MUNKASHAF (RAY OF LIGHT) You've Asked. We're Answering.

Thanks so much MUNKASHAF (RAY OF LIGHT) & to all of you who answered our call for questions. We recently asked our fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter: 'what do you want to know about (RED)?' and we've picked out the top 5 questions to respond to.

Here's the answer to question number 1:
How much money has been raised and where does it go?

In the three years since we launched, (RED) partners and events have generated over $130 million to help eliminate aids in Africa. 100% of this money is put to work on the ground in Africa through the Global Fund. (RED) doesn't touch any of this money and the Global Fund does not take any overhead, so every single dollar has impact. To date, the programs supported by (RED) and Global Fund financed grants have reached more than 4 million people.

To determine where the money goes the Global Fund and (RED) agree to select countries where there is both need and where existing Global Fund HIV and AIDS grants are already working effectively. Ensuring results is critical. Currently (RED) money flows to Global Fund financed AIDS grants in 4 African countries: Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda and Swaziland. And we should be announcing a new country soon!

So, how’s the money used? While each program is unique and designed by the local country, they include antiretroviral treatment for children and adults, treatment to help prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, essential counseling and testing activities to reduce the overall risk of HIV transmission, and clear and accurate communications campaigns to promote prevention. Already, the programs (RED) money supports have provided:

111,000 HIV-positive people with antiretroviral therapy.
Over 70,000 HIV positive pregnant women with preventative antiretroviral therapy to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission.
3.4 million people with HIV testing and counseling.
And, beyond this, the programs have helped build health facilities, train health practitioners and care for children orphaned by AIDS.
So although there is more work to be done the impact of (RED) money so far has been overwhelming, thanks of course to your (RED) purchases.

Look who stopped by to say hello to (RED) at TEDGlobal…

Yesterday, on a well dressed stage within an old Playhouse theatre in Oxford, England, two men called Bruno and Chris kicked off TEDGlobal. TedGlobal is a 4 day conference with 700 attendees, including some of the world's most brilliant and bravest minds, coming together to discuss how to change the world for the better.

This week the particular focus is the 'substance of things not seen'. We know that when we look around there are things we can observe: buildings, people, nature. And then there are things that run unseen through our lives. These hidden forces - social conventions, biological links, cultural frameworks, coded meanings - are the connective tissue that binds societies together, the engines that propel organisations and individuals forward. When illuminated, they offer vital insights into our relationships with one another and our world.

As TEDGlobal concentrates this week on those things not seen which drive change for the better, (RED)’s happy to be a part of it.

The (RED)Café at TEDGlobal

We’ve created a (RED)Café at this year’s TEDGlobal. And we’re so thrilled that so many people have stopped by already to say hi and to offer their help. One of which was a real privilege - his name was Gordon.

Unknown to all the attendees at TED the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was making a surprise speech in the afternoon. Also unknown to the conference was that Mr. Brown has asked to meet the (RED) team to find out more about the (RED) initiative.

So, in the very small and very hot 'green room' of the Playhouse theatre the (RED) team had a private conversation with the British Prime Minister, discussing all our products, informing him about all the great support (RED) has on our social networks and providing him with an overview of the results in Africa.

Dell (PRODUCT) RED Mini...

...HOW YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON ONE WITH SELF MAGAZINE


They're compact and cute. And they help eliminate AIDS in Africa. It's the DELL (PRODUCT) RED MINI netbook and our friends at SELF Magazine are giving you the chance to win one.

If you sign up and finish SELF’s 'Reach Your Goal' program, you could be one of the lucky winners.

It's just open to folks in the U.S.

Find out more at: http://www.self.com/tips/drop-8-pounds/services/contests

New Dell (PRODUCT) RED Laptop Designs

Need a new computer? Now Dell has even more ways for you to turn your Dell laptop (RED). Check out some of the great new designs by artists who have expressed their creativity and passion for (RED). Not only do we love the way the way they look but we also love that they help to eliminate AIDS in Africa!


Emil Kozak is a graphic designer from a small town in Denmark. He was inspired to take on graphic design as a result of his lifelong passion for skateboarding. The style is fresh and positive, but often with a message that digs deeper. Typographic, clean lines and few colors is often how Emil Kozak`s artwork is described. Yet, there is always an unexpected surprise: obscure references, playing with words, codes and hints. Emil designed several different lines of (PRODUCT) RED artwork, and here’s what he had to say about his ‘Grow Up’ concept:

Grow up is a series of illustrations depicting the process of plants growing up, from seedling, to sprout, to mature plant in bloom. Like the (RED) idea, the cycle repeating naturally.


