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Emeka Okafor: Saving 1,000,000 Lives For millions of Americans, Emeka Okafor of the New Orleans Hornets is a hero. As a collegiate basketball player, he shared a national championship with his University of Connecticut teammates while garnering recognition as the NCAA's Most Outstanding Player and graduating with a degree in Finance in just three years. As a professional, he took the medal stand at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and earned the 2005 NBA Rookie of the Year award. Not content to rest on his laurels, Emeka has his sights set on a different kind of prize – saving 1,000,000 lives in Sub-Saharan Africa by preventing HIV infection.
"In my home country of Nigeria and across the African continent, innocent men, women and children are likely given a death sentence when infected with HIV and other blood-borne diseases through tainted blood transfusions," said Okafor. "Sadly, as pregnant women and children receive the most blood transfusions, they are the groups who most often receive the disease this way. Simply testing the blood from one person before it is given to another can help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and save hundreds and thousands of African lives each year." Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 70% of the estimated 33 million persons living with HIV/AIDS. Ten percent of those afflicted contract the disease through tainted blood. Less than half of the 6 million annual blood transfusions in Africa are tested for infectious disease. But the human cost can’t be measured in statistics. As Emeka notes, "I've seen firsthand the heartbreak and suffering caused by infected blood transfusions. But it doesn't have to be this way." In November 2005, Emeka launched the One Million African Lives Initiative to prevent HIV infection caused by tainted blood. Through personal appeals, fundraising campaigns and his own resources, he plans to distribute 10,000,000 blood testing kits and the associated medical training in partnership with Safe Blood for Africa (SBFA) Foundation. At a mere $15 per kit, blood transfusion testing is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent HIV/AIDS infection especially among women and children. Emeka's concern for the pandemic finds tangible expression on this side of the ocean as well. On World AIDS Day 2008, Emeka launched a Mobile Texting Campaign where texting HIV to 90999 will donate $5 to fighting HIV/AIDS. An active participant in Until There's A Cure® Foundation's public service advertising campaign, Emeka hopes his legions of fans will support the fight against HIV/AIDS and take personal responsibility to stem the tide of infection. It's a new year and a new decade. It's time for HIV/AIDS to be part of our history, not part of our future. Download this story as a PDF file. » Home | Shop | Donate | Get Involved | Grants | Partnerships | Retail Program |
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Born and raised in the United States, Emeka is the son of Nigerian immigrants who escaped the grip of poverty and political unrest to provide a safe and prosperous life for their children. A gifted student and athlete, Emeka took full advantage of the opportunities presented to him by hard work and an unwavering commitment to excellence. With success comes the chance to give something back to his native land.