Africare will present General Colin L. Powell with the 2005 Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award on October 13 at the 2005 Africare Bishop John T. Walker Memorial Dinner at the Washington Hilton. Past recipients of the award include Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Sargent Shriver, Dorothy I. Height, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
At the event, emceed by NBC Today Show Host and News Correspondent Ann Curry, Africare will also celebrate its 35th anniversary. Over the course of 35 years, Africare has become a leader among private, nonprofit U.S. organizations assisting Africa. Its self-help programs benefit families and communities continent-wide in two principal areas: food security and agriculture, and health and HIV/AIDS. The organization also works to improve access to clean water, the environment, literacy and vocational training, mincroenterprise, civil society development and governance, and emergency humanitarian aid.
"Africare can be justifiably proud of its legacy of hope and caring,"? said General Powell. "For many years Africare's legacy has meant tons of food to feed the hungry and gallons of water to refresh the thirsty of Africa. But its programs have also meant the chance for a brighter and more productive future for the peoples of Africa."
Founded in 1970 in response to the Sahelian draught, Africare began with a single project in Niger. Since that time Africare has undertaken a total of 2,000 projects and provided more than $540 million in assistance to families and local communities in 36 countries Africa-wide.
The Africare Bishop Walker Dinner is the largest, most prestigious annual benefit for Africa in the United States, attended by more than 2,000 international dignitaries, corporate officials, African-American leaders and others with special ties to Africa. It is a top multicultural event. Event proceeds support Africare's mission of assistance to Africa.
