(product)red...?

[bokep]

why the hell do i keep seeing these things? is this some kind of clever scheme to trick people into thinking they're helping africa, or are companies actually contributing significant amount of money in aid for the africans with aids? they don't even tell us how much money per product sold goes to aid.

[S_G]

It's a bulls___ campaign that supposedly helps various African causes, when in fact it is completely for-profit. Only a small part of the profits are given back to charitable causes.

They could have EASILY launched a campaign that redistributes all of the profits these products to these causes, thereby helping the world and not even incurring any losses whatsoever. Hell, it should even give them a tax break. But no, they had to be greedy.

Don't buy any Product Red crap. If you want to help Africa, just donate directly.

[VorteC]

The bracelet is $12 and on the paper it says all of it goes to AIDS.. but the Ipod only gives $10 to charity.. hilarious.

[TapemanPL]

it's alright if it's just normal articles of clothing say a gap shirt...since people are buying shirts anyways why not get a product red one, doesn't matter how much is contributed as long as some money gets there it's ok, better than buying a shirt where all profits go to gap

[blizzah]

it's alright if it's just normal articles of clothing say a gap shirt...since people are buying shirts anyways why not get a product red one, doesn't matter how much is contributed as long as some money gets there it's ok, better than buying a shirt where all profits go to gap

But the Red shirts are often twice the price or a good chunk more.

[Mike_wang]

But but but. Bono created them ;0

It's an all right campaign he's just trying to help people out.

[j3fan]

The bracelet is $12 and on the paper it says all of it goes to AIDS.. but the Ipod only gives $10 to charity.. hilarious.

it's better than nothing....i don't see microsoft donating to africa....

[drucillica]

it's better than nothing....i don't see microsoft donating to africa....

You're kidding, right? Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated tens of billions of dollars. I don't get it. You're always bashing microsoft just for the sake of bashing it.

[j3fan]

You're kidding, right? Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated tens of billions of dollars. I don't get it. You're always bashing microsoft just for the sake of bashing it.

I didn't say the foundation...I said microsoft, the corporation.....these two are different entities.

edit: Actually, I believe they match employee donations to charitable foundations, which is better than nothing.

[drucillica]

I didn't say the foundation...I said microsoft, the corporation.....these two are different entities.

edit: Actually, I believe they match employee donations to charitable foundations, which is better than nothing.

How nice of you to acknowledge that. Microsoft probably does more for charity than any other for-profit company.

Not only do they match monetary donations, but they also match (in $$) the time employess put in volunteering. And considering that MS has 75000 employees, that's a pretty substantial match.

Oh and there's also that PAID time off employees get every year to do volunteer/charity work

Lets not forget the donations to developing countries (monetary/hardware/software) and a ton of charity drives that are organized each year.

But yeah, you're right, Microsoft does nothing. :rolleyes:

[UrbanPoet]

the funny thing is... People are only starting to wear it a lot these days b/c they are starting to go on sale!

I used to work @ the gap, and they initially said they were only going to sell these @ regular price FOREVER. 50% of the gross sale was to go to charity. But heres the thing... They were all overpriced!!!
$35 for a regular tshirt
$200 for a cashmere sweater
$500 for a leather jacket...

Later down the road they realized NO ONE was buying this stuff. It was really hard to move off the shelf... so then they decided to mark down the price so it would move faster. It came to a point where some of the uglier items were going on clearance for $4.99-$9.99.

[mlc2000]

the funny thing is... People are only starting to wear it a lot these days b/c they are starting to go on sale!

I used to work @ the gap, and they initially said they were only going to sell these @ regular price FOREVER. 50% of the gross sale was to go to charity. But heres the thing... They were all overpriced!!!
$35 for a regular tshirt
$200 for a cashmere sweater
$500 for a leather jacket...

Later down the road they realized NO ONE was buying this stuff. It was really hard to move off the shelf... so then they decided to mark down the price so it would move faster. It came to a point where some of the uglier items were going on clearance for $4.99-$9.99.


That $500 leather jacket was $100 in Burlington last month.

[UrbanPoet]

That $500 leather jacket was $100 in Burlington last month.

hehe yep.. its red, with white stripes, and very tacky right?

[Webslinger]

It's a bulls___ campaign that supposedly helps various African causes, when in fact it is completely for-profit.


What you've written is complete nonsense (50% of the profit goes to The Global Fund). And while it's all very nice to suggest people should simply donate money instead of buying Red products the fact is many consumers won't and don't want to feel as though they are. Of course, if you think the Red project sucks so much, perhaps you can point me to a charitable source that would provide the $45 million that's already been contributed by Project Red (not just that large amount--but also delivered just as quickly as Project Red has . . . unless of course you feel people in an emergency situation should have to wait for whatever solution others are unable to come up with). Or perhaps you can devise an alternative to raise $45 million for The Global Fund just as quickly. Perhaps you wish Project Red never existed and that the $45 million that's already being used to educate people and save lives wasn't contributed at all? Sure, who cares? More people die and nothing changes while cynics look around for people to blame and argue with, while those that can make positive changes--do so.The lefties don't like Project Red because they want to see all the money going to The Global Fund, and they don't want to prop up some of the corporations that Project Red helps (that's fine; again, when Stephen Lewis' charities donate $45 million this quickly, let me know--and when the anti-globalization movement manages to get these same corporations to contribute money for the mess that they created let me know; it would simply be better to acknowledge Project Red as a social tax). The righties don't like Project Red because they're skeptical of cause marketing as a sustainable business model. That remains to be seen. Project Red is still young. Some also feel the money won't go anywhere, but down a rathole, feeding corrupt leaders. That's a lie. We've already seen the positive impact.

