Deborah Dugan CEO, (RED)
Posted: 06/10/2013 10:02 am
Imagine a world where no mother living with HIV will have to transmit the virus to her baby while giving birth. Just 10 years ago, this would have been considered an impossible goal. But, thankfully, with the incredible advances in HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention of mother-to-child transmission is real today and is helping the world take giant steps towards achieving an AIDS Free Generation. But still, 900 babies are born every day with HIV.
(RED) and the Global Fund envision a world in which no baby is born with HIV, and every mother has the opportunity to help her child thrive. To achieve this, ending mother-to-child transmission has become a cornerstone of (RED)'s commitment to the fight. But there is so much more to do before we get to our target, and we need the world to rally around making this a reality.
As a mother of three and CEO of (RED), the focus on safeguarding mothers and their babies from HIV couldn't hit closer to home. Our mission is to bring people and companies into the fight, to generate heat around the crisis and, through the Global Fund, enable some of the world's best-known companies to fund HIV/AIDS programs on the ground in Africa. Thanks to the incredible support of our partners (including Apple, Starbucks, Coca Cola and Belvedere), I am thrilled to announce that we have expanded our number of recipient countries to include Tanzania and Kenya - two countries with a high HIV/AIDS prevalence in which Global Fund programs funded by (RED) can make a real impact.
But real impact requires action. And money. Starting today, a new partnership with Johnson & Johnson means every time someone 'Likes', 'Tweets' or 'Pins' a (RED) infographic, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to the Global Fund, up to $100,000. Every cent from that donation will help ensure that HIV+ mothers in Africa have the tools they need to deliver healthy babies.
We are at a crucial point in the fight against HIV/AIDS. By acting now, and by acting collectively, our chances of helping deliver an AIDS Free Generation are infinitely greater.
This blog post was produced by The Huffington Post and (RED) as part of a series to support the CHOOSE (RED), SAVE LIVES campaign this June. To see other posts in the series and to see content from "The Big Push" (the initiative by the Global Fund, the recipient of (RED) monies, to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria), click here. For more information about how you can join the fight against AIDS, please go to www.joinred.com/CHOOSERED.
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