By Tim Saunders on
Singer Annie Lennox has just released her new Greatest Hits collection in the US and has used the occasion to raise awareness of a new campaign being run by SING, an initiative she established to bring attention to AIDS/HIV in Africa.
Over the next few weeks and months, SING will be telling the stories of four women in Africa who are currently living their lives and raising their families whilst dealing with the effects of HIV/AIDS.
After personally witnessing Nelson Mandela describe the African HIV pandemic as a genocide, with women and children becoming the frontline victims, Annie Lennox set out to try and do something about it.
The singer launched the SING Campaign in 2007 when she released a special fundraising single called Sing, which featured a 23-member choir of female celebrities, including Madonna, Céline Dion, Dido, Faith Hill, Joss Stone, Pink, Melissa Etheridge, Fergie, Bonnie Raitt, KT Tunstall, Shakira, Beth Orton, Sarah McLachlan, Anastacia, the Sugababes, KD Lang, Martha Wainwright, Angélique Kidjo, Beverley Knight, Shingai Shoniwa, Gladys Knight, and Isobel Campbell. Proceeds from the single went to the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), an organization that that provides much needed support in the continent’s struggle against the deadly virus.
The money raised by SING helps prevent the spread of HIV in South Africa, and also supports those currently living with HIV.
“[The focus of the SING Campaign] is really on women,” Lennox told CNN last week. “I understand what it is for a woman to want to protect their children and give them the best they can.”
To follow the new campaign being run by SING, visit their website. A video announcing the new campaign for 2009 can be viewed here.
Copyright © 2009 Look to the Stars
