World AIDS Day - December 1st

Wearing the official 46664 Bangle shows your support of social issues such as the fight against HIV AIDS

Join the 46664 Bangle team on December 1 and observe the 22nd annual World AIDS Day. Thousands of individuals and organizations will mark this day by raising awareness of HIV AIDS, with the intention of reducing global infection rates and helping orphaned children affected by HIV AIDS.

The 46664 Bangle project plays a committed role in raising awareness of HIV AIDS through the official 46664 Bangle bracelet (on the left), which is engraved with Nelson Mandela's prisioner number. Nelson Mandela's legacy is now being used in a new struggle - the fight against HIV AIDS. The 46664 Bangle is handcrafted in South Africa to raise funds for HIV AIDS prevention projects and to create jobs for communities most affected by this global disease.

There’s positive news about the progress that’s been made in combating this disease as infection rates are falling, but the fight is not over yet. According to the UN, in 2009 there were 2.6m new HIV infections and 1.8m people died from AIDS-related illnesses.

On December 1, we remember those who lost the fight against AIDS, show compassion to those suffering from AIDS, and re-commit to promoting the prevention of this global disease.

What will you do on World AIDS Day?

• Know your status – get tested
• Know your partner’s status
• Encourage your friends to know their status
• Be responsible – prevention, prevention, prevention. Choose condoms to dramatically reduce the chances of infection
• Wear and talk about the official 46664 Bangle bracelet – not just on World AIDS Day … every time you wear your 46664 Bangle, you make a statement of responsibility and increase awareness about HIV AIDS

Create awareness – post a red ribbon as your Facebook profile photo, or go for a double whammy – use our red ribbon photos of the 46664 Bangle, and you’ll also be telling people about the 46664 Bangle project which creates much-needed income in areas with HIV AIDS statistics.

The 46664 Bangle bracelet is available in copper, silver, gold and platinum, and with prices ranging from $24.95 to $17,760 ... there's a bangle to suit everyone's budget.

Buy a Bangle ... Change a Life.

Sometimes it's just too easy to get caught up in what's wrong with the world. Yes, every part of our planet needs help in some way - poverty, disease, lack of education, human rights, political freedom, protecting the environment - they're all major global issues which deserve our serious attention.

Today on Thanksgiving in the US, we're focusing on the positive. In no particular order (sounds like DWTS!), we're grateful for:

1. Access to clean drinking water with no worry about cholera @PlanetWaterLive


2. The choice to use condoms and prevent HIV @talkHIV


3. The ability to get tested, learn our status & prevent HIV @HIVictorious


4. Our political freedom and democracy @hrw


5. Those who make a difference and won't accept the status quo @changemakers


6. Organizations like @dosomething who plant seeds of social responsibility amongst youth


7. Supporters who wear the 46664 Bangle and help create jobs for those in need


8. Individual voices like @bonostreetteam who volunteer their time to raise awareness of social issues


9. Sound logic, like "World Change Starts with Educated Children" @RoomtoRead


10. The #MDGs as a reminder of how lucky we are @WeCanEndPoverty
    

Make your own Thanksgiving list! It'll put a smile on your face and pack a little punch to that turkey stuffing. Happy Thanksgiving from the 46664 Bangle team in the US.

Nelson Mandela Meets Bafana Bafana and US Football Team

Smiles all round, as the United States football (soccer) team and South Africa's Bafana Bafana visited Nelson Mandela at his office in Johannesburg today, November 18th.

The coach of the victorious US team, Bob Bradley, presented Mr Mandela with a team shirt and told him, “It is an honour for us to be here today.”

Source: Nelson Mandela Foundation

With a 1-0 win for the US team, Wednesday night’s Nelson Mandela Challenge in Cape Town may have been a disappointment for South Africa, but as one South African tweeted after the match, "Boys you played well. Let's share Madiba with Americans. Let them take cup - we have HIM."

Joy As Aung San Suu Kyi Is Freed

People around the world rejoiced today, as beloved 1991 Noble Peace Laureate and fighter for democracy in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, was released, after 15 years of house arrest.

Suu Kyi, the daughter of Burma's leading independence figure, General Aung San, was imprisoned for her campaign for democracy in Burma and her leadership of the opposition party, the National League for Democracy. The party was never permitted to assume power, even after winning an election landslide in 1990.

