Beauty news: the M.A.C AIDS Fund donates $63,000 to local HIV organization

Working once again within their own community, the M.A.C AIDS Fund - M.A.C Cosmetics’ philanthropic foundation –has presented Positive Women Inc. with a $63,000(NZD) grant to support their efforts in working with women and families living with HIV and AIDS in New Zealand. The majority of the grant will be specifically used to enable the community house, Rose House, to remain operational. Rose House offers services to women and families affected by HIV and AIDS in New Zealand, and this is the tenth year that Positive Women have received funding from the M.A.C AIDS Fund.

“Since the inception in 1994, M.A.C has raised more than $340 million (USD) through its VIVA GLAM initiative, which directs 100 percent of the purchase price of VIVA GLAM Lipstick to M.A.C AIDS Fund and other organizations dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS, here in Asia Pacific and across the world,” commented Raffaella Cornaggia, Vice President and General Manager, M.A.C Cosmetics, Asia Pacific. “As a brand, M.A.C is known for its constant innovation but one thing that never changes is our commitment to the M.A.C AIDS Fund –it’s the heart and soul of our brand.” Locally, M.A.C has raised over $1.7million (NZD) for the MAF and has donated the majority of those funds locally to New Zealand non-profit organizations fighting the epidemic here in New Zealand.

In addition to the grant, M.A.C makeup artists like those above have been participating in local volunteer initiatives in the lead up to World AIDS Day. Last Tuesday 25^th November nine of the beauty wonders put away their makeup brushes in place of cleaning tools and volunteered their time at Positive Women’s annual Spring Cleaning Day. Clean up activitie sat Rose House included water blasting, gardening, painting and window cleaning. On Friday 28thNovember over 60 M.A.C makeup artists nationwide participated in the red ribbon bucket collection in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Dunedin. These locally tailored programs help to break down barriers and build relationships within communities in our annual company-wide volunteer effort for World AIDS Day.

And as a reminder… what buying one Viva Glam can do:

•Purchase 254 condoms to prevent the transmission of HIV

•Provides client andnutrition services for 13 people living with HIV/AIDS

•Provide fresh fruit, vegetables, and grocery essentials to a mother and child affected by HIV for a full week.

•Purchase 200 new syringes, which are given to injection drug users in exchange for used needles to prevent HIV transmission

•Purchase 151 safer injection kits (cooker, cotton, tourniquet)

•Provide 32 Safer Sex Kits which include condoms, lubricant and instructions

•Provide a clean, safe place to sleep for two nights for one resident living with HIV/AIDS

•Provide 45 minutes of lifesaving HIV prevention skills to a group of 75 women and girls

•Buy 10 individually tailored, nutritious meals for a person affected by HIV/AIDS

•Purchase one rapid oral HIV test

•Provide crisis counselling to a person living with AIDS who is also struggling with drug addiction, mental illness and homelessness

•Provide a new job interview shirt and tie for one resident at an HIV/AIDS housing organization

•Provide 30 minutes of training for 20 medical providers on integrating HIV prevention and reproductive health

•Provide a move-in kit for a client moving into new housing, including cleaning materials, toilet paper, laundry soap, dishes for one person, lightbulbs, etc.

•Buy 24 female condoms to prevent HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy

•Buy a pair of school shoes for a child orphaned by AIDS

•Test 14 pregnant mothers for HIV