Bea Benkova, is founder and CEO of Global Institute For Extraordinary Woman (G.I.F.E.W), worked in international finance sector. Having studied at Oxford and holding degrees in finance and economics from the UK and her native Slovakia, Bea was raised from an early age to be successful and be the best. She held senior positions in the City of London at ABN AMRO and the Royal Bank of Scotland. She is also first time author of the book Life Is Now. http://gifew.org

A Gold medalist in Bachelors and Doctorate in Molecular Biology and Genetics from a premier research institute of India, the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. Dr. Gandhi, has been awarded Research Fellowships from CSIR, and has won various state level science awards. His doctoral research focused on understanding the interrelationships between various gene silencing phenomena using the Drosophila model. Author’s present research focuses on understanding various aspects of secondary metabolism in medicinal and aromatic plants at the prestigious Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) CSIR, Jammu India.

Today, fifteen years after I first joined the global health community, I remain an impatient optimist. As Vice President of a global health organization, PSI, and as a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum, I have seen what is possible when the global community works together to overcome seemingly impossible development challenges—particularly for girls and women.

Today, more than ever, private capital and creative partnerships among governments, the private and non-profit sectors, and civil society, are needed to test and develop promising health solutions for girls and women that governments and businesses can’t advance on their own.

We are standing on the threshold of a new era of collaboration in philanthropic giving. More women are breaking through gender barriers and achieving unprecedented levels of power and influence, allowing them to ignite change and offer hope to women around the world who are shackled by the effects of poverty.

Companies are forming innovative partnerships with nonprofits and governments in the developing world to address pressing health needs, and we are seeing impressive results. Women are standing toe-to-toe with men as philanthropists—working together to solve some of the world’s most complex problems. The world has seen that progress is impossible without unlocking the potential that exists in every girl. Unlocking that potential will require an inspired effort.

Harnessing Creative Energy for Social Causes
Prior to joining PSI, I was managing director for the international advertising firm Saatchi and Saatchi in Romania. My life revolved around the relentless pursuit of finding new and creative ways to market cigarettes, soda, and other commodities that men, women, and youth “had to have.”
My life changed courses when a remarkable man named Michael Holscher, who worked for PSI, convinced me that I could use the same creative energy to market products and services that have a health benefit and affect social change.

Not long after I met Michael, I joined PSI and spearheaded the development of YouthAIDS, a cause marketing campaign designed to create awareness and raise private capital for high-impact health solutions around HIV and AIDS. The funds raised from this campaign would eventually be invested to develop and deliver one of the most effective HIV prevention tools available.

Unleashing the Power of the Private Investment in Health

In 2007 the World Health Organization and UNAIDS recognized voluntary medical male circumcision as an effective tool to reduce the risk of HIV infection among men. Randomized control trials confirmed that circumcised men are 60 percent less likely to acquire HIV from their female partner.

This exciting development clashed with an onslaught of skepticism by many global health experts who believed it would be impossible to convince men to undergo this simple procedure. Even if demand for the service could be created, many believed it would be impractical and too costly to make it widely available, particularly across sub-Saharan Africa where the HIV epidemic maintains a stronghold.
The health experts at PSI were more optimistic. With philanthropic contributions of $500,000 we launched a circumcision program in Zambia and later expanded the program in neighboring countries. We were able to prove, through communications campaigns, that we could create demand for circumcision among young males.

The program also demonstrated that the service could be offered safely and cost effectively. Armed with proof, that initial investment has since leveraged more than $77 million from donors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development, and the UK Department for International Development, to expand the program in other countries.
Between 2007 and 2012, PSI was able to provide circumcision services to more than 400,000 men in 7 countries – Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Using the World Bank-approved DALY metric, PSI’s circumcision interventions added 503,521 years of healthy life. Combined with efforts from other health organizations, local governments and with support from international donors, more than 1.1 million African men have been circumcised —moving us even closer to an AIDS-free generation.

An Opportunity for Girls and Women
If we can apply this leverage model to deliver health solutions for the 600 million girls and women across the developing world, we will change the course of humanity. The effects of poor health prevent young girls and women from going to school, joining the workforce, and earning equal status with men—it prevents them from reaching their full potential. Today, 75 percent of HIV infections among 15- to 24-year-olds in sub-Saharan Africa are young women, and up to one-half of girls in developing countries become mothers before the age of 18, largely due to lack of access to modern family planning options. The burden of preventable disease and health complications is undeniable, and it impacts all aspects of a girl’s life, as well as her family, and her community.

