Goosby Joins Bono's Heart of America Tour

Bono and Heart of America Tour members warm up the crowd.

On World AIDS Day, December 1, 2002, Irish rock star Bono kicked off his Heart of America Tour in Lincoln, Nebraska. The week-long tour was intended to call attention to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa and to mobilize a coalition of Americans dedicated to persuading President Bush and other government leaders to provide the funding needed to fight AIDS in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world.

		Back to Page 1
		Articles in This Issue:
		•	Pangaea Partners with Clinton Foundation on Countrywide AIDS Treatment Programs
		•	Dr. Goosby's Global View: A Response to the Bush Administration's Proposal for Global AIDS Funding
		•	Pangea Staff Profile: Renè Durazzo - Vice President, Global Programs
		•	Pfizer Provides $11 Million to Build AIDS Clinic in Uganda
		•	Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Funds Treatment Program in South Africa
		•	Goosby Joins Bono's Heart of America Tour
		•	Rwandan President Honored During Visit to San Francisco

Dr. Eric Goosby, Pangaea's CEO, joined the tour as one of three medical experts on HIV/AIDS. Also joining Bono on the tour were actress Ashley Judd, champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, a children's singing and drama group from Ghana called the Gateway Ambassadors, and Agnes Nayamayarw -- an HIV-positive nurse from Uganda making her first visit to the U.S. The tour stopped in colleges, community centers, and churches in seven Midwestern states, including Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Bono and actress Ashley Judd address the media.

As expected, the charismatic Bono attracted great attention along the way. But this was not a U2 tour.  Although many people turned out to see the rock star, they came away impressed with the depth of Bono's passion for finding a way to end the AIDS epidemic. As Bono told the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, "We look like we're coming to town with the cause du jour, but the first thing we have to put right is . . . the AIDS emergency is not a cause. It is an emergency. Two and a half million Africans are going to die next year for the stupidest of reasons: money. Everyone looks for America to set the level. I just think this might be the time for America to step out in front."

Pangaea's Dr. Goosby makes the case for building HIV/AIDS treatment programs in Africa.

The tour included small meetings with community and political leaders, press briefings, and larger presentations to student, church, and community groups. Dr. Goosby's role in the tour was to describe the history of the AIDS epidemic and to outline its overwhelming threat to countries in Africa and throughout the developing world, as well as to indicate how practical treatment and prevention programs can be implemented. Dr. Goosby commented, "Although we're still far from claiming victory, the United States, which is in its 21st year of developing a response to AIDS, is at a point where partnering treatment with prevention has helped to stem the tide. The same can be true in Africa if we can enhance local infrastructure to support HIV/AIDS treatment, education, and prevention efforts."

Bono used his week on small stages in the Midwest to preach a strong message - the United States should dramatically increase its funding of international AIDS programs and allocate $3 billion annually to fight the epidemic.  Financier Warren Buffett traveled with Bono during the tour and discussed how best to mobilize public opinion. Buffett advised: "Don't appeal to the conscience of America, appeal to its greatness."