Go (RED) this Xmas with Apple to end AIDS
by Shawn Chung - Singapore
The Product(Red) initiative was co-founded by U2 frontman Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006 to raise awareness and donations for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and according (RED), by December 2023, 245 million lives have been helped and $700 million have been raised for the Global Fund.
For World AIDS Day 2022, Apple has again turned (RED) to support the the global fight to end AIDS/HIV.
Apple’s partnership with (RED) supports the Global Fund, which provides access to healthcare services to millions of individuals in communities most in need in sub-Saharan Africa — including critical work in rural communities, and support for pregnant women and their families. In the last three years, funding has also been used to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in these communities.
This year, communities around the world are grappling with HIV/AIDS as they also work to respond and protect against COVID-19, particularly for vulnerable populations. COVID-19 has created challenges in accessing care, diagnostics, and supplies, often disrupting crucial HIV/AIDS programs.
To alleviate these challenges and ensure continuity in life-saving HIV/AIDS services, Apple’s contributions were redirected to the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response at the onset of the pandemic earlier this year.
Thanks in part to support from Apple and Apple customers, the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response has been able to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on the communities most affected by HIV/AIDS and provide critical support in health systems threatened by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Since 2006, more than a quarter of a billion dollars in Apple-supported grants have helped provide care and support services for over 11 million people and distribute over 197 million HIV tests. Apple’s support has also helped over 5 million HIV-positive mothers prevent passing the virus on to their babies.
Funding includes support for community health workers like Mama Esther, who deliver compassion, care, and access to treatment to their communities. For more than 15 years, she has gone from boma to boma (house to house) in the Maasai community in Tanzania, providing in-home health services, encouraging people to visit the local clinic, and helping pregnant women access prenatal and delivery care. Mama Esther is able to do this important work in her rural community in part because of the monthly stipend she receives from the Global Fund.
During one of her community visits, Mama Esther met Neema, who was pregnant and very ill. Mama Esther encouraged her to get tested for HIV at the Mto wa Mbu Community Clinic, where Neema discovered she was positive for the virus. Fortunately, Neema immediately started an antiretroviral treatment — and not long after, she gave birth to an HIV-free baby.
Neema’s story is just one example of the care and support Apple’s customers have enabled.
In honor of World AIDS Day 2022, Apple is offering new ways for customers to continue to support the Global Fund, raise awareness, and learn more about the battle to end HIV/AIDS.
Choose (RED) This Holiday Season
The best range of Product(RED) products are available this holiday season across iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone SE, and Apple Watch Series 8.
A variety of Product(RED) accessories are also available, including the Silicone Case with MagSafe for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, as well as the Apple Watch Sport Loop, Sport Band, and Braided Solo Loop bands. A portion of the proceeds from every Product(RED) purchase goes to the Global Fund to fight AIDS and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 with (RED).
Apple Watch users can show support with a selection of seven Apple Watch faces in red available for download from apple.com/product-red. Once downloaded, users can raise awareness by sharing these faces with other Apple Watch users.
Raising Visibility
To raise visibility for World AIDS Day, Apple is using its platform and services to highlight the ongoing effort to end HIV/AIDS and create opportunities for its customers to learn more.
Around the world, hundreds of Apple Store locations are marking the day with new window and product displays, making it easy for customers to learn about Product(RED) and support the Global Fund with their holiday purchases.
In the App Store, customers can learn more about Apple’s (PRODUCT)RED products and the challenges of fighting HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 concurrently. The App Store is also highlighting Medisafe (MediSafe), an app that helps users manage their medications, and OkaySo (Tincan Labs), which provides an anonymous place for people to ask sensitive health questions and get expert answers.
Also in the App Store, customers can learn more about Preppy+, an app that helps people affected by HIV by making it easier to track PrEP (or pre-exposure prophylaxis) and maintain full and happy relationships. By taking PrEP on a daily or occasional basis, users can effectively prevent an infection, and the app can assist them in keeping track of PrEP intake, entering PrEP checkups, adding information to a calendar, and storing test results.
In the US, Apple Books features curated collections of books and audiobooks, including nonfiction about the global fight against HIV/AIDS and fiction from around the world. Apple TV app users can explore a compelling collection of shows and movies on the Watch Now tab that shine a light on the human cost of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. And Apple Music features a special selection of music programming, radio episodes, and more for subscribers to recognize the day.
