THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

                    STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY
                   ON THE SPECIAL AFRICA TRIP WEB SITE

Tomorrow at the Margaret Amidon Elementary School in Washington, D.C., the White House, represented by Deputy Secretary of Commerce Robert Mallett, will launch a web site that will make the President's historic trip to Africa immediately accessible to all Americans via the Internet. Later this month, more than 30 members of Amidon Elementary School's 6th grade class will travel to Dakar, Senegal (Washington, D.C.'s sister city), where they will attend an event with President Clinton.

In preparation for their trip, Amidon students will use the web site's special educational component -- "Follow the President" -- designed to assist teachers and parents as they help children understand the geographic, social, and cultural aspects of this trip. The D.C. Public School System, Bell Atlantic, and the Naval Research Laboratory have worked with the White House to make the web site accessible to students at the school.

This special web site will provide extensive text and visual coverage of the President's travels, meetings with African leaders, and speeches to the people of Africa. This information will be updated daily at: www.whitehouse.gov/Africa beginning on the first day of President Clinton's trip -- Monday, March 23. It will provide users with extensive trip information including:

• daily activity overviews;
• daily digital trip photographs from White House photographers;
• Presidential remarks;
• press briefings;
• comprehensive country information;
• issue papers; and
• information about related U.S. government initiatives.

Developed in partnership with the Peace Corps' World Wise Schools program, the educational component of the site includes maps, interactive learning games, and several dozen educational activities aimed at students in three age groups: grades 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12.

The launch of "Follow the President" will take place tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. at the Margaret Amidon Elementary School at 4th and I Streets, S.W.

Individuals interested in more information about Amidon Elementary School and the students' trip to Senegal should contact Wanda Fox at (202)724-4867.

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