart and also bring medical care and support to persons already infected. Africa is currently the greatest victim of this pandemic with statistics showing that Sub- Saharan Africa accounts for over 70% of prevalence globally ? the majority of whom are women. He endorsed the aims and objective of WOFA and called on Africans and the world to wake up and change what is a terrible situation into a better one.
Hugh Masekela is a vibrant trumpet and flugelhorn soloist with international hits, has worked with various bands around the world including African, African-American, European and various American musicians. As a Board member, Hugh Masekela will also join in the Foundation?s educational and advocacy programs aimed at effecting a speedy change in attitude towards and about HIV/AIDS and infected persons.
He will also be the Artistic Director of WOFA?s upcoming Global fundraising concert, the ?Africa Life Aid-Live Concert? in Accra- Ghana next year.
According to WOFA officials, the Concert which will be hosted every two years in the country that hosts the African Cup of Nations Football Tournament will bring unto one stage over a dozen of the best names and faces in international music and showbiz for a full length concert that will be beamed to Television stations across the globe.
The ?Africa Life Aid-Live Concert? will be used as a platform to raise funds through among others, SMS and online platforms, ?with the funds going into projects including a 350-bed HIV/AIDS Treatment & Research Hospital in a number of African countries, provision of badly needed medical support for millions infected with the Virus and also educational campaigns aimed at ending the stigmatisation and discrimination of infected persons.?
The Chairman of the WOFA Board of Directors and Acting Program Manager Alfred Woyome thanked Mr. Masekala for accepting to join the fight to free the continent of HIV/AIDS. He also called on Africans and the world to wake up to the realities of the HIV/AIDS situation noting that, ?the stigmatisation of infected persons and the tendency for everybody to pretend that it only affects some people not us, is what is contributing to the meteoric spread of infections.? Background: WOFA is a charity foundation registered in Ghana and is focused on providing care and support for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), and protection and support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs).
Under its Africa Life Aid Project, the Woyome Foundation for Africa has initiated a number of activities and campaigns to draw attention to the problem; raise funds globally for the care of PLWHAs & OVCs (Orphaned & Vulnerable Children) and behavioural change to end stigmatization. For further information about the Foundation, visit www.wofound.org.