A different time , a different country, different circumstances - and yet Suu Kyi's call for democracy and human rights is similar to that of fellow Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Nelson Mandela.

As the world celebrates Suu Kyi's release, there is still concern about the remaining 2,200 political prisoners in Burma, and there is a watchful eye on the military government during this month's elections. According to this Humans Rights Watch article, there are reports of serious voting irregularities, such as questionable "advance voting ballots".

With this mixed backdrop of celebration and caution, leaders around the world expressed their happiness about Suu Kyi's release:

President Barack Obama: “She is a hero of mine and a source of inspiration for all who work to advance basic human rights in Burma and around the world. … The United States looks forward to the day when all of Burma’s people are free from fear and persecution.”

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chair of The Elders: "Aung San Suu Kyi’s release offers hope to the people of Burma, who face uncertain times following the 7 November elections. She is a global symbol of moral courage and we wish her strength and health as she makes her own transition from such a long period under house arrest."

Please Give Nelson Mandela a Peaceful Retirement

The Nelson Mandela Foundation pleads for a peaceful retirement for Nelson Mandela.

He's arguably South Africa's most famous resident and much-loved leader, and people all over the world want a piece of Madiba magic.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation receives at least 4,000 messages a month, paying tribute to Mr Mandela, but there are just as many requests for his signature, endorsements, message of support, a public appearance or an interview.

There are also pleas for Nelson Mandela to intervene in struggles around the world. As far back as 1999 Mr Mandela said the following in response to these calls: “I don’t want to reach 100 years whilst I am still trying to bring about a solution in some complicated international issue.”

At 92 years old, after a life of fighting for human rights and social issues, Madiba deserves a peaceful and quiet retirement.

Source: The Nelson Mandela Foundation

Do You Know Your MDGs?

There are eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) defined by the United Nations, from reducing extreme poverty to improving education and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS ... all by the target date of 2015. The MDGs are driving unprecedented worldwide efforts to meet the needs of the world's poorest.

Nelson Mandela's wife, Graça Machel, is a humanitarian and social activist, and is vocal about Africa taking responsibilitly for addressing the MDGs on its own continent. "Everybody seems to have a plan for our continent. We need a plan for Africa, by Africans. I challenge the youth of today to build a world of equity, prosperity and well-being," she says.

Learn more about the 8 MDGs and how they address gender equality, education, environmental sustainability and other glocal social issues.

World AIDS Day ~ December 1st

This year's World AIDS Day theme is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'. With an estimated 33.4 million people living with HIV, including 2.1 million children, December 1st is a reminder that HIV remains a threat to men, women and children, worldwide.

Wearing the 46664 Bangle is a daily reminder of social issues such as poverty, hunger and HIV prevention. Nelson Mandela's words, "It's in our hands", encourage us to make a difference.

• In Botswana, 23.9% of adults are now infected with HIV
• In South Africa, 18.1% are infected with HIV
• With a total of around 5.7 million infected, South Africa has more people living with HIV than any other country
  

These shocking statistics from AVERT are Africa-centric, but HIV AIDS is a global issue. There are currently more than one million people living with HIV and AIDS in America and around a fifth of these are unaware of their infection, posing a high risk of onward transmission.

This World AIDS day, see what you can do to take action against HIV AIDS.

To join the global discussion about HIV AIDS, visit these Facebook communities: Red Ribbon Army and World AIDS Day.

Special Edition 46664 Bangle for Auction at Ubuntu Education Fund Event

The Ubuntu Education Fund was founded when American, Jacob Lief, and South African, Banks Gwaxula, took on the challenge of providing vulnerable children access to education, encouraging their academic achievement.

This week at the New York gala fundraiser celebrating their 11th anniversary, a special edition, Mandela Day silver 46664 Bangle will be available for auction, supporting Ubuntu Education Fund’s efforts in South Africa.

Patron of the Ubuntu Education Fund, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, offered this definition of the word, Ubuntu: "It refers to gentleness, to compassion, to hospitality, to openness to others, to vulnerability, to be available to others and to know that you are bound up with them in the bundle of life … he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.”

Happy 11th anniversary, Ubuntu Education Fund. Today, as you reach over 40,000 children in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, with life-saving health and educational resources and services, thank you for living up to your name.