Lesotho to receive PRODUCT (RED) funds

Lesotho has been announced as the fourth country to receive funds from (PRODUCT) RED to fight Aids in the country.

RED was launched by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006 as a way to engage business in the fight against Aids in Africa.

Dr Michel Kazatchkine, the global fund's executive director, said: "With one in four people in Lesotho infected by HIV, this country’s fight against AIDS is a fight for survival.

"The Global Fund-supported program is contributing to stemming the growth of AIDS in Lesotho and ensuring treatment and care for thousands of people living with the disease.”

(PRODUCT) RED partner companies produce products with the RED logo and a percentage of the profit the company makes is given to the global fund. Current partners include American Express, Apple and Converse.

Latest figures show RED partners have generated more than $60 million for the global fund and 100 per cent of the money helps the fight against Aids in Ghana, Rwanda, Swaziland and now Lesotho.

The global fund to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria was established in 2002 to increase resources to fight those devastating diseases.