1st December is world’s AIDS Day. This year’s focus is to empower women to combat against HIV/AIDS. In this regard You! takes a look at international celebrities who are supporting the cause...
1st December is world’s AIDS Day. This year’s focus is to empower women to combat against HIV/AIDS. In this regard You! takes a look at international celebrities who are supporting the cause...
I t was in the year 1985 when super charming American heartthrob, Rock Hudson made headlines after announcing his illness at a press conference. It was the most incoherent speech of all times in which a celebrity had disclosed about having HIV. The news came as a shock to everyone. Hudson was the first celebrity who told the media openly that he was diagnosed with HIV positive. And because there was no cure and awareness regarding this ailment, the actor suffered and ultimately passed away.
Times have changed and today many international celebrities from the film and music fraternity are joining hands to give their whole hearted support to the issue of HIV/AIDS that engulfs millions in its heavy mist.
Till 1988, illnesses related to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) got much public attention. And it was then that public information officers, for the AIDS Global Programme of WHO (World Health Organization) Switzerland, Thomas Netter and James W. Bunn, shared an idea with the Director of the AIDS Global Programme, Dr. Jonathan Mann, that World’s AIDS Day should be observed on 1st December every year. The reason was that this day should be away from the election time, Christmas holidays or other holidays so that people and media would pay more interest in its broadcasting and news all over the world.
Furthermore, UNAIDS known as the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, was also formed in 1996 to globally promote the disease. After this, the World AIDS Campaign was designed by UNAIDS in 1997 to pay attention on diversified AIDS programmes such as disease prevention, awareness and communication. This year, UNAIDS’ major focus is on empowering adolescent women with HIV and spreading awareness.
Following the same vein, we see copious awareness campaigns, which have become a part of our daily lifestyle. Social workers, activists and celebrities, everybody is paying attention to the dispersal of knowledge regarding diseases such as breast cancer and HIV/AIDS. The significance of these initiatives increases when people start implementing what they get from such campaigns. Usually celebrity endorsement of a cause brings a certain kind of impact over people, which makes them pay heed to it. This is the reason why most of the artists and celebs take active part to influence more and more people when it comes to empowering young women in terms of health specifically.
This week, You! features 7 women who have been providing their services to HIV patients and are also taking part in empowering women through their tireless efforts and support. Read on to find out how these women are making a difference...
|
Elizabeth Taylor She became a global icon of activism when she started her humanitarian work for the patients of HIV/AIDS in 1984. She told about her reasons of joining the cause and stated, “I kept seeing all these news reports on this new disease and kept asking myself why no one was doing anything about it. And then I realized that I was just like them. I wasn’t doing anything to help.” Taylor formed the American Foundation for AIDS Research after joining a group of doctors and scientists. After setting the screens on fire with her amazing acting and evergreen beauty, Elizabeth Taylor had a magnanimous impact on the lives of many AIDS survivors. |
|
‘Material Girl’, Madonna The queen of pop, Madonna, started to support HIV patients when people treated them like a social outcast. Madonna’s dance teacher was HIV positive and after knowing about his disease, she performed with him at a 1989 ‘Dance-a-Thon’ to support the AIDS Project in Los Angeles. Her inclination towards the issue made people think that she is herself HIV positive, but even then nothing seemed to stop her and she continued working towards the cause. She is still fighting for the victims of HIV/AIDS around the globe. |
|
Alicia Keys In 2003, Alicia Keys became the voice of HIV/AIDS awareness for women in US after fighting for the disease for years through her organization, ‘Keep a Child Alive’, that supports prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in Africa. About HIV/AIDS, she said, “It is critical to talk about this ailment. But we need to realize that it is our generation’s issue and if we don’t talk about it now, it’s going to continue. We have to learn as much as we can and we have to spread awareness with as many people as we can.” |
|
Annie Lennox Social activist and singer, Annie Lennox is an epitome of passion. Her persistence and her services for HIV activism cannot be overlooked. Apart from working for several other causes, Lennox has supported women and children suffering from HIV throughout the world and as UN ambassador she signed SING campaign to help women and children of Southern Africa in the year 2007. She collaborated with 23 famous female vocalists to contribute to the song ‘Sing’, in order to raise money and spread awareness for the HIV/AIDS organization, Treatment Action Campaign. |
|
Joan Rivers Joan Rivers was a many-sided genius. She was a comedian, a feminist trailblazer, a hilarious fashion critic and a devoted mother and grandmother. With all her punch lines that made her stand out as a celebrity, she was also a persistent HIV activist with great zeal. She first started volunteering for HIV/AIDS patients by delivering food through her organization, ‘God’s Love We Deliver’ (GLWD), in New York City. In 2009 she won ‘Celebrity Apprentice’, and gave all of her earnings from the show to GLWD. Her prize money bought 56,000 meals for the affected ones. |
|
Rihanna The ‘Umbrella’ singer while jolting the pop culture all over the world is quite active in fighting against AIDS. Partnered with a renowned makeup brand Mac, Rihanna raised awareness and educated people about this deadly syndrome. Last year she also walked the red carpet for a documentary called, ‘It’s Not Over’, which is a story of three HIV survivors. “I am very close to my fans, and when the makeup company approached me, I got a whole lot of information [and] a lot of heartbreaking real statistics that I didn’t know. They were very shocking for me, and it’s something that I felt was really close to my heart and I had to do something to spread the word, to create awareness among young people, educate my fans on a matter that’s really killing us and killing the youth,” said Rihanna in one of her interviews regarding the disease. |
|
Miley Cyrus After much controversy, Miley Cyrus managed to raise eyebrows when she donated a gigantic amount to the AIDS victims in the year 2014. Since then, the singer has showed deep interest in the issue which doesn’t let her stay back from helping them. “I feel it is important for me to represent the cause, because I have a voice and I want to start an open dialogue about prevention. I’m not too embarrassed to talk about these things, especially with young people,” enunciated Cyrus. |
