"Idol" donations help combat AIDS in Africa

KHAYELITSHA, South Africa — "American Idol" viewers will never see this particular performance of anti-AIDS songs and dances in a modest community hall, but they helped pay for it.

After a star-studded "American Idol" extravaganza in April raised more than $75 million, the money is trickling down to charities in the United States and Africa. Five charities working in Africa each received $6 million, including an anti-AIDS peer-education program where students fuse "What a Wonderful World" with African opera and break-dancing with traditional rhythms.

The campaign called "Idol Gives Back" is the latest in a long line of high-profile efforts to raise funds for Africa.

"Idol" beneficiaries Malaria No More and Nothing But Nets say it costs about $10 to buy and distribute one insecticide-treated net and teach communities to use it. Sub-Saharan Africa needs about 300 million nets.

The Charity Projects Entertainment Fund — linked to Britain's hugely successful Comic Relief charity campaign — also distributed "Idol" donations to Save the Children, the U.N. Children's Fund and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, all well-established groups.

In Rwanda, UNICEF is using "Idol" money to help heal wounds from a genocide that killed 800,000 people. At Kawangire Primary School, 60 miles east of Kigali, pupils have formed clubs such as "Unity and Reconciliation" to overcome ethnic tensions.

Even though Rwanda has a record 93 percent primary enrollment, the school has a high dropout rate because of poverty. It provides free meals and catch-up programs to draw young dropouts back into the classroom.

In Kenya, about $1 million is going to Kibera, one of Africa's largest slums, not far from Nairobi. The desperate story of Kibera and two of its orphans was broadcast to millions of "American Idol" viewers this year.

The Rev. Anne Owiti runs the Kibera Community Self Help Program, known as Kicoshep, which operates a clinic, a youth training facility and a school. "The money will go a long way in helping the needy," she said.

The Global Fund singled out South Africa's Western Cape Province for "Idol Gives Back" funding in part because of its strong youth programs. HIV infection rates for those under 20 in the province have decreased from 8.2 to 7.2 percent in the past three years.

Rajesh Anandan, head of private-sector partnerships at the fund, said programs like "Idol Gives Back" show Americans and Europeans that they are not giving handouts.

"This isn't about poor, starving, helpless, incompetent people," he said.

He added that the "Idol Gives Back" donation is not merely a drop in the ocean.

"It's easy to get lost in numbers of billions of dollars a year," he said. "But when you get down to funding things that work and have a real impact, then $6 million goes a long way."