In 2007, recording artist Annie Lennox recorded the track “SING” with 23 of the world’s most successful female singers to help raise awareness about the HIV and AIDS pandemic affecting women and children in Africa. 

Lennox was inspired to get involved in the fight against AIDS after hearing Nelson Mandela speak on the issue.

“His message was that the pandemic of HIV and AIDS in Africa was, in fact, a genocide,” she says, “Since that time I resolved to do as much I can to bring attention to the HIV and AIDS crisis.”

The Cause Behind the Song
In Africa—the global epicenter of the pandemic—58% of people infected with HIV are women. And in South Africa, where Lennox shot the music video for “SING”, one in three pregnant women are HIV positive.

To help change this horrible reality, all proceeds from the song, which was written by Lennox, go to the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). TAC is a South African organization that has become the leading civil society force behind AIDS treatment, prevention and care in South Africa.

A Life Changed
The SING Campaign has already helped many, including little Avelile, a South African girl who appears in the “SING” music video.

When Lennox first met seven-year-old Avelile she was suffering from full-blown AIDS and weighed less than a one-year-old. But now Avelile can enjoy a healthy life, in spite of the disease, thanks to a simple song that has triggered a global reaction.

Lennox and World Vision
World Vision helps people affected by HIV and AIDS by promoting disease prevention and awareness, providing home-based care, counseling and testing and supporting community programs. In the last year, the organization has educated over 375,000 children in Africa about HIV and AIDS prevention.

Lennox is an enthusiastic supporter of World Vision. On her recent world tour, she met with World Vision representatives in Toronto and encouraged her audience to learn more about the organization and its work.