(16 August 2005 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: US music broadcaster MTV has announced that it will show a documentary The Diary Of Angelina Jolie And Dr. Jeffrey Sachs In Africa next month.

This is a part of the network's new pro-social initiative Think MTV. The half an hour special episode of the Diary series follows UN goodwill ambassador Jolie and UN advisor/economist Dr. Jeffrey Sachs as they travel to Sauri, a remote group of villages in Western Kenya, where Sachs' UN Millennium Project team is working to end poverty, hunger and disease afflicting the area.

With cameras in tow, Jolie and Sachs experience first-hand the effects of the devastation unique to Africa -- and provide hope as they highlight hopeful progress in this Millennium village.

MTV states that its initiative Think MTV aims to inform and empower its audience on the issues that matter to them most, including education, sexual health, discrimination, and the environment. It will examine international poverty, Aids, the effects of war, and other issues of global concern to young people.

The story of Sauri will be told through Jolie and Dr. Sachs' personal lens on the poverty crisis, as viewers follow them encountering members of the community (mothers, children, teachers, health workers, and village elders) who have been severely affected by lack of clean water, depleted soil, malnutrition, and poor health care. In addition, we will see the practical approaches currently underway in the villages to address these challenges and the progress that has already been made.

Jolie says, "We are at a unique threshold in human history, where the crisis we face in Africa is matched only by our degree of hope that we can and will be a force for positive change. I am certain that the stories in this special will inspire viewers the same way these experiences have inspired me, and I am hopeful that increased awareness of the issues in Africa will bring about a new wave of progress and activism among young people everywhere."

To support Diary, the think.mtv.com website will offer comprehensive resources on extreme poverty and preventable disease, and tools for viewers to contact elected officials about the issues. In addition, through the think.mtv.com website and the MTV Store in Times Square, audience members will be able to purchase "Quick Wins" -- simple, affordable steps that can have a huge impact on individuals in poor nations, such as spending $10 for a bed net that can protect a child for five years from dying of malaria. From 29 August to 19 September 2005, the MTV Store windows will be dedicated to highlighting the issues of preventable disease and poverty.