Naomi is not just a pretty face. She has a great heart too. Learn more about her off-screen work and the charity organizations and campaigns she supports.

'ONE' Campaign [August 2006]

Bono, the U2 frontman, along with the EDUN clothing brand he co-created, was at it again with the new ONE T-Shirt which benefits the battle against AIDS, extreme poverty and bring fair trade to the country of Lesotho in Southern Africa.

Top names in Hollywood and music, including Naomi Watts, Kate Bosworth, Lindsay Lohan, Rosario Dawson, Djimon Hounsou, Q-Tip, Gary Oldman, Gabriel Byrne, Peter Sarsgaard, Jimmy Fallon, Damon Dash and Rachel Roy, plus indie favorites Mark Ronson, James Iha, MisShapes, Saul Williams, Ben Cho, Diego Garcia (Elephant) gave their invaluable support to help reach and engage people in the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty, by posing for a print campaign shot by supermodel and photographer Helena Christensen.

ONE does not accept individual donations. The organization is funded through private and public foundations and sales of its merchandise. That’s where Edun Apparel comes in. The company is selling specially designed t-shirts which come in both black and white and have the graphic “ONE” enclosed in a filled circle on the front. Edun will donate $10 from the sale of each t-shirt to the Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS (ALAFA) project of the ConMark Trust, a development agency, to fund AIDS prevention and education, as well as medication purchases, throughout Lesotho. (An unspecified amount will help fund ONE as well.) Twenty-five to 30% of the country’s population is HIV-positive and the unemployment rate hovers around 50%. Twenty-three thousand Lesotho garment factory workers were suddenly left out in the cold when Chinese-owned and operated companies fled the country en masse at the end of 2004 after a long-standing World Trade Organization agreement protecting the textile industry ran out. Clothing Soon Zone, Edun Apparel’s Lesotho factory, employs 300 workers. Sadly, the average life expectancy is only 36 years.

More Info:

Edun Apparel, Ltd.

'ONE' Campaign

'ONE' Declaration

Buy:

'ONE' Store

Edun 'ONE' Store

UNAIDS Appointment [May 2006]

Naomi Watts accepted an appointment as a Special Representative for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on May 15, 2006. As UNAIDS Special Representative, Naomi will use her talent and profile to raise AIDS awareness and give greater voice to the needs of people living with HIV worldwide.

"Today, I am very pleased to appoint Naomi Watts as UNAIDS Special Representative," said Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director. "Through her determination to make a difference, I know that she will be a strong and eloquent advocate for an enhanced global AIDS response. I am also confident that the unique presence and passion that Ms. Watts brings to this issue will remind concerned citizens everywhere of the urgent need for serious and sustained action in the global fight against AIDS, and the vital role of the United Nations in this effort."

Naomi's appointment as UNAIDS Special Representatives came immediately on the heels of her UNAIDS-led, fact-finding mission to Zambia. During her week-long mission, Naomi visited clinics, hospitals, homes, schools, and shelters in urban centres and rural villages, dialogued with networks of people living with HIV, non-governmental organizations, peer educators, community outreach workers, nurses, and support groups and met with The First Lady of Zambia, Maureen Mwanawasa.

"In Zambia, I saw first hand the devastating impact of AIDS on individuals, families, and communities," Naomi said. "I was both humbled and inspired by the strength and courage of the women, men and children I met, who are truly moving mountains to save lives. They are the real heroes in this fight. I only hope that, as a UNAIDS Special Representative, I can do my small part to raise AIDS awareness and to encourage greater international support for the vital work being done on the ground. I have seen that everyone of us can make a difference and I am anxious to join UNAIDS in this effort."

According to UNAIDS, nearly 40 million people are living with HIV worldwide. Young people, under the age of 25, make up about half of new HIV infections worldwide. Every minute a child dies of an AIDS-related illness and every minute a child becomes infected with HIV.

Contact:

UNAIDS.ORG

Jonathan Rich | UNAIDS New York | cell. +1 917 650 5697 | jr@jrichconsulting.com

Dominique de Santis | UNAIDS Geneva | tel. +41 22 791 4509 | desantisd@unaids.org

Tina Bille | UNAIDS Geneva | tel. +41 22 791 4928 | billet@unaids.org

Usalama, Kenya [May 2005]

Kenya is far away from Hollywood, in more ways than one. Yet Naomi Watts felt compelled to visit rural Usalama, near Nairobi, while in Africa for her Tanzania safari vacation. Naomi had been seeking a children's charity to support and heard about Usalama through her manager. Still, nothing could prepare her fo the May 26 encounter with some of the village's 134 orphans, many of whom are the children of AIDS victims and at risk for typhoid because the village lacks sufficient clean water. The nearest source is an hour's walk, roud trip, says Watts: "You need two buckets a day for one person, and between washing, eating and drinking, they don't have that." Naomi aims awareness of New York teacher Robert Malii's program 'Mwikali's Gift', which plans to fund a well. A month after the trip, Naomi said it is the children who "stay with me... They have such hope, despite their problems. When we had to leave, I had to take a few breaths. I wanted to take them with me."

After visiting the poverty-stricken village, Naomi admited, "The children were so beautiful... They reach out to you and your heart melts... It was hard to be exposed to how in need they are." "If you're an actor and you want to get involved, you have to be passionate. You can't just show up and say, 'This is a good cause.'"

Write to mwikalisgift@nyc.rr.com. "Getting the village a well would be the first step to solve many problems. Water is the key to everything."

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