Native of Finland, Klaus Haapaniemi has lived years in Italy and is currently living and working in London, UK as one of Britain’s leading fashion illustrators. This cultural diversity is reflected in the quality of Klaus Haapaniemi’s work, often drawing from history, nature and folklore to create iconic characters and unusual universes. Here’s what Klaus had to say about his (PRODUCT) RED season-inspired designs:

My work for (PRODUCT) RED is based on the simple idea that in each time of the year there should be a human thought for the people in need of urgent help. For Summer, red can be found in the flowers and bees. For Fall, red can be found in the clouds. I wanted to give the work a positive feel to complement the (PRODUCT) RED characteristics in a subtle way.



Andrew Lim is a Graphic Designer for Mother Design and Mother New York, working on branding and strategic design for a wide variety of companies. Here’s what Andrew had to say about his ‘Perception’ line of (PRODUCT) RED designs:

The maze-like pattern represents the HIV conundrum. The little pluses and minuses in this uniform and unending pattern speak to recognizing the problem and working towards a common solution, just how (PRODUCT) RED has create awareness and a sustainable flow of money from the private sector into the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Check out all of the Dell (PRODUCT) RED artwork here

(RED) Pop Up Shops Opening on World AIDS Day

Ready to shop (RED) TM for the holidays? In addition to finding (RED) at all of our great partner retailers this holiday season, this December you can find an array of (PRODUCT) RED TM branded products under one roof at the (RED) pop up shops in London, Tokyo, San Francisco and New York. Stop by and pick up great gifts that give back from (RED) partners including Apple, Bugaboo, Converse, Dell, Emporio Armani, Gap, Hallmark, Starbucks and special editions Solange Azagury-Partridge, Girl Skateboard, Channel Islands Surfboards and Timbuk2. (Selection will vary by location). Hope to see you there!

(RED) Pop Up Stores are located in Gap Flagship stores:
New York: The (RED) Store, 680 Fifth Avenue (at 54th St), NY, NY 10019, USA
View Map
Open Dec 1 – Jan 3

San Francisco: The (RED) Store, Flood Building, 890 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA
View Map
Open Dec 1 – Dec 17

Tokyo: GAP Flagship Harajuku, 1-14-27 Jingumae, Shibuya Ward, Tōkyō Metropolis, Japan
Open Dec 1 – Dec 25
View Map

London: The (RED) Store, 376-384 Oxford Street, London, W1C 1JY
View Map
Opens Dec 1 - Dec 21st

Check your local store for hours of operation.

Here are some pictures from the store in New York:



And in Tokyo:


San Francisco:


And London too:




Happy Shopping!

Raising Their Voices for (RED)

December 1st is World AIDS Day, and friends of (RED)™ will be raising their voices to share their personal views on how ONE COLOR UNITES us and why they got involved with supporting (RED). You can read:

- John Legend’s ‘The Good News on AIDS’ at DailyBeast.com

"Many people hear it’s World AIDS Day and brace themselves for a barrage of depressing statistics. Instead, let me throw you a curve ball: We have made impressive progress in the fight against AIDS, and should celebrate our successes..." Read full story here

- Google's ‘We’re Going (RED) for World AIDS Day’ on the Google Blog
"HIV/AIDS has cut a swath of destruction across the globe—infecting more than 60 million people, leaving 14 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa alone. But a global movement to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, along with scientific breakthroughs in treatment, have reversed the momentum in recent years…" Read full story here

- Kelly Rutherford’s ‘Caught Caring’ on People.com’s Celebrity Baby Blog

"...Consider this — Left alone, an HIV positive pregnant woman has about a 40% chance of passing the HIV virus on to her child during childbirth. But, if the woman receives a treatment that costs just $26 during her pregnancy and during birth, the chances are lowered to as little as 1 -2%…" Read full story here

- James Frey on losing his son in his guest blog on Babble.com
“…But we, you and I and our families and our friends and our coworkers, can change it for the children in Africa who are living with AIDS. We can give them the gift that we have been given, and that so many of us take for granted…” Read full story here

- Biz Stone, Founder of Twitter on How ‘AIDS is preventable and Treatable’ on Twitter’s Blog
“…Personally, I was struck by how effective treatment can be—someone on death's door can be brought back to life in as little as 90 days. This transformation is called the Lazarus Effect and it has more impact than you can imagine…” Read full story here

