MTV President Visits IMPACT Project in Nakuru

Bill Roedy, President of MTV International, and his family and staff visited the USAID IMPACT Project in Nakuru on Feb. 25, 2005, where they were given a tour of community efforts to combat HIV and AIDS by Ruth Odhiambo, the FHI/IMPACT Field Manager for the Rift Valley Province.

Roedy was impressed with the comprehensiveness of the work being done by IMPACT's implementing partners and how they work together to achieve a common end - HIV prevention and the care and treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA). He was particularly impressed by the Society of Women and AIDS in Kenya (SWAK) and its contributions to children and empowering PLHA through the Ambassadors of Hope initiative. Roedy promised to help develop a logo for the Ambassadors of Hope.

Because of his commitment to young people, Roedy was very interested in IMPACT's Magnet Theatre program for out-of-school youth and the Kenya Girls Guide Association (KGGA) in-school program featuring the life skills curriculum, badge system and the new Sara Communication initiative that provides young girls with a role model.

After the tour of the Nakuru community programs from the IMPACT office, Roedy and his delegation visited a large primary school in a slum area of Nakuru where they were entertained by brownies and girl guides of the local KGGA chapter at an outdoor assembly of the whole school.

Roedy also visited Kenya in connection with the launch of a Kenya MTV channel. FHI is a partner of MTV in the Staying Alive initiative, which promotes HIV prevention messages on the local version of the international entertainment channel.

Photo: Bill Roedy, pictured right, visits the FHI/IMPACT Project office in Nakuru, Kenya. (FHI)