PRESS RELEASE Nº372/2014

ETHIOPIA LAUNCHES AFRICA AGAINST EBOLA SMS CAMPAIGN
Ethiopia using 7979 short code to raise funds

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia December 20, 2014: The African Union in collaboration with the Ethiopian Government launched the Africa Against Ebola Ethiopia SMS campaign today.

The campaign aims to involve African citizens to contribute in the fight against the epidemic and mobilise citizens across the continent to contribute in the fight against Ebola by texting “StopEbola” to the designated country code and donating. The funds raised will be used for the training and deployment of further ASEOWA personnel.

At today’s event, the African Union Commission also signed an MOU with Ethiopian telecommunications corporation as part of the resource mobilization efforts to support the ASEOWA operations in the fight against Ebola.

The Chairperson of the AUC H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in her opening remarks expressed her sincere gratitude to the Ethiopian Government and the private sector for joining the SMS campaign in the fight against Ebola. “We are especially grateful to the Government of Ethiopia because they have also sent a lot of their young women and men to the front line to work with their brothers and sisters in the three countries. Looking at the figures, Ethiopia has the biggest contingent on the ground, just above Nigeria” noted
H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. She also added that “this will encourage our partners outside Africa when they see we are taking a lead sending our young women and men, raising our own funds within our continent. It is encouraging to see that we are just not sitting here and doing noting waiting for people from outside to help and we hope that with this, we are able to make a difference in the fight against Ebola.”

The Chairperson announced that the AU, under its African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa, now has just under 500 health workers fighting Ebola in the most affected countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone and that it expects to have 1000 soon.

Mr. Andualem Admassie, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Telecom in his speech said, “If we do not come together in coordinating and addressing the epidemic, it will not just be limited to the 3 countries it will ultimately affect all of Africa. Each and every African has to do what they can to reverse the effects of Ebola”, adding “Ethiopians and residents of Ethiopia can join the fight by contributing 5 birr by sending a text ’’StopEbola” to the short code for Ethiopia 7979”

Mr. Eyob Tolina, representing the Ethiopian private sector called upon the people of Ethiopia to take part in this campaign, and urged the business community to continue their pledge to participate in the Africa Against Ebola campaign.

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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