NEW YORK (PRWEB) October 20, 2014
KEEP OUR KIDS FROM BECOMING A STATISTIC
Afya Foundation, a first mover in health-related crises, amplifies measurable impact by rapidly expediting much needed medical supplies and materials to areas in times of disaster, advancing strategic and educational outreach and creating effective medical protocols to ensure a positive impact on the health of people globally, have partnered with award-winning advertising agency, StrawberryFrog, and world-famous director, Indrani, in a call to action to raise awareness and much-needed philanthropic investment to support health workers in Sierra Leone and stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, while preventing further outbreak elsewhere.
Together, the esteemed team created a compelling video to become the driving force behind the campaign they hope will urge individuals, corporations, and foundations to take immediate action to combat this deadly virus and other health-related crises. Here is a link to the video: http://tinyurl.com/afyafoundationhelpsebola. A fundraising campaign was launched on crowdfunding platform, Fundly, to make it easier to accept donations: https://fundly.com/stop-ebola-spread-in-africa. (Please note: Children in the video are actors and have not actually been exposed to Ebola.)
When Afya Foundation’s executive director, Danielle Butin, was asked what the general public’s responsibility is to helping others abroad, she said, “We are talking about humanity, we’re not talking about here and over there. It is one and we are one. There is no separation. We have an ethical responsibility to give voice to those who have traditionally not been listened to or responded to proactively. When I founded the Afya Foundation in 2008 it was prompted by a visit to Tanzania where I witnessed first-hand the lack of access to medical supplies and even the most basic supplies needed to maintain a standard of health that we take for granted. It is unimaginable to witness this and not respond immediately and that is the core of Afya’s work.”
The video is the brainchild of Scott Goodson at StrawberryFrog, and like all great philanthropic journeys, there is a story behind its inception:
“About 2 weeks ago I read about these five kids coming into contact with the Ebola virus in Texas," says Scott Goodson, of the ad agency behind the campaign, "I lost my breath," he explains. Sitting in his office on Madison Avenue the next day feeling a little bit worse for wear, and with a frog in his throat, he began to write the script together with Kelly Beck. "Actually: what I wanted to do was communicate to mothers and fathers and children in America that we need to do something to stop Ebola in West Africa now, and to give them hope that there's something you can do now. I think the scare in Texas woke me up to the risk of not doing more to stop Ebola in West Africa. I didn't want people to lose faith or have apathy to this issue but to help AfyaFoundation.org. I then called my friend Indrani one of the finest directors out there who immediately agree to get involved in the project. Then, so many wonderful kids and parents donated their time, including my two sons who were thrilled to do what they could. My older son said 'My God! I can do something and make a difference.' Danielle, the director of Ayfa, has been incredibly supportive. This film is an incredibly powerful message in what feels like a voice in the wilderness."
The project is lucky to have landed such a talented director dedicated to supporting this humanitarian cause. Indrani said, "When in the midst of a fashion commercial, Scott turned to me with "Can you create a spot in three days to support Afya's work against Ebola?" I didn't hesitate: we need urgent action now! Producer GK Reid and I were thrilled to jump in to help Afya support those who are risking their lives to protect us all. Scott and StrawberryFrog create brilliant campaigns starting cultural movements, and that's exactly what's needed here, to motivate people to turn their fears into action to help make a difference. Though we usually work with celebrities and brands, we were happy to shoot with our friends and family as actors and production team, to create a video that reminds us all that beyond the statistics are real people whom we can save."
The CDC is estimating one million people will die from the virus in six months unless we cease transmission. The statistic makes prevention at the source of the virus, as well as increased protocols here in the United States, among our best lines of defense.
The deadly virus is spread from human contact through the exchange of bodily fluids. Sweat, blood, and saliva are all carriers of the disease. Prevention is the key element of protection, and if proper precautions aren’t taken before, during and after contact with an infected person, the virus is easily spread.
ABOUT AFYA FOUNDATION
AFYA Foundation’s mission is to recover targeted surplus medical supplies, hospital equipment and humanitarian provisions from healthcare, corporate and private communities in order to establish a categorized and consolidated inventory and rapidly expedite it in times of disaster and support ongoing health initiatives in Africa and the Caribbean. For more information, visit http://www.afyafoundation.org.
ABOUT INDRANI
Award-winning director and photographer Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri is known for her powerful storytelling and iconic imagery, with celebrities from Beyoncé to Lady Gaga to David Bowie and for brands from L'Oréal and Barney's to Pepsi. Her short film won the top 4 awards at the Fashion Film Festival and her campaign for Keep A Child Alive won 2 Gold Lions at Cannes. She starred in Double Exposure a 6-hour docu-series about her work on Bravo TV, which aired in over 100 countries, and she is the author of Icons: The Celebrity Exposures of Markus + Indrani launched with a giant photo exhibition presented by the Lincoln Center.
ABOUT SCOTT GOODSON AND STRAWBERRYFROG
Scott Goodson is the award-winning founder of the world's first movement marketing agency StrawberryFrog. Scott has helped build and revitalize some of the world's most iconic brands such as Google, Emirates Airline, Jim Beam, Morgan Stanley, PepsiCo, and Heineken. Scott is also the author of best seller Uprising: How to build a brand and change the world by sparking cultural movements.
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**Media Note: Interviews and additional information are available upon request.
Submit all inquiries to Razonia McClellan at razonia(at)razoniapr(dot)com or call 432.352.7477.**