PEPFAR Scores A Goal

Online, June 24, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Victor Mooney, Executive Director and Founder of South African Arts International, Ltd. (SAAI) will attend Ambassador Eric Goosby, Global AIDS Coordinator for United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), talk at the Brookings Institute on Monday, June 25. Afterwards, in celebration of PEPFAR 10 year anniversary, from June 25 - 26 PEPFAR member countries are invited to symbolically kick a 2010 Official World Cup Match Ball into a portable goal for an AIDS-free generation at their embassy. The futbol has been donated by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

PEPFAR beneficiaries at no cost in Africa, Caribbean, Asia, Europe and Latin America can win this futbol. To participate, just "like" facebook.com/goreechallenge. The randomly selected winner will be announced in Washington, DC on June 26. Beneficiaries can also follow twitter.com/goreechallenge to be eligible to win also. SAAI reserves the right to amend contest rules.

The Connecticut Avenue Days Inn (Washington, D.C.) and the Upper 90 Soccer + Sport (Brooklyn, New York) are supporters of this project.

In June 2002, President George W. Bush announced the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to combat global HIV/AIDS. Later that year, President Bush signed the initial 5-year, $15 billion authorizing legislation that had been approved with strong bipartisan support. President Bush viewed this commitment as a central part of America's foreign policy to help alleviate the despair that allows extremism to take hold.

PEPFAR is the largest international health initiative in history to fight a single disease. This effort has helped bring life-saving treatment to more than 2.1 million people and care for more than 10 million people - including more than four million orphans and vulnerable children - around the world. PEPFAR's success is rooted in U.S. support for local programs that use the power of partnerships among governments, foundations, non-governmental organizations, faith-based groups, and the private sector.Ten years later, President Barack Obama continues America's commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS. U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has also been a strong advocate for AIDS, especially for women and girls.

The International AIDS Society has selected South African Arts International -- Rowing with the Tide -- a six hundred mile coastal row from New York City to Washington, D.C. as a partner to bring awareness for the XIX International AIDS Conference in July. The theme of AIDS 2012, Turning the Tide Together, has been selected to emphasize how a global and decisive commitment is crucial to change the course of the epidemic now that science is presenting promising results in HIV treatment in HIV and biomedical prevention. During the coastal row, high profile ceremonial stops will be made in New York City, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Delaware, Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. In New York, Kingsborough Community College, Maritime Technology Program and SUNY Maritime College are the technical partners for this project. The custom made ocean rowboat is coming from Sao Paulo, Brazil. For more information and sponsorship opportunity, visit goreechallenge.com.