Three-time African footballer of the year, Yaya Toure joined Hollywood actor Idris Elba, former Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira and a host of international footballers to launch a public awareness campaign to help combat the Ebola epidemic in the West African region and recognize the health workers fighting the deadly disease.
The Ebola outbreak, at its worst on record has killed more than 6,000 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the three countries most affected by the epidemic.
The Africa United initiative was released ahead of the African Cup of Nations draw in Equatorial Guinea’s capital Malabo on Wednesday, broadcasts information on the disease and how to stop it spreading in French, English, Krio and other local languages.
According to their website, the Africa United initiative is a global team of football stars, celebrities, international health organizations and corporations committed to stopping the spread of Ebola in West Africa. Africa United provides critical education, resources and solidarity to those affected by Ebola in West Africa. Our mission is to help stop the spread of Ebola and ensure access to healthcare by: driving adherence to positive behavior change messages, dispelling rumors and misconceptions, and instilling confidence in and acknowledging the vital role of community health workers.
Messages will be sent out to the three countries and their neighbours via television, radio, billboards and phone text messages, said organisers.
Manchester City midfielder Toure hails from Ivory Coast, which shares borders with three countries hit by the disease but has so far been spared.
‘I could not sit back without doing something to help fight Ebola,’ said Toure. ‘(The campaign) pays tribute to the many, many African heroes who are in the villages, towns and cities using their skills, resourcefulness and intelligence to battle Ebola.’
Elba, who came to fame in TV series The Wire and played Nelson Mandela in the biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, said the campaign had a special resonance to him.
‘For me the battle against Ebola is a personal one,’ said Elba, whose parents are from Sierra Leone and Ghana.
‘To see those amazing countries in West Africa where my father grew up and my parents married being ravaged by this disease is painful and horrific.’
In one of the campaign’s video clips, Elba plays a football coach giving a halftime talk during West Africa’s ‘life or death’ match against Ebola and passing on tips on how to spot the disease and prevent new infections.
In another clip, Toure is joined by fellow footballers Carlton Cole, Kei Kamara, Patrick Vieira, Fabrice Muamba and Andros Townsend pay homage to the work of frontline healthcare workers by wearing their names on the backs of their jerseys.
The Africa United campaign was backed by the CDC Foundation and managed by KYNE and Speak Up Africa
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