- Fashionista June Ambrose’s ‘(RED) is Hot’ piece on Stylelist

"Today ONE COLOR UNITES US! That's the theme at (RED) this World AIDS DAY…The commitment to (RED) is also easy: (RED)'s partners are some of the hautest brands around, from Apple to Bugaboo! Yes, you can go shopping and feel good about it…" Read full story here

- James Boyce’s ‘Deeply in the (RED) This World AIDS Day’ post on huffingtonpost.com

"…It is natural and I think expected that it is hard for everyone to always focus on something like AIDS, and especially AIDS in Africa. It is an overwhelming issue and one that seems so distant…" Read full story here.

- Bruce Mau’s ‘Seeing (RED) for Joy and Hope’ on Adage.com

"A few years ago I was in the car with my wife – who is part Nigerian – listening to a man on the radio speaking about AIDS in Africa and complaining that no one was doing anything about it. It struck us because what he was saying couldn't be further from the truth.." Read full story here

And, our own CEO, Susan Smith Ellis, blogging about how you can make a difference this World AIDS Day on Huffingtonpost.com
"The basic idea of (RED)™ is transactional conveyance; I buy a (RED)-branded product, be it an Apple iPod, a Nike shoelace or a Gap tee-shirt, and a percentage of the profit from that sale goes to the Global Fund... Somewhere in Ghana or Rwanda or Botswana, someone gets antiretroviral medication which keeps them alive or reduces the likelihood that they will transmit HIV to their unborn or just-born child. And so that someone, who otherwise might die or be destined to die, lives or bequeaths a more promising life instead. It's a good deal…" Read full story here

Susan will also be posting on the Facebook Blog and is the guest columnist for PR Week this month.

Thanks to all who spoke out in support of (RED). Be sure to keep an eye out for more of these great posts on World AIDS Day!

Cities Turn (RED)

Yesterday in support of World AIDS Day 13 cities across the US, UK and Ireland stood up in the fight against AIDS and lit up their monuments (RED). It was all part of (RED)’s initiative to bring places, brands, organizations and people together from all over the world to make one statement. That ONE COLOR UNITES US. And that color is (RED).

Check them out:

London, England – London Eye and Trafalgar Square, BT Tower




Los Angeles, CA – Central Library & LAX Pylons



Baltimore, MD – Washington Monument


San Francisco, CA – City Hall & Coit Tower



St. Louis, MS – Civil Courts Building


Boston, MA – Zakim Bridge


Chicago, IL – CNA Building


Columbus, OH – City Hall


Providence, RI – 1 Financial Plaza, 111 Westminister St, City Hall and Skating Rink




Salt Lake City, UT – City & County Building

A (NIKE) RED Moment: Arsenal v. Man Utd.

On Sunday January 31st Arsenal played host to Manchester United at Emirates Stadium in London. While known rivals on the field the two teams came together to lend their support for (NIKE) RED. Donning (NIKE) RED laces in their boots and (NIKE) RED jackets as they took the field, the teams had one color uniting them – and that color was (RED). The fans joined forces too, spreading the message of ‘Lace Up Save Lives’. Even Emirates Stadium turned (RED) for the day, with (RED) messaging all over, giant (NIKE) RED laces tying the stadium together and red goal-nets made of (NIKE) RED laces. While Manchester won the game 3 to 1, it was a victory for all, spreading the message of hope and awareness for the AIDS crisis in Africa.

FLOWE(RED) has Bloomed!

Yesterday morning at London’s oldest flower market FLOWE(RED) came into bloom with the charming support of Cat Deeley.

Standing in front of map of Africa constructed from 10,000 African roses, Cat teased the photographers, by asking which of them wouldn’t choose FLOWE(RED) when all the profits go to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.



Throughout the day 3,800 roses were handed out in recognition of the 3,800 men, women and children in sub-Saharan Africa who die every day from AIDS. Those who received flowers were invited to have their picture taken in front of a FLOWE(RED) step and repeat board. You can see these images at: http://www.flowered.com/CoventGardenLaunch

One of the lucky recipients of a FLOWE(RED) bouquet was the affable Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, whom we photographed with a dashing pink bouquet and a smile on his face.


Meanwhile below his feet, on 800 posters across the London Underground drive home awareness of (RED)’s latest offering – www.flowered.com

Say hello to the most powerful flowers you’ll ever buy.

