
LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/ RED) - Starting this month through April of 2008, the world renowned African Children's Choir will be appearing in various media as they have been selected for the Gap(RED) print portrait campaign. Product (RED) is an initiative founded by Bono and
Bobby Shriver to fight AIDS in Africa. They have designed the (RED) initiative as a way for corporat! ions to make a significant impact on the African culture. Since its introduction at the World Economic Forum in January, (RED) has received quite a bit of press coverage in the U.S. and the UK, where it was launched.
As partners of (RED), the corporations donate a portion of proceeds on select products over a 5-year period, making it an ongoing and sustainable way to fund relief to Africa. Gap, a key partner of (RED), has designed a line of clothing for children. The collection features Gap's most iconic items, with special attention given to every detail. Some of the items will even be manufactured in Africa, in an effort to drive the economy by creating jobs. Additional information about (RED), its mission and its partners can be found on ! their website, www.joinred.com.
The campaign will be photographed by the acclaimed photographer, Annie Leibovitz. Gap will support this effort through outdoor (i.e. billboards, bus sides), spreads/inserts in major fashion & lifestyle publications, online and in their 1600 stores.
The evolution of this campaign is to include celebrities and personalities with their families, friends or partners. In the current issue on Vanity Fair, the African Children's Choir is photographed with John Legend. Past campaigns also shot by Annie Leibovitz, was a series of iconic Gap portraits featuring a mix of celebrity talent, which included Steven Spielberg, Don Cheadle, Mary J.Blige, Chris Rock, Christy Turlington, Apolo Ohno, D! akota Fanning, Jennifer Garner, and Penelope Cruz.
The African Children's Choir has been working with the most vulnerable children in Africa for 23 years raising awareness of the plight of the orphaned and abandoned, but also showing the beauty, dignity and potential of the African child. They perform throughout the world bringing hope and joy to everyone they meet while shining the spotlight on the plight of children in Africa. The African Children's Choir, with a focus on education, is currently caring for several thousand underprivileged children throughout Africa. These are children who could have lost all hope, but have overcome their circumstances and now are making a positive impact on society by being a voice for millions of children suffering in Africa.