Sacramento, California—April 9, 2002—Africamix, a California based nonprofit organization of volunteers serving to introduce and incorporate volunteer arts and music celebrations into community-based child abuse intervention and prevention activities, today announced that it has received the CDs featuring songs about volunteering from the UN International Year of Volunteers.
"To further promote volunteerism, the songs celebrating volunteerism with CD-ROMs containing essential information about IYV 2001 will be distributed free of charge as gift to volunteers for the Africamix Collective Volunteer Pledge for Needy children festival" said Makuba Sekombo, Africamix project Coordinator.

Produced for the celebration of the International Year of Volunteers, Mr. Sekombo said that the album is a good example on how the world urgently needs effective volunteer programs that foster and encourage utilizing arts and music celebrations to help make the world a better place.

Mr. Sekombo also added that he believes the sense of community that the musicians from 18 countries created with United Nations International Year of Volunteers 2001 will be duplicated by other musicians around the world. "We're confident that IYV CDs will be an important feature that will attract a new group of volunteers to the Africamix Collective Volunteer Pledge For Needy Children festival," said Mr. Sekombo. "We believe the ability to offer free CDs featuring songs about volunteering will help in a more useful way the volunteer-organized and oriented festival designed to help combat child abuse and neglect."

The Africamix collective volunteer pledge festival, which UNICEF Africa has been named primary beneficiary, will commence its global tour in California in June. Hosts for the 20-country tour include Canada in July; England and France in August; Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia in September; Zambia, Mozambique, Madagascar and South Africa in October; Botswana, Angola, Congo Brazzaville, DR Congo and Senegal in November and Mali, Sierra-Leone and Nigeria in December.

For more information on the IYV album or Africamix Collective Volunteer Pledge for Needy Children, visit their Web site at http://www.afrikamix.com.

About Africamix
Africamix is committed to promoting volunteer multicultural arts and music festivals that provide forums for volunteer guest speakers to raise public awareness of the ongoing impact of child abuse and neglect. Africamix remains dedicated to the conviction that keeping children safe is a community responsibility, and prevention must be a community task. Every segment of society must be involved, including artists and musicians


About the IYV 2001: http://www.iyv2001.org/iyv_eng/world/creativity/songs/index.htm