Mark @ (RED)

The Doctor is in!

The Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition Headphones are available in the US starting today. Now people can hear the music the way artists intended, while helping to eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Tune into HSN tomorrow at approx. 6:20pm ET to hear Dr. Dre, Maxwell, and Lady Gaga talk about the headphones. The (SOLO HD) RED headphones cost $199.99, with at least $5 from every purchase being contributed to the Global Fund. The headphones are available online in the US at HSN.


They’re only available in the US for now but we’re working on getting them across the pond soon. And stay tuned for the Lady Gaga Heartbeats for (RED) which will be out later in the year

“A world where no children are born with HIV is truly possible by 2015” Great news to get today - International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day and we have some great information to report. The Global Fund, the organization we work with to put (RED) money on the ground in Africa, has just released a report stating that the virtual elimination of mother to child HIV transmission by 2015 is now within reach if current rates of progress by Global Fund-supported programs and other efforts are maintained. “A world where no children are born with HIV is truly possible by 2015,” says Professor Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund.

This report shows remarkable promise and hope for HIV positive women all over the world who are at risk of passing on the virus to their newborns. And money from your (RED) purchases has helped play a part in this – thank you. (RED) and the Global Fund have already helped to provide more than 84,000 HIV positive pregnant women with preventative antiretroviral therapy to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission - helping to ensure their babies can be born healthy and HIV free.

“This report clearly shows the world’s investments are making a difference,” said Mr Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “However AIDS is not over in any part of the world and without a fully funded Global Fund, our shared dream of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment care and support could become our worst nightmare—putting the lives of millions of people currently on treatment in jeopardy and millions of pregnant women in a position not able to protect their babies from becoming infected.”

Shower Mum with flowers that save lives this Sunday (if you’re in the UK!)

It’s Mother’s Day in the UK on Sunday 14th March. And FLOWE(RED) has 19 flower arrangements to choose from including the Sweet Embrace arrangement pictured above. Don’t worry if you haven’t ordered yet. Flowers are available for delivery on the big day – choose any one of our courier bouquets up until 1pm on Saturday and have them delivered just in time to still make mum proud.

Billie Piper is supporting FLOWE(RED) this Mother’s Day too. As a new mum she feels a strong connection to (RED) - in her words “they're trying to raise money for anti-retroviral drugs which prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child, so as a mother I can feel that, I understand that."

Buy now at FLOWERED.com

ONE & (RED) – Listening and Learning in Ghana

Over the past week our sister organization ONE has been on a listening and learning trip to Senegal, Ghana (a (RED) country), Mozambique and Kenya with members of their board and other supporters, including some (RED) staffers. Along their travels they visited the Osu Presby Cluster School in Accra, Ghana, the oldest school in the country.

The group visited the school to learn how Ghana is working actively to improve school attendance and overall education for the country’s children – focusing on how education has made a difference in the lives of students. While visiting the school, they hit the soccer field, playing with the students and the new (NIKE) RED ball. Check out the photos below, including a great group shot with (RED) ambassador Christy Turlington.

Global Fund and (RED) Provide Hope at Tema General Hospital in Ghana

Over the past week our sister organization ONE has been on a listening and learning trip to Senegal, Ghana (a (RED) country), Mozambique and Kenya with members of their board and other supporters, including some (RED) staffers. Christy Turlington Burns checks in:

I met an inspiring woman a few days ago in Accra, Ghana. Her name was Elizabeth*. She is a mother, a widow and she is HIV positive. This may sound pretty grim, but what I learned from spending some time with her is that Elizabeth and her two-year-old daughter Abigail* are getting the care they need here at the Tema General Hospital.

Elizabeth learned about her HIV positive status when she came here to be tested after her husband died a few years ago. She was pregnant at the time, which was actually a blessing, because it enabled her to begin antiretroviral treatment at a critical time for Abigail. Abigail takes a prophylactic drug to prevent infection of the AIDS virus.

I also spent some time with the nurses here who counsel the families who come into the clinic from up to a 15 kilometer radius to be tested. They shared other stories like Elizabeth’s, where women sought them out to be tested and then treated if their results were positive. When mothers have access to ARVs, they use them. And when they use them the chances of vertical transmission (when the virus travels inadvertently from the pregnant mother to her child) are minimal. At Tema, a mere 4% of babies whose mothers have begun treatment test positive. I was told that just a few years ago things were not nearly as hopeful.