Without Project Red, the private sector only contributed $5 million over 4 years. Since Project Red, the private sector contributes $45 million in less than two years.

"It was announced Monday that the RED™ initiative, begun by Bono and Bobby Shriver, has raised over $45 million for the Global Fund.

Already, funds have been used for antiretroviral therapy for AIDS patients in Ghana, provided education support for 59,000 students in Swaziland and trained nearly 3,000 counselors in Rwanda to teach prevention of HIV infection.

Hopefully this will put an end to the ridiculous rumors that suggested Product RED was failing."

http://www.joinred.com/news/press-release.asp?09242007


(RED) CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GLOBAL FUND TOP $45 MILLION
$30 million of (RED) funds already invested in AIDS programs in Ghana, Swaziland and Rwanda
9/24/2007back

Los Angeles, CA – September 24, 2007 – Today, (RED), the initiative launched last year to engage corporate and consumer power in the fights against AIDS in Africa, announced that the sales of (PRODUCT) RED-branded products had generated more than $45 million for the Global Fund (www.theglobalfund.org). In 2006, (RED) set out to create a sustainable model to increase private sector contributions to the Global Fund. The recent total of more than $45 million generated represents an impressive nine fold increase over the previous total of just $5 million raised by the Global Fund from the private sector in its first four years, 2002 - 2006.

“I am amazed and humbled by the impact that (RED) consumers have made in a year.” said Bobby Shriver, co-founder and chairman of (RED). “The shoppers who’ve chosen (RED) and the companies who’ve turned (RED) are heroes. Each individual’s decision is saving the lives of more than 30,000 AIDS patients in Rwanda and Swaziland today and ensuring that HIV-positive pregnant mothers receive the medicine they need.”

This month, more than $7 million of the $45 million flowed to the third Global Fund-(RED) grant, an investment to help finance national AIDS programs implemented by the Ghanaian Ministry of Health. With this latest disbursement, (RED), through Global Fund-financed programs, has invested more than $30 million in AIDS programs in Rwanda, Swaziland and Ghana.

“(RED)’s contribution of $45 million to the Global Fund in the short period since it was launched in 2006 means that private sector contributions to the Global Fund are at a completely new level,” said Dr. Michel Kazatchkine, executive director, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. “(RED) has shown that it is possible to do good business while also doing good. It gives consumers a way to really impact upon the lives of people affected by AIDS in Africa.”

One hundred percent of the (RED) money received at the Global Fund flows to Global Fund-financed programs. The Global Fund selects grants for (RED) investment based on programs with a proven track record and ambitious targets. In keeping with the Global Fund’s philosophy of supporting local solutions, the Global Fund-(RED) grant in Ghana is implemented by the Ghanaian Ministry of Health and helps fund the following in-country services:


* Antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS patients,
* Counseling and testing services, and antiretroviral prophylaxis, for Ghanaian mothers to reduce the risk of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV,
* Training for healthcare providers in reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV,
* Voluntary counseling and testing for prevention of HIV,
* Training for counselors to teach prevention of HIV.

This Global Fund financed HIV/AIDS grant in Ghana becomes the third grant to receive funds raised through (RED), alongside HIV/AIDS grants in Rwanda and Swaziland, where (RED) money has been at work for nearly a year and has helped achieve the following results.

In Swaziland, more than $9 million of (RED) money has flowed to support Global Fund-financed programs which have already:


* reached over 8,200 mothers with services to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of HIV,
* trained over 150 midwives and doctors in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV,
* reached almost 100,000 people with voluntary counseling and testing for prevention of HIV,
* trained over 75 counselors to teach prevention of HIV,
* set up over 35 counseling and testing centers for prevention of HIV,
* established feeding schemes in 335 schools,
* built 277 community feeding and daycare centers (KaGogo centers),
* provided education support for over 59,000 vulnerable children,
* provided antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS to over 17,000 patients,
* trained over 800 nurses and doctors in treating patients with HIV/AIDS,
* trained almost 3,000 health workers to deliver home-based care for HIV/AIDS, patients.

In Rwanda, more than $14 million of (RED) money has flowed to support Global Fund-financed programs which have already:


* reached over 316,000 pregnant women with counseling and services to reduce the risk of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV,
* reached over 6,000 women with a complete course of ARV prophylaxis to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission,
* trained over 240 health providers (doctors and nurses) in the management of patients on antiretroviral combination therapy (ART),
* reached over 630,000 people with voluntary counseling and testing for prevention of HIV infection,
* trained almost 3,000 counselors to teach prevention of HIV infection,
* provided antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS to over 14,500 patients,
* set up 42 health centers to deliver anti-retroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS,
* set up over 120 sites to offer counseling and testing services (including for pregnant women),
* supported 78 associations of people living with HIV/AIDS.