Bollywood actor Preity Zinta, who
was Thursday appointed as the goodwill ambassador for UNAIDS in India, will
create awareness against AIDS along with the members of her Indian Premier
League (IPL) team Kings XI
Punjab.
"All our players will
sport red ribbons during their matches. In our first match against Delhi
Daredevils, we will take an HIV positive person to the toss to convey our
message against stigma and discrimination," Preity said here.
"Me and my team will produce a
short commercial to spread awareness against the disease. I will be there, our
captain Kumar Sangakkara and other players will also be there," she added.
Besides, Kings XI Punjab will
donate 25 percent of the profit they will earn from selling their merchandise to
UNAIDS, which will decide its usage for the betterment of HIV positive people.
On being appointed goodwill
ambassador for UNAIDS, Preity said: "I have done many roles. This one is
different. I am very happy."
"All human beings, wherever we
are, have the basic right to be happy and healthy. I see this as a great
opportunity to bring the realities faced by people living with HIV to the
forefront and to call for attention to the injustices faced by them," she said.
Preity will work to create
awareness on HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, with an emphasis on
women, children and oppressed classes, the UN body said.
"Goodwill ambassadors are
celebrities with a demonstrated commitment to improving the lives of people
living with HIV. Highly talented in their own right, they all share an ability
to bring issues to global attention, to galvanize support from the public and
leading decision makers, and to raise urgently needed support and attention for
vital UN programmes," Charles Gilks, country coordinator, UNAIDS, said.
"I am very pleased to appoint
Preity Zinta as UNAIDS' special representative," Gilks added.
India is home to at least 2.3
million HIV positive people.
source- http://movies.indiatimes.com
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