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ZELIG RAISES FUNDS FOR CESVI
WITH VODAFONE OMNITEL’S
SUPER SOLIDARITY MESSAGE
FUNDS RAISED SINCE APRIL 2002
SUFFICIENT TO SAVE OVER 600 BABIES
Vodafone Omnitel and Zelig have joined forces for CESVI, an independent Italian
humanitarian aid organisation, to support its “Let’s stop AIDS in its tracks” campaign.
Since March 2002 Vodafone Omnitel has supported CESVI via its Super Solidarity Message service. CESVI and the comedians from Zelig have, on the other hand, been working together since 1998 with "C'e riso e riso", a charity show organised to raise money for CESVI's SOS North Korea campaign. They collaborated again in 2000 with the "Carta di riso show" to collect funds for the "Let's feed Sudan" project. In 2002 the comedians from Zelig decided to back the "Let's stop AIDS in its tracks" campaign, as part of the Zelig in Tour performances in the summer of 2002. Vodafone Omnitel and Zelig have again come together to provide backing for CESVI: on
January 21, at the close of the first evening of the TV programme Zelig Circus, Michelle
Hunziker and the Zelig artists will invite the audience to contribute to the humanitarian aid
campaign, "Let's stop AIDS in its tracks", by sending a Super Solidarity Message (via
SMS) to the number 4333253.
The Super Solidarity Message is a simple SMS worth 1 euro. It is not only currently the
most widely used form of communication, but also represents a new way of donating
money via a simple, everyday gesture, capable of introducing even the youngest of mobile
users to the world of non-profit organisations.
The Company's joint initiative with Zelig is thus an excellent opportunity to bring a new method of giving to charity to the attention of a wide range of different people. Each message costs 1 euro: this sum (after excluding VAT) is passed on to CESVI, at no additional cost and with no earnings for Vodafone Omnitel. The service allows you to send one or more solidarity messages (up to 160 characters) and receive an SMS with information about CESVI's activities. The donor is free to choose the message content and may write a few words of solidarity in up to 160 characters. Vodafone Omnitel will gather these words of solidarity and publish them anonymously at The CESVI campaign aims to prevent HIV transmission from mothers to children in sub-Saharan Africa via a programme of prevention, drug treatment, and psychological support to mothers and nutritional assistance for new-born babies. Nevirapine is a low-cost, antiretroviral drug which, if administered to a mother during labour and to her new-born baby immediately afterwards, can save the child by drastically reducing the chances of transmitting the disease.
The project "Let's stop AIDS in its tracks" was launched by CESVI in March 2001 at Saint
Albert's Hospital in Zimbabwe. From March to now, around 4000 pregnant women have
been involved in CESVI's lifesaving programme, with nevirapine being administered to
233 women in labour and to their babies, and more than 10,000 people have taken part in
information and prevention meetings.
The first woman to receive this preventive treatment at Saint Albert's Hospital gave birth to
a baby boy, weighing 3.8 kg, on May 9, 2001. She called him Takunda, which means
"We've won" in the local language. In May 2002 it was announced that Takunda had indeed
won his battle: he is healthy.
The success of the Super Solidarity Message has enabled CESVI to meet requests for similar initiatives. The Italian organisation has extended the project in Zimbabwe at the national level with seven hospital facilities spread across the country. In Congo, Swaziland and in South Africa, in the desperately poor suburbs of Western Cape Town, a province where the government has authorised the use of nevirapine, awareness-raising and prevention activities are starting up. The principle of social solidarity is an integral part of the activities of Omnitel, which maintains regular relations with non-profit organisations at international level through the Vodafone Group to which it belongs. CESVI, an independent Italian humanitarian aid organisation, supports poverty reduction and sustainable development projects worldwide. In 2000, it was awarded the Oscar di Bilancio (a financial reporting prize) for its transparency.

Source: http://corporate.vodafone.it/resources_custom/attachment/scheda_zelig_circus_inglese.pdf