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Press Release |
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24 September 2007 |
(RED) CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GLOBAL FUND TOP $45 MILLION
$30 million of (RED) funds already invested in AIDS programs in Ghana, Swaziland and Rwanda
Los Angeles, CA - September 24, 2007 - Today, (RED), the initiative launched last year to engage corporate and consumer power in the fights against AIDS in Africa, announced that the sales of (PRODUCT) RED-branded products had generated more than $45 million for the Global Fund (www.theglobalfund.org). In 2006, (RED) set out to create a sustainable model to increase private sector contributions to the Global Fund. The recent total of more than $45 million generated represents an impressive nine fold increase over the previous total of just $5 million raised by the Global Fund from the private sector in its first four years, 2002 - 2006.
"I am amazed and humbled by the impact that (RED) consumers have made in a year." said Bobby Shriver, co-founder and chairman of (RED). "The shoppers who've chosen (RED) and the companies who've turned (RED) are heroes. Each individual's decision is saving the lives of more than 30,000 AIDS patients in Rwanda and Swaziland today and ensuring that HIV-positive pregnant mothers receive the medicine they need."
This month, more than $7 million of the $45 million flowed to the third Global Fund-(RED) grant, an investment to help finance national AIDS programs implemented by the Ghanaian Ministry of Health. With this latest disbursement, (RED), through Global Fund-financed programs, has invested more than $30 million in AIDS programs in Rwanda, Swaziland and Ghana.
"(RED)'s contribution of $45 million to the Global Fund in the short period since it was launched in 2006 means that private sector contributions to the Global Fund are at a completely new level," said Dr. Michel Kazatchkine, executive director, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. "(RED) has shown that it is possible to do good business while also doing good. It gives consumers a way to really impact upon the lives of people affected by AIDS in Africa."
One hundred percent of the (RED) money received at the Global Fund flows to Global Fund-financed programs. The Global Fund selects grants for (RED) investment based on programs with a proven track record and ambitious targets. In keeping with the Global Fund's philosophy of supporting local solutions, the Global Fund-(RED) grant in Ghana is implemented by the Ghanaian Ministry of Health and helps fund the following in-country services:
- Antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS patients,
- Counseling and testing services, and antiretroviral prophylaxis, for Ghanaian mothers to reduce the risk of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV,
- Training for healthcare providers in reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV,
- Voluntary counseling and testing for prevention of HIV,
- Training for counselors to teach prevention of HIV.
This Global Fund financed HIV/AIDS grant in Ghana becomes the third grant to receive funds raised through (RED), alongside HIV/AIDS grants in Rwanda and Swaziland, where (RED) money has been at work for nearly a year and has helped achieve the following results.
In Swaziland, more than $9 million of (RED) money has flowed to support Global Fund-financed programs which have already:
- reached over 8,200 mothers with services to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of HIV,
- trained over 150 midwives and doctors in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV,
- reached almost 100,000 people with voluntary counseling and testing for prevention of HIV,
- trained over 75 counselors to teach prevention of HIV,
- set up over 35 counseling and testing centers for prevention of HIV,
- established feeding schemes in 335 schools,
- built 277 community feeding and daycare centers (KaGogo centers),
- provided education support for over 59,000 vulnerable children,
- provided antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS to over 17,000 patients,
- trained over 800 nurses and doctors in treating patients with HIV/AIDS,
- trained almost 3,000 health workers to deliver home-based care for HIV/AIDS, patients.
In Rwanda, more than $14 million of (RED) money has flowed to support Global Fund-financed programs which have already:
- reached over 316,000 pregnant women with counseling and services to reduce the risk of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV,
- reached over 6,000 women with a complete course of ARV prophylaxis to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission,
- trained over 240 health providers (doctors and nurses) in the management of patients on antiretroviral combination therapy (ART),
- reached over 630,000 people with voluntary counseling and testing for prevention of HIV infection,
- trained almost 3,000 counselors to teach prevention of HIV infection,
- provided antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS to over 14,500 patients,
- set up 42 health centers to deliver anti-retroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS,
- set up over 120 sites to offer counseling and testing services (including for pregnant women),
- supported 78 associations of people living with HIV/AIDS.
(RED) funds are generated through the sale of (PRODUCT) RED- branded products. The initial (RED) partners, Converse, Gap, Motorola, Emporio Armani, Apple, and American Express (UK only) have made multi-year commitments to produce (PRODUCT) RED-branded products, invest marketing to build demand for the products and contribute up to 50% of the profits from these product lines to the Global Fund. (RED) will continue to expand its portfolio of partners in the coming year and will have new (PRODUCT) RED items available for the 2007 holiday season. WWW.JOINRED.COM.
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The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
The Global Fund, the recipient of (RED) funds, is the world's leading funder of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which kill over 6 million people each year. Created in 2002, the Global Fund has committed over $8.4 billion to life saving programs in 136 countries and accounts for a quarter of the world's funding for AIDS programs in the developing world (and two-thirds of the world's funding for malaria and tuberculosis.
The Global Fund directs (RED) dollars to specific AIDS programs in Africa with a focus on women and children. 100% of the (RED) money is put to work on the ground in these grants. Global Fund-(RED) grants are among the best performing programs within the Global Fund's extensive portfolio of AIDS grants in Africa, thus ensuring that every dollar raised is effectively translated into lives saved, and that every life thus saved is accounted for.
The Global Fund is a unique, global public-private partnership governed by representatives of governments, the private sector, civil society and affected communities from all over the world, representing a new, performance-based approach to international health financing. The Global Fund enables countries to design and execute their own programs, but provides funds only on the basis of technical feasibility, performance and proven results. It is a lean institution with operating costs of 3%, ensuring that resources go directly to where they are needed most. The Global Fund continues to seek sustainable, additional resources from all sectors to continue scaling up the support for life-saving work around the world. For more information about the Global Fund, visit: www.theglobalfund.org.
About (RED)™ and (PRODUCT) RED
(RED)'s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help fight AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the profits from that product to the Global Fund, to help finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Converse, Gap, Giorgio Armani, and Motorola. MySpace.com is the first media sponsor in the United Kingdom and MTV Networks is the first media sponsor in the US. WWW.JOINRED.COM
For broadcast standard video supporting this event, please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/globalfund If you are a first-time user, please take a moment to register. In case you have any questions, please e-mail
Further information, please contact:
Jay Strell Julie Cordua |
