United Against Malaria (UAM) has been named Global Campaign of the Year for the successful anti-malaria drive at the 2013 Orange™ Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
During Afcon South Africa 2013, UAM seamlessly integrated anti-malaria messages into the schedule of live matches and reached an estimated 1billion people; impacting positively on the lives of many fans as they enjoyed the biggest continental soccer spectacle.
Boutique agency KYNE and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) announced that UAM was named Global Campaign of the Year at the 2014 PRWeek Awards ceremony held in New York City on March 20, the premier accolades of the communications industry.
“We commend UAM on this accolade and the success of our partnership. We are pleased with the impact the Africa Cup of Nations is having on hundreds of millions of people across the continent. Football is a powerful force that reaches out to everyone; fostering positive transformation and development in many lands. Therefore, to have this spectacle of football not only provide entertainment, foster friendship, peace and inspire generations but significantly contribute to fighting and rolling back the devastation of a leading killer like malaria is joyous and will deeply motivate us to even work harder and augment present initiatives so that we can achieve even more,” said Issa Hayatou, president of the Confederation of African Football in extoling UAM on the accolade.
As an official social cause of Afcon, the UAM campaign partners worked with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and influential media companies, including SuperSport and Africa24, to leverage television, radio and print channels to reach people living in endemic countries with educational messages. The communications featured African celebrity players, such as Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o, as well as heads of state.
More important than reach, studies show that after seeing a UAM spot, fans took action to protect themselves and their families.
An estimated 1 billion people were reached with life-saving messages about prevention and treatment of malaria as UAM seamlessly integrated the 2013 Orange™ Afcon from the opening ceremony to the final match won by Nigeria who beat Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final at Soccer City.
“UAM is a true example of the power of public-private partnerships to create social change and lasting impact,” said Hervé Verhoosel, head of external relations for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.
“We are so proud of our UAM partners including non-profits, the private sector, government leaders, CAF, soccer federations and players, and the United Nations system. Each played a critical role in leveraging Afcon (Africa Cup of Nations) to help end malaria and leave a lasting legacy.”
“As a group of partners committed to the fight against malaria, we are grateful and honored by this recognition,” said David Kyne, chief executive officer of KYNE and campaign manager for United Against Malaria.
“This award is testament to the work and commitment of RBM partners Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, Malaria No More and Speak Up Africa, as well as African corporate partners such as Nando’s and Standard Bank, who worked together under the UAM banner to drive progress against malaria, a preventable and treatable disease that still kills a child in Africa every 60 seconds.”
Confederation of African Football (CAF) News
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