Public Health Campaign Gets A Pop Song

Bono, the mega rock star and public health advocate, is teaming up with R&B ing?nue Alicia Keys for a duet reprising Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's "Don?t Give Up," the 1980's hit from Gabriel's So album. Proceeds from the songs are to go towards a charity benefiting the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa.

"I love the song. And I love Bono," said Alicia Keys in a statement. "I believe AIDS is the most important issue we face ... I urge everyone to recognize the extreme disaster Africa is facing and step up."

From Music Career To Public Health Career

Bono is U2's front man, but in the last five years he is getting as much media face time for his advocacy of the African poverty fight than he is for churning out catchy hits. Bono is regularly invited into the most rarified corridors of world power, sitting down with leaders like President Bush or the UN Secretary General, Koffi Anan.

Currently U2 is on a world tour promoting their latest effort, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." The tour is scheduled to wrap up in March, leaving Bono to pursue public health advocacy almost exclusively.

Don't Give Up, Sing Bono And Keys

Alicia Keys and Bono performed "Don't Give Up" for a benefit in New York last year. According to BBC News, the public health fundraiser raised more than $1 million for fighting AIDS in Africa.

The charity in question is Keep a Child Alive. The goal of the organization is to get Americans to donate a dollar a day to help African children afflicted with HIV or AIDS. It funds clinics in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.

Public Health On iTunes

According to the Keep a Child Alive website, the song will be downloadable on the iTunes website in time for Christmas 2005. Organizers hope the song will help raise millions of dollars.

Public Health Jobs in Africa

A public health career can easily take you to African cause like the one Bono and Alicia Keys espouse. Public Health jobs can be in long-term development programs, like Keep a Child Alive, or for more emergency type work settings like fighting hunger and the ravages of war.

Sources

eonline

About the Author

Alex Russel is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, NY. Since graduating from Syracuse University he has worked at many different media companies in fields as diverse as film, TV, advertising, and journalism. He holds a dual bachelor's degree in English and History.