WASHINGTON, D.C. – On FRIDAY, August 1, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah will host an Africa Leaders Summit Signature Event in coordination with the White House, entitled “Faith Works: Honoring the Contributions of the Faith Community to Peace and Prosperity in Africa.”

Shah and other U.S. Government officials will meet with religious leaders, faith-based organizations, and representatives of the African diplomatic corps to discuss the faith community’s role in advancing peace, prosperity, and development throughout Africa. Participants include  Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore Denis J. Madden, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of ​the National Security Council Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Melissa Rogers, South African Ambassador to the United​ States Ebrahim Rassoul, and others. For years, faith-based organizations have helped to lift up vulnerable populations and contribute to improving lives.

From building peace and promoting human rights, to improving agriculture, from boosting literacy rates, to providing urgently needed relief and assistance in the most dangerous places, the faith community is helping to invest in the next generation.

Grammy Award-winning band Jars of Clay will perform and share their motivation for addressing the water crisis and HIV/AIDS in Africa through their humanitarian organization.  In 2004, the band co-founded the organization Blood:Water Mission with Jena Lee Nardella.

Media interested in covering this meeting must RSVP here by July 30.

DATE: Friday, August 1, 2014
TIME: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
LOCATION: Pavilion Room, Ronald Reagan Building