WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), The Ad Council and GOOD have partnered to launch a challenge that encourages Americans to submit ideas for raising awareness of the crisis in the Horn of Africa. The individual or group that submits the winning idea will be awarded $5,000 from GOOD to implement the proposal.

Right now the Horn of Africa is experiencing the worst drought in 60 years, worst famine in 20, and non-stop violence. As a result, more than 13.3 million people are in crisis - a number greater than the populations of New York City and Los Angeles combined.

Despite the magnitude of the crisis, many are unaware of the situation. According to a national survey released by the Ad Council, conducted online by Harris Interactive among 2,226 U.S. adults aged 18 and older in September 2011, over half (52 percent) of the general public say that they have not seen, heard, or read anything about the drought and famine. To help raise awareness, USAID and the Ad Council launched the FWD (Famine.War.Drought) campaign, a major multimedia and public awareness campaign that aims to connect people to the relief efforts in creative ways.

"The partnership between USAID, the Ad Council and GOOD represents a new and innovative way for the government to engage the American people in our work. We look forward to seeing the creative ideas this challenge inspires, with the hope that we can take the best ideas to scale, helping communities around the world understand the scale of this crisis and the potential for long-term solutions to global hunger," said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah.

Proposals can be submitted between now and November 28th at 12noon PST at http://fwd.maker.good.is. Between November 28th and December 12th, Americans will be able to vote on which proposal should be implemented. GOOD will award the proposal with the most votes $5,000 for implementation. USAID and the Ad Council will feature the work on their digital and social media networks.

The competition will be run on GOOD Maker, GOOD's new collaborative platform.

For additional information on the competition, visit http://fwd.maker.good.is.

For additional information on the FWD campaign, visit transition.usaid.gov/FWD.

About USAID:

The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.

USAID Contact: Matthew Johnson, matjohnson@usaid.gov, 202-712-1789

About The Ad Council:

The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization that marshals volunteer talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to deliver critical messages to the American public. The Ad Council has produced, distributed and promoted thousands of public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies in issue areas of health & safety, community and education.

Ad Council Contact: Ellyn Fisher, efisher@adcouncil.org, 212-984-1964

About GOOD:

Founded in 2006, GOOD has emerged as a global association of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits powering what works. GOOD offers products and services that enable its community to push the world forward.

GOOD Contact:
Jen Chiou,
jen@goodinc.com