M.A.C. Cosmetics donates to empower youth to prevent HIV/AIDS

Beijing, December 19, 2008 – The M.A.C AIDS Fund (MAF) announced a donation of RMB 850, 000 to UNICEF China Monday in support of its "Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS" Youth Ambassador Programme. As an important part of the Campaign on Children and AIDS in China, the Youth Ambassadors Programme has now reached over 1 million young people in the country with key facts about HIV/AIDS.

Ms. Carol Shen, Managing Director of Estee Launder Companies, owner of the M.A.C. Cosmetics brand, presented the cheque to Dr. Yin Yin Nwe, UNICEF Representative for China at a press conference held in Beijing.

"M.A.C. is one of UNICEF's global partners in fighting against AIDS, and their commitment to young people in China is exemplary." Dr. Nwe said at the event. "(Youth Ambassadors) are the seeds of change in communities where AIDS is still looked at with fear, prejudice and silence, and seeds of change in a world where nearly half of new HIV infections occur among young people."

China's pop icon singer Li Yuchun, also M.A.C. AIDS Fund Ambassador for China shared her experience of learning HIV/AIDS key facts alongside young migrant workers in a UNICEF-supported advocacy campaign in Chongqing in September.

"I joined the Youth Ambassadors' games and interactive activities for sharing AIDS knowledge with young people from rural areas. These activities were effective for young people who did not have much school. Being in the 15-24 age group myself, I benefited from the activities too," She said at the press conference. "I hope that more young people will care for and support the response to AIDS."

China has nearly 200 million young people aged 15 to 24, many of whom, as in the rest of the world, are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS due to lack of the knowledge and skills to protect themselves.

Earlier in 2007, M.A.C donated RMB 1 million to UNICEF China to help mobilize young people to be a force for change. It is estimated that the Youth Ambassador programme has benefited over 1 million young people via peer education, and participatory activities, and the internet hits of the Youth Ambassador website has reached 7 million.

Seeds of Change

Chen Runru, a Youth Ambassador from Yunnan province, still remembered the hug she gave to an HIV positive young man who attended her peer education training. "For me, being a Youth Ambassador is like a spark. With all our joint efforts, we can start a fire with these sparks and make all the people feel the warmth of happiness."

"At first, he appeared uninterested and aloof. After the training, he came to me and asked for a hug. Though feeling embarrassed to hug a man in front of so many people, I saw sincerity in his eyes and did it. Later he told me that my training gave him the strength and courage to carry on with his life, which also moved me into tears."

Chen became a Youth Ambassador while in college. Now teaching in a village elementary school, she has continued to gather young people from nearby villages in her spare time to play and engage in interactive activities that help them learn the facts and build skills on AIDS prevention, and learn to respect people affected by AIDS.

"I found that rural people, especially out-of-school children knew little about HIV/AIDS, so I decided to share my knowledge with them. Now my whole family is supporting me in this." Chen said. She has also mobilized friends within the Youth Ambassadors network to donate books for the village children. With over 1300 books, Chen's ever-growing library is now a major attraction for children from nearby villages, and has helped her in gathering young people on a regular basis.

"For me, being a Youth Ambassador is like a spark. With all our joint efforts, we can start a fire with these sparks and make all the people feel the warmth of happiness." She said.

With support from UNICEF, over 300 national-level Youth Ambassadors and nearly 1,000 ambassadors in eight project provinces are developing their own creative ways of learning the facts on AIDS, sharing knowledge and experience with peers and family, and caring for people affected by AIDS. M.A.C.'s donation has been used to support the Youth Ambassadors' bidding, in which Youth Ambassadors carry out their innovative small projects in communities to learn, share and care, according to Dr. Tao Maoxuan, director of the National Institute of Health Education.

"As we join hands and reaffirm our commitment to children and young people in China, let me thank M.A.C. again for your generosity and great vision. I look forward to hearing more success stories and sharing them in China, and with the rest of the world." Dr. Nwe said.

Since 1994, all the sales incomes from M.A.C. "VIVA GLAM" lipsticks and employee donations went to its AIDS Fund, which has so far contributed 130 million US dollars to the global response to HIV/AIDS.