American Rower and African President Team Up to Fight AIDS

President Obiang of The Republic of Equatorial Guinea joined Victor Mooney of Queens this morning in the global fight against AIDS.

President Obiang of The Republic of Equatorial Guinea joined Victor Mooney of Queens this morning in the global fight against AIDS. Mr. Mooney presented the Head of State with a OraQuick ADVANCE® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test that detects antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 in 20 minutes, which the government plans to use in their country.

Later this year, Mr. Mooney will make his fourth attempt to row across the Atlantic Ocean in a Brazilian built ocean rowboat christened the Spirit of Malabo that was sponsored by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. The primary focus of Mooney's mission is to encourage voluntary HIV testing. Mooney has lost one brother to AIDS and has another battling the disease. The mission will also mobilize the Diaspora and others to help the United Nations permanent memorial for the transatlantic slave trade become a reality.

The Goree Challenge Project is supported by over one-hundred corporate supporters, an array of governments, local and global health institutions and the general public.

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea (República de Guinea Ecuatorial) is the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa, and one of the smallest nations on the continent. In the late-1990s, American companies helped discover the country's oil and natural gas resources, which only within the last five years began contributing to the global energy supply. Equatorial Guinea is now working to serve as a pillar of stability and security in its region of West Central Africa.

Over the weekend, Mr. Mooney will continue his sea trials with a row from Orient Point to the Hamptons. The Head of State is in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly. For more, visit http://www.goreechallenge.com.