USA (MNN) — HIV/AIDS is pandemic across Africa. The situation isn’t getting any better. Trans World Radio knows this and they’re doing what they can to head off this disease that’s killing millions and leaving millions of children orphans. The need is so great, TWR is partnering with radio stations in the United States.
WNNL-FM “The Light” in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is a black Gospel radio station, was the most recent radio station to join in the fight, says TWR’s John Summerville. “We wanted to focus on HIV/AIDS and so we ran a campaign from 6:00AM to 6:00PM and the campaign did great. We had a goal of $24,000 and we hit that goal,” says Summerville.
The focus was TWR’s work in Swaziland, which has an AIDS rate of about 39-percent. Summerville says, “Trans World Radio runs programs right now called Kerus, which is an educational program. We partner with Kerus Global. And then we also do it via the air. So, we’re trying to teach people about abstinence, about the HIV/AID virus, we’re trying to debunk the myths that surround AIDS.”
But, Summerville says, that’s not the most important part of their work. “The most important part is that no matter what we teach them, as far as AIDS is concerned, the most important part is that we teach them about Jesus Christ. If they can avoid AIDS and they don’t know Jesus Christ, they’re still going to go to hell.”
What’s interesting about this campaign, is that the station is owned by Radio 1, which is a secular radio network. Summerville says, “All of their stations reach a black audience, regardless of what the formats are, but the contemporary Gospel reaches the black Christian audience. This is the first that Trans World Radio has branched out into this area to reach into this audience.”
TWR is so thrilled with the response they hope to be in three other markets in 2007.
