M*A*C AIDS Fund Bolsters South Africa HIV Care, Prevention with $2.5 Million USD

A new grant program from the M*A*C AIDS Fund has gifted $2.5 million to fight HIV and AIDS in South Africa. The grant will go to UNICEF South Africa and Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity (NOAH) to fund testing and treatment for pregnant women and strengthen the community infrastructure to care for children orphaned by AIDS.

The children of South Africa have been hard hit by the AIDS epidemic, where 280,000 children are living with the disease and 1.4 million have lost one or both parents.

The $2.5 million was raised $14 at a time across 16 countries when M*A*C Cosmetics customers purchased VIVA GLAM lipsticks and lipglasses. The entire sale price of the products is directed to the M*A*C AIDS Fund.

"It is our responsibility as a global company to invest in integrated and sustainable HIV/AIDS initiatives and programs," said Nancy Mahon, Senior Vice President of M*A*C Cosmetics and Executive Director of the M*A*C AIDS Fund. "This collaboration will have a significant impact on addressing the alarming and rising rates of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, working in partnership with two important local grassroots organizations that are on the frontlines and have a deep and vast understanding of the issue."

The new M*A*C AIDS Fund grant will provide $2 million to UNICEF to provide HIV testing and treatment to pregnant women and to children in the provinces of Kwazulu Natal, North West and Limpopo, which together account for 50 percent of the 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the country. In addition to expanding programs for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, this grant will allow the provincial governments to incorporate HIV testing into existing immunization programs. This will provide a critical opportunity to identify HIV-positive children and bring them into care and treatment. The program will also provide treatment to 36,000 pregnant HIV positive women to prevent the transmission of HIV to their babies and ongoing antiretroviral medication to over 5,000 women and children.

AIDS kills 25,000 young South African children zero to four years old every year, and two out of every five HIV-infected mothers do not have access to antiretroviral drugs to prevent mothers from passing HIV to their unborn babies.

"The partnership between UNICEF and the M*A*C AIDS Fund will help improve

access to treatment for mothers and children as these services will be brought closer to where those in greatest need reside, in rural and remote areas," said Ngashi Ngongo, UNICEF Chief of Health in South Africa. "This initiative will help reduce the number of new HIV infections in children, keep mothers alive and reduce the number of orphans."

The $500,000 grant to NOAH will provide basic needs and services for AIDS orphans, a population totaling some 1.4 million in South Africa where adoption rates are down nearly 13 percent from last year. NOAH's 107 community "Arks" will provide food, clothing and basic health, hygiene and sanitation supplies for an estimated 5,000 children.

"This donation will nearly double our capacity as we work to build a support system within South African communities to care for children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS," said Isabel Hancock, Chief Executive Officer of NOAH. "This grant will provide the platform on which communities will be mobilised to create an environment where orphaned and vulnerable children are nurtured such that they grow to be participative citizens of South Africa and at the same time realise their dreams."

"The power of one VIVA GLAM lipstick or Lipglass never ceases to amaze me," said M*A*C Cosmetics Global President and M*A*C AIDS Fund Chairman John Demsey. "In this case, the proceeds from hundreds of thousands of VIVA GLAM sales will support two innovative and groundbreaking HIV/AIDS programs in South Africa. The two organizations we are supporting through this global partnership really understand the needs of their country, uniquely positioning them to create and implement comprehensive programs to address the AIDS crisis in South Africa. VIVA GLAM customers should be proud to know that they are directly contributing to the global fight against HIV/AIDS."

The M*A*C AIDS Fund began supporting HIV/AIDS programs in Africa in 2000, and has granted more than $10 million in South Africa alone. In South Africa VIVA GLAM can be purchased at one of 13 M*A*C Cosmetics stores with five locations in Johannesburg, one in Pretoria, four in Cape Town, two in Durban and one in Port Elizabeth.

The following 16 M*A*C markets are participating in this initiative: Austria, Belgium, Dubai, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

About the M*A*C AIDS Fund

The M*A*C AIDS Fund, the heart and soul of M*A*C Cosmetics, was established in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. MAF is a pioneer in HIV/AIDS funding, providing financial support to organizations working in underserved regions and with underserved populations. As the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical funder in the arena, MAF is committed to addressing the link between poverty and HIV/AIDS by supporting diverse organizations around the world that provide a wide range of services to people living with HIV/AIDS. To date, MAF has raised $130 million USD exclusively through the sale of M*A*C's VIVA GLAM lipstick and lipglass, donating 100 percent of the sale price to fight HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit www.macaidsfund.org.

ABOUT UNICEF

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and government.

ABOUT NOAH

South Africa faces its greatest humanitarian challenge - it is estimated that by 2015 there will be 2.5 million children made vulnerable by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Since its formation in 2002, NOAH has worked to relieve the plight of communities affected by this pandemic. Currently, NOAH works in 107 communities, providing staff, volunteers and committee members with extensive training and support. NOAH equips these communities with the necessary tools to make grant applications smoother, ensure food security and provide community members with the skills and self confidence to care for their own orphaned and vulnerable children. In addition NOAH provides educational development programmes for the children, thereby building stronger citizens of South Africa.

Contact:
Amy Juaristi
212-445-8252