For Immediate Release:  September 2, 2010

Millennium Development Goal #5 –
Improve Maternal Health
Comes “Alive” in NYC at The Frying Pan with
5 Alive
Wednesday, September 22, 2010

NEW YORK, NY – The Los Angeles-based nonprofit, NextAid, along with The White Ribbon Alliance, an international coalition to promote safe motherhood, and Turntables on the Hudson are holding a unique benefit called 5 Alive on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 in New York City, during the week of the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), and WIE (Women: Inspiration & Enterprise) Symposium.

The name 5 Alive relates to Millennium Development Goal #5: Improve Maternal Health (MDG5).  The event will take place on an historic lightship on the Hudson, The Frying Pan, located at West 26th Street and Hudson River Park in Manhattan (vehicle access or taxi drop off is prohibited in the Hudson River Park, where Frying Pan is located, please see end of press release for specific instructions); the venue is covered so guests can enjoy the night rain or shine. Ticket prices are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, proceeds to benefit projects dedicated to improving maternal health in Africa. Promotional partners include The Bloom Effect, Media Services NYC, Fusicology, and Green Galactic.  Advance tickets are available online here: http://5alive.eventbrite.com. For more information, please visit www.nextaid.org, email events@nextaid.org, or call 424-298-8451.

Benefit-goers will be treated to a DJ set by Anané Vega (www.ananesworld.com), NextAid’s ambassador for this project (learn more below).  Attendees will also experience the magic of New York’s favorite groove crew Turntables on the Hudson (www.turntablesonthehudson.com) with long time NextAid supporters Nickodemus, Amon (DJ/drum; www.amondrum.com) and DJ G O V from Dubspot (www.dubspot.com).  Special guests also include the Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Maya Azucena, co-founder of MDGfive.com an interactive website that brings international artists and relevant creative content together with activists in local communities, in support of the cause (www.mayaazucena.com). Also, Abby Dobson will perform a rare acoustic set to warm up the atmosphere for an enriching evening of music and social change (http://abbydobson.bandcamp.com).

This special 5 Alive event will raise awareness about the UN Millennium Development Goals and specifically MDG5 that targets maternal mortality in developing countries where pregnancy is the largest killer of girls ages 15 to 19-years-old.

“Every minute of every day, a woman dies of pregnancy related complications, totaling more than one half million women each year. These deaths leave approximately 2 million children a year motherless. Without their mothers, these children are 5-8 times more likely to die before they get to their first birthday.” – White Ribbon Alliance

In a very natural progression, NextAid, who has been helping children and communities in Africa for the better part of the last decade, has come to focus much of their energies on MDG5 this year.  They are helping to support the development of a groundbreaking new initiative: Women and Girl’s Health Resource Centers.  In collaboration with the First Ladies Initiative, a nonprofit working with African First Ladies in support of their efforts to become champions for change, and Architecture for Humanity, NextAid and other NGOs are helping to bring much needed resources and support to the women and mothers of Africa.  Working closely with select African First Ladies to design and build two initial Women and Girls’ Health Resource Centers, the pilot centers in Namibia and Sierra Leone and will serve as models for additional centers in other parts of Africa. While these centers will first and foremost serve the needs of pre and post-natal women and girls, they will also provide inter-pregnancy care to families, including an array of targeted support services based on community priorities. They will also provide educational outreach including midwifery training and related services.  This project, supporting the global movement towards achieving Millennium Development Goal #5: Improve Maternal Health, engages grassroots activism, high-level advocacy and creative design to show impact and inspire change.  NextAid is also hosting fundraising benefits in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the coming months.

About Anané Vega
Billboard magazine has described the artist as “combining earthiness with glamour and roots-deep house music knowledge with pop wise diversity.” Music has been in her blood since growing up in Cape Verde, an island nation off the coast of West Africa. Anané eventually decided to bring her talents to New York City where, armed with nothing more than a bag full of clothes and a heart full of dreams, she immersed herself in the city’s club culture. She met DJ/Producer Louie Vega, who tapped her as an integral member of the Elements of Life Collective, and Anané used that as a stepping-stone to an international career that has included appearances all over the world.  Check out her new album on iTunes.

About Nickodemus
Well known as a DJ and a producer, Nickodemus explores the intersection of urban and world music with sounds of funk, folk, jazz, hip hop, house and dub; his music and events all have the message of peace, awareness and love for dance. Since Nickodemus started Turntables on the Hudson parties in 1998, the music policy has not changed – maximum funk and absolute fun (www.nickodemus.com).

About NextAid
NextAid’s mission is to improve the lives of children and youth in Africa by promoting and implementing sustainable solutions. NextAid raises awareness for, and partners with, community-based projects and grassroots organizations in Africa and believes that an integrated approach is the best formula for establishing real and lasting change. Through music events and public education initiatives, NextAid provides empowering opportunities for concerned individuals to make a difference (www.nextaid.org).

About White Ribbon Alliance
The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (www.whiteribbonalliance.org) is an international coalition of individuals and organizations formed to promote increased public awareness of the need to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for all women and newborns in the developing, as well as, developed countries. The white ribbon is dedicated to the memory of all women who have died in pregnancy and childbirth. In some cultures, white symbolizes mourning and in others it symbolizes hope and life. The white ribbon represents this dual meaning globally. The White Ribbon Alliance not only works to sustain life and hope for all women, but also mourns and honors those women who did not survive pregnancy or childbirth.

The White Ribbon Alliance is the host of the new annual conference WIE Symposium (http://www.wienetwork.org). This year, the WIE Symposium will take place in New York and is timed to coincide with the Clinton Global Initiative and the UN General Assembly. Sarah Brown will host this year’s event alongside Arianna Huffington and Donna Karan.

Directions to Frying Pan at Pier 66 Maritime
Frying Pan (the Red Lightship) is featured in the book “New York’s 100 Best Party Places.”  The lightship is docked at Pier 66 Maritime, which has a seasonal bar & grill.  Vehicle access or taxi drop off is prohibited in the Hudson River Park, where Frying Pan is located.

Pier 66 Maritime is located at W 26th Street in the Hudson River Park.  Vehicle access or taxi drop off is forbidden in the Park. If traveling by car or taxi, drop off is at W 26th Street and 12th Ave. Cross street to Hudson River Park, where you will see a Float Bridge (tall wooden structure). Walk over Float Bridge to access Pier 66 Maritime.  Nearest subway stop is #1 and C line at W 23rd Street. You can also take the M23 bus going west to 12th Ave. (the last stop) and walk 3 blocks north to 26th Street. Visit the Frying Pan’s site to learn more about this unique venue – http://www.fryingpan.com.

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For more information, photos or to set up interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.