So, why invest in girls and women?
It’s simple. Girls and women deliver for their families, communities and nations when they are healthy, educated and empowered to reach their full potential. It’s time we deliver for them.
To read more please read the enclosed link…

Igniting a Global Movement to Improve the Health of Girls and Women

Bea Benkova, is committed that every woman regains her power and feminity, vitality and wealth, and lives her life in her natural flow fulfilling her purpose to leave her legacy whilst having love, harmony and respect with men! Bea is committed towards accelerating transformation on the planet through the aligned power of Extraordinary Women!

Maaza Mengiste is an Ethiopian-American writer born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and living in the United States. Her debut novel, the award-winning Beneath the Lion’s Gaze was named one of the 10 best contemporary African books by the Guardian. Among other places, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Lettre Internationale, Granta, Callaloo Journal, The Granta Anthology of the African Short Story, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Maaza Mengiste writes fiction and nonfiction dealing with migration, the Ethiopian revolution, and the plight of sub-Saharan immigrants arriving in Europe. She is currently teaching creative writing at Princeton University and Queens College of the City University of New York.

Kate Roberts is the Vice President of Corporate Marketing, Communications and Advocacy at
Population Services International (PSI). She is also the founder of YouthAIDS and Five & Alive, two
marketing programs implemented by Population Services International (PSI).

Kate produced the “Staying Alive” concert with MTV, began the multi-million dollar, celebritydriven
YouthAIDS cause marketing campaign with ALDO Shoes called “See No Evil”, and led four
award-winning documentaries aired on VH1, The Discovery Channel and National Geographic
aimed at raising awareness about the global HIV/AIDS crisis. Roberts has been featured in The Washington Post, named “Power Player of the Week” by Fox News, one of the Vogue 100 women and celebrated as a “CNN Hero”.

Kate speaks at The Aspen Ideas Festival, Google, Columbia University, Harvard Business School and Wharton and was awarded “Young Global Leader 2007” by The Forum. Most recently, Roberts co-founded and serves on the Board of the Global India Fund, serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Health Advisory Board and is implementing a partnership with Nike to scale up efforts of the Girl Effect program.

Drs. Daan Elffers (1979) is the Founder of EMG CSR Consultancy (www.emg-csr.com). Founded in the Netherlands in 2004, EMG is a leading international CSR and sustainability management consultancy for profit and growth from CSR. Today EMG has consultants in Amsterdam, London, Cambridge and New York, and plans to open an office in Zurich later this year.

In 2008 EMG became the world’s first consultancy with accredited consultants for the marketing of Cradle to Cradle®, the closed loop/ circular economy model developed by William McDonough and Prof. Michael Braungart. EMG is the only CSR and sustainability management consultancy to be a member of the European Sustainable Investment Forum (EUROSIF).

Over the years, EMG has received numerous international awards in recognition of its quality and effectiveness including most recently the American Summit International Leader Award and the Communitas Award for Leadership in Ethical and Environmental Responsibility. Publications include “How to do business in China” and “Sustainable Development in China’s 12th Five Year Plan”, both written by EMG’s Senior Consultant for China Projects, the former Counselor for Science and Innovation at the British Embassy in Beijing.

In November 2012, EMG launched a new series of CSR Thought Leadership interviews with the goal of inspiring more people about the benefits of integrating CSR into profitable business. The first interviews have included CEOs, senior government and non-government officials, prominent financiers and heads of CSR for some of the world’s largest multinationals.

Bilingual in Dutch and English, Daan holds a Master’s degree from the Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University) and has lived and worked in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore and the UK.

Adrian David Cheok (www.adriancheok.info) is a Full Professor at Keio University, Graduate School of Media Design. He is Founder and Director of the Mixed Reality Lab, Singapore. He was previously Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore. He has previously worked in real-time systems, soft computing, and embedded computing in Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs, Japan. 

 Amongst numerous high quality academic journals, keynotes, exhibitions, he was featured in worldwide broadcasts on his research such as CNN and Discovery Channel. In addition he was the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and prizes such as the A-STAR Young Scientist of the Year, Hitachi Fellowship, SCS Singapore Young Professional of the Year, Microsoft Research Award in Gaming and Graphics, C4C Children Competition Prize, Integrated Art Competition Prize, Creativity in Action Award, Mind trek Award, the Keio University Japan Gijyuju-sho award, and was awarded Young Global Leader 2008 by the World Economic Forum.