India.Arie and Ashley Judd Explore The Worldwide Struggle Against HIV/AIDS

India.Arie and Ashley Judd Explore The Worldwide Struggle Against HIV/AIDS

'VH1 News Presents: Tracking The Monster: Ashley Judd and India.Arie Confront AIDS in Africa'

A Special Highlighting VH1's Partnership With The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Premiering Tuesday, August 23 at 8PM*

NEW YORK, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- AIDS: this health crisis has already taken the lives of over 20 million. Approximately 40 million people are living with HIV today. As part of its continuing public affairs initiative, VH1 invited India.Arie and Ashley Judd to take a first-hand look at the health emergency and how it is affecting communities in Nairobi, Kenya and Antanarivo, Madagascar. Though Ashley and India.Arie encountered sadness and suffering in these communities, they also found hope. Those who care for individuals affected by HIV/AIDS expressed this hope on a daily basis, through their remarkable courage and stamina in the face of the crisis. Watch India.Arie and Ashley Judd's emotional journeys on "VH1 News Presents: Tracking the Monster: Ashley Judd and India.Arie Confront AIDS in Africa."

Premiering Tuesday, August 23 at 8:00 p.m., "VH1 News Presents: Tracking the Monster: Ashley Judd and India.Arie Confront AIDS in Africa" is an intimate look at the global emergency of HIV/AIDS. The documentary follows India.Arie and Ashley Judd in Africa as they volunteer with two HIV/AIDS projects funded by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund). Working alongside local staff for a week, Ashley and India.Arie learned about the objectives of Global Fund projects as well as how to bring comfort and consolation to those who are affected by HIV/AIDS. Each day they journeyed into neighborhoods, hospices and HIV testing centers where they formed friendships with African people battling this disease. India.Arie and Ashley fed, hugged and listened to patients as they worked to ease their suffering and help to diminish the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

In the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, many families and communities have already been ravaged by the AIDS epidemic. The documentary follows India.Arie's visit with KENWA (the Kenya Network of Women with AIDS), a grassroots, community-based organization founded in 1993 by five women living with HIV/AIDS, and now supported mainly by the Global Fund. Accompanied by her mother Simpson, India.Arie joined community health workers in their daily rounds to care for AIDS orphans, and to offer comfort, physical care and counseling to individuals living with the disease. Together they met face to face with those who are HIV positive and live daily under dire circumstances.

In Madagascar, the incidence of HIV/AIDS is still low, and AIDS workers hope to seize opportunities to prevent an epidemic on a scale like that of Kenya. Together with the Global Fund, YouthAIDS has established testing centers in Madagascar for commercial sex workers, and for youth within local high schools.

As YouthAIDS Global Ambassador, Ashley Judd, joined local YouthAIDS staff as a peer educator, helping sex workers and adolescents understand the importance of being tested for HIV, and of modifying their behavior to best protect themselves. In Antananarivo, where AIDS still carries a heavy stigma, Ashley and her friend, Moyra Mulholland, experienced the tough street life of many young women who are most at risk of HIV infection.

"VH1's unprecedented commitment to tell the story of the Global Fund's life saving work means that millions of Americans will be awakened to the global catastrophe caused by these curable and preventable scourges," said Jack Valenti, President of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, a Washington, D.C. based organization that works to increase support for the Global Fund in the United States.

VH1's public affairs efforts also extends to its VH1.com web site, which will stream all of the network's PSAs and will highlight the network's campaign in collaboration with The Global Fund and feature HIV awareness information. Viewers can log onto http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/vh1_news_presents/93916/episode.jhtml for more information. For more information on The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, viewers can log onto The Global Fund site http://www.theglobalfund.org/ or http://www.vh1.com/aids.

"VH1 News Presents: Tracking the Monster: Ashley Judd and India.Arie Confront AIDS in Africa" was produced by Boom Pictures. Co-executive producers for Boom are Matthew Ginsburg and David Leepson. Warren Cohen was Senior Producer for VH1. Brad Abramson is the Executive Producer for VH1. Michael Hirschhorn and Shelly Tatro are Executive Producers for VH1.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was created in 2002 to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the world's most devastating diseases. The Global Fund attracts, manages and disburses resources to developing nations in their fight against AIDS. The Fund works closely with the 129 countries providing assistance during development and implementation of prevention, treatment, and training programs. Out of every dollar donated, 98 cents goes directly to the cause.

YouthAIDS, an HIV/AIDS education and prevention initiative of the global health organization Population Service International, targets young people between the ages of 15-24 with positive, upbeat messages of abstinence, delayed sexual debut and protected safer-sex. YouthAIDS uses media, pop culture, music, theatre and sport to reach 600 million young people in 60 countries with life-saving messages, products and services. http://www.youthaids.org/.

VH1, available in 87 million households in the U.S., connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 also has an array of digital services including VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH Uno, VH1 Mega Hits and VH1 Country. Connect with VH1 at http://www.vh1.com/. VH1 is a unit of Viacom International Inc.

* all times ET/PT

Contacts:
For VH1:
Laura Nelson Michelle Clark
212/846-7920 212/846-5576
laura.nelson@vh1staff.commichelle.clark@vh1staff.com

Vanessa Reyes/MTVN
310/752-8081
vanessa.reyes@mtvstaff.com

For YouthAIDS For The Global Fund:
Marshall Stowell Jon Liden
202 572-4619 011 41 79 244 6006
mstowell@psi.orgjon.liden@theglobalfund.org

Source: VH1

CONTACT: For VH1: Laura Nelson, +1-212-846-7920,
laura.nelson@vh1staff.com, or Michelle Clark, +1-212-846-5576,
michelle.clark@vh1staff.com, or Vanessa Reyes of MTVN, +1-310-752-8081,
vanessa.reyes@mtvstaff.com; or For YouthAIDS: Marshall Stowell, +1-202-572-
4619, mstowell@psi.org; or For The Global Fund: Jon Liden, +41-79-244-6006,
jon.liden@theglobalfund.org

Web site: http://www.vh1.com/
http://www.youthaids.org/
http://www.theglobalfund.org/
http://www.vh1.com/aids

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