Before the Global Fund and (RED) started distributing money to treat and prevent AIDS, there was very little incentive for the poor in Ghana to test because having HIV was a virtual death sentence.

Dr. Patricia Nsamoah, a senior medical officer and HIV focal person at TEMA, told us about the state of the clinic before they received Global Fund (RED) money.

“We’ve been testing HIV for a very long time, but basically people just didn’t know what to do if they tested positive for HIV,” Dr. Nsamoah said. “So when ARVs came, the Global Fund made it possible for us to have access to ARVs. You can at least see a patient, treat opportunistic infections, test for CD4, and at the point when they need the ARVs it is available and you can have a success story. Previously if you were working in the fever unit as the doctor in charge, what you did at the beginning of every morning was to sign death certificates because overnight by the time you came people had just died. But now a lot has changed… I’m telling you the clinic just grows bigger because people do not die.”

Today, Tema serves more than 2,200 people infected with HIV/AIDS in Ghana. These families are thriving and they are hopeful despite all they have endured. Abigail is a beautiful, curious little girl. She is confident with wise eyes that have seen the future.

Tema Clinic in Accra, Ghana

Our sister organization ONE just returned from a listening and learning trip to Senegal, Ghana (a (RED) country), Mozambique and Kenya with members of their board and other supporters, including some (RED) staffers. Below is a post from (RED)'s own Don MacKinnon following a visit to the Tema clinic in Ghana which receives (RED) funds.

I have spent the past four years of my life telling a story. Last Thursday, I saw it come true.

Since I joined (RED) in 2006, I have sat in thousands of conference rooms with prospective and current (RED) partner companies, speaking with their sales and marketing teams, CSR groups and even retail employees. And for (RED)WIRE and (RED)NIGHTS, I have spoken with musicians, their managers and their labels. In all of these meetings, I tell them the story that Bono told me, the story that caused me to join (RED). This story is powerful because it is so simple and so concrete.
Not more than a few years ago, life-saving anti-retroviral (ARV) medication was too expensive to make widely available to the millions of people dying of AIDS in Africa. This meant that when a pregnant woman got tested and found out she was positive, it was merely a death sentence for both the mother and her child. That, and the intense stigmatization of HIV in local communities, was hardly an incentive to head to a clinic. Early on, the story almost never had a happy ending.

Then, through innovation and negotiation by many parties, the cost of ARVs was driven down so low that it became possible to make them widely available through grants by the Global Fund. Suddenly, there was hope. A woman could now not only receive ARV medication to save her own life, but also treatment to radically reduce the risk of HIV being transferred to her child. Happy endings became possible, and (RED)’s goal is to make as many of them happen as we can. Sales of (RED) products have driven contributions of over $140 million dollars to the Global Fund, of which $48 million has been directed to Ghana, where it helps to fund treatment delivered in regional health clinics across the country.
As I said, I’ve been telling the story of these women for years, but until this week, I’d never met them. That all changed on Thursday morning when, along with the delegation from ONE, I got to visit the Tema clinic in Accra, Ghana. Women are referred to this clinic from a radius of 50 kilometers to be tested, counseled and treated. Virtually all of the ARVs are funded by (RED) contributions that result from consumers purchasing (RED) products.
Dr. Patricia Mkansah Asamoah, who runs the clinic, ushered us into a room where we were able to sit and talk to the women (and the children) we’d been working for. As we sat with each one, they told us their story.
“Meg” had been abandoned by her partner when she became pregnant. Her aunt got her to go to her local clinic for prenatal care, and they referred her to Tema. The counselors at Tema give a presentation prior to testing the women, telling them that if they are positive, they can receive ARV treatment for their babies. Meg told us that before she heard this presentation, she had been unaware of the ARVs and even then, she didn’t really believe they worked until one of the counselors told her that she herself was HIV positive and was alive because of the ARVs.
In her arms was a beautiful sleeping boy. She had received the NPV treatment in time so the risk of HIV passing to him had gone from 30% to 4%. They won’t know for sure if he’s in the clear for another few months, but he sure looked wonderful and healthy when he woke up at the end of our session.
Sitting with these women and hearing their stories was an overwhelming experience for me because each of their stories was a very personal, very real version of the story we have been telling all these years to convince people to produce, market and buy the (RED) products – the very products that had helped fund the medicine that was enabling these women and their children to be here, speaking with us.
Sometimes an iPod is not just an iPod. It’s time to get back to work.