Silver Spring, Maryland (July 14, 2008)– Danya International, Inc. (Danya), a communications, research, and technology firm, plans to open an office in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 15 to support the company’s growing investment in Africa. To fulfill this long-term commitment, Danya has formed the wholly owned subsidiary of Danya International-Kenya Limited (Danya International-Kenya) to serve as the company’s base of operations in Africa.

In explaining Danya’s long-term commitment to investing in Africa, President and Chief Executive Officer of Danya, Dr. Jeff Hoffman, said “Danya specializes in health communications and technology, and Kenya offers a strong technology infrastructure to implement new innovative communication technology, such as our Mobile Direct Observation Treatment for TB pilot project. The recent political violence was tragic and a short-term setback for Kenya's advancement, but Kenya is also becoming a model for how conflict-ridden countries can repair their differences and build a coalition government that will strengthen the foundation of the country for future economic growth and greater social equity.”

“Africa offers tremendous opportunity for Danya to expand its mission of innovation for social impact,” explained Fred Vago, Senior Vice President of Business and International Development at Danya. “Danya is widely recognized for its work in improving the quality of life for at-risk populations. We are committed to sharing best practices in promoting effective health prevention and treatment programs and supporting projects that stimulate economic vitality.”

“The opening of the Kenya office will allow Danya to bring some of its best practices and innovative approaches to Africa. As we embark on this initiative, both Danya and the people that we serve in the continent will benefit,” said Ken Jones, newly tapped as Vice President for International Development to help expand Danya’s international business, focusing on Africa. Mr. Jones also serves as President and Chief Financial Officer of Zebrajobs. He has extensive international experience through his previous work with USAID and has traveled widely throughout Africa.

According to Aaron Sundsmo, who recently joined Danya as the Africa Regional Director based in Nairobi, “Right now, East Africa is at an important regional intersection between conflict and progress. This is a wonderful opportunity for Danya to work together with partners in this region to help solidify the development gains that have been made over the last few years and to continue to build on them for a sustainable future.” Before joining Danya International-Kenya, Mr. Sundsmo worked in numerous countries across Africa to increase development impacts through the use of communication technologies, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

Since 2006, Danya has taken an increasingly more active role in health and economic- related projects across Africa, including:

• In cooperation with and funded by the CDC Global AIDS Program (GAP), Danya worked in Kenya to develop a communications campaign to promote TB and HIV testing to the public and among healthcare workers. Danya partnered with Mediae, producer of the leading soap opera Makutano Junction, to incorporate the health messages promoting TB and HIV testing into four episodes of the popular program. Scenes from the episodes were featured in training videos for healthcare workers in Kenya.
• In response to the growing problem of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB), Danya is launching a pilot program using mobile video phones to confirm TB patients are following the prescribed treatment. When TB patients do not take daily medications consistently, they are at greater risk of developing resistance. The standard protocol for treatment is daily Directly Observed Treatment. In many parts of Africa, monitoring compliance in person isn’t practical. To monitor TB medication compliance in the home, Danya proposed the Mobile Direct Observation Treatment for Tuberculosis (MDOT-TB) pilot project, which enables healthcare workers remotely to monitor patient compliance in taking daily medications. The pilot is planned for this summer.
• In support of CDC GAP in Ethiopia, Danya was responsible for staffing the Ethiopia GAP office with health communication consultants. To help identify the qualified candidates, Danya worked with the CEO of the recruiting agency InfoMind Solutions. Mr. Yusuf Reja developed Ethiopia’s first online job portal, Ethiojobs.
• Danya and InfoMind Solutions partnered to develop Zebrajobs.com, an Africa-wide job portal. Zebrajobs.com successfully launched its First Africa Job Fair on June 19, 2008, at the Embassy of Ethiopia and has already signed up a number of clients.
• The Global Fund for Children’s Under-8 (or U-8) Initiative was established to identify and support model grassroots organizations in Africa. Danya has committed a financial contribution to support this program for the next 5 years.

About Danya International, Inc.