Zambian Tailor Wins Aids Award for Providing Orphans With Free School Uniforms

Six years after a teenage Zambian tailor started using his only sewing machine to make free school uniforms for AIDS orphans, the organization he founded has become one of the first winners of a United Nations prize to honour community groups on the front line of the global fight against the pandemic.

The prize money from the Red Ribbon award could mean that as many as 100 free uniforms could be provided next year, along with free shoes and school books, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a statement today.

"The work these communities do is inspirational and essential, as halting and reversing the epidemic will require intensified efforts by all actors, and more effective integration of AIDS priorities into wider development efforts." - Elhadj As Sy, UNDP HIV and AIDS Group director