President George W. Bush announced today that Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon, a public-private partnership aimed at catalyzing the global community to...
DALLAS, Texas
President George W. Bush announced today that Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon, a public-private partnership aimed at catalyzing the global community to reduce deaths from cervical and breast cancer, will become an independent 501c3 organization.
“As an independent entity, Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon will have greater flexibility to expand, to make grants, and to raise funds around the world,” said President Bush. “Although the structure of the organization will change, its mission will not: Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon will continue leading coordinated action with partners around the world to save women’s lives from cancer, so that they can support their families and strengthen their communities.”
Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon will expand its ability to save women’s lives from cervical and breast cancer by leading multi-sector action to increase access to preventive care and treatment. Cervical and breast cancers account for approximately 788,000 deaths globally each year and are a leading cause of death among women in developing countries.
Launched in September 2011 by the George W. Bush Institute, the United States Government through the U.S. Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Susan G. Komen®, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon provides preventive care and treatment to women and girls at risk of women’s cancers where the need is greatest. Since its inception, Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon has screened nearly 200,000 women for cervical cancer and vaccinated over 42,000 girls against HPV. The organization currently has programs in Botswana, Tanzania, Zambia and, more recently, Ethiopia and Namibia.
Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon will remain affiliated with the George W. Bush Institute but operate as an independent nonprofit, which will increase its capacity for partnerships and potential for life-saving impact. President Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush are committed to Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon’s mission, vested in its success, and will remain involved in the organization as it grows.
“As an independent 501c3, Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon will be able to more easily expand its reach to new countries in need,” said Secretary Margaret Spellings, President of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and member of the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon board. “We look forward to working closely with even more partners to help keep women healthy, which in turn strengthens families, communities and nations.”
The President announced the nonprofit during his remarks at the 2015 Global Women’s Network, hosted at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. The annual summit convenes Global First Ladies, NGOs and corporations to build strategic partnerships that benefit women and girls.
Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon’s goals include reducing deaths from cervical cancer by 25 percent among women screened and treated in partner countries; achieving at least 85 percent coverage of vaccination against HPV and screening at least 80 percent of the appropriate target populations for pre-invasive cervical cancer.
To learn more, visit: http://pinkribbonredribbon.org/
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About Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon
A partnership-driven global organization affiliated with the George W. Bush Institute, Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon saves lives through prevention and treatment of women’s cancers, specifically cervical and breast cancer, in countries where the need is greatest. This work helps keep women healthy, which in turn strengthens families, communities and nations. For more information, please visit www.pinkribbonredribbon.org.
About the George W. Bush Presidential Institute
Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the George W. Bush Institute is an action-oriented, nonpartisan policy organization with the mission of cultivating leaders and advancing policies to solve today’s most pressing challenges. It raises current and thought-provoking issues and builds programs to address the challenges facing our nation and our world. The work of the Bush Institute is inspired by the principles that guided the Bushes in public life: education is the foundation of a successful life; freedom is a universal human desire; free enterprise is the engine of economic prosperity; and every human life is precious.
