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Gracious Glory Buddhism Foundation helps Dr. David Ho fight AIDS in China Philanthropist and scientist join to support the China AIDS Initiative

New York, March 11, 2005

Tony C.T. Yeung, a self-made entrepreneur and philanthropist, today announced a US$2.5 million donation from the Gracious Glory Buddhism Foundation to support the China AIDS Initiative led by renowned scientist Dr. David Ho. Mr. Yeung is Chairman of the Foundation and a founder of Hong Kong-based Glorious Sun Group.

For many years Mr. Yeung and his brothers have made generous donations to help the poor and disadvantaged in China, improving bridges and roads in remote mountain regions, building water systems for rural populations, and supporting education to better peoples’ lives. This gift to fight AIDS is a new philanthropic venture for the Foundation, and is also one of the largest contributions by a Chinese donor to the AIDS cause.

Mr. Yeung said: "At least 1 million people in China are HIV positive, most of them in the poor southern and western provinces. By supporting the China AIDS Initiative we hope to help China reverse the tragic spread of HIV. I have great confidence in Dr. Ho and his expert team, and hope their work to help China mobilize against the epidemic will have a significant and lasting impact." Mr. Yeung’s philosophy is guided by the Chinese precepts: "Building wealth cannot compare to building virtue. What one gains from society should be returned to society. A small contribution compounds many-fold, benefiting all."

Dr. Ho and his colleagues are working tirelessly to build awareness about AIDS and the need for prevention, lecturing and delivering medical expertise to laboratories, universities, and HIV-affected regions, and calling on Chinese people around the world to join the fight against the epidemic. Dr. Ho said: "HIV’s spread in China has put several hundred million people at risk. AIDS is a challenging adversary, but I am confident that through collaboration and perseverance we can help save millions of lives, working with China to reverse the crisis it faces in the AIDS-affected regions and to relieve the suffering of patients, families and all Chinese people who are stricken. Most importantly, we can also bring hope to the unfortunate and innocent victims who contracted the virus through no fault of their own."

The China AIDS Initiative (CAI – see www.chinaaidsinitiative.org), a consortium of Chinese and international organizations, was officially launched in November 2003 when President Bill Clinton and Dr. David Ho convened the "China AIDS-SARS Summit" at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Its principal objectives are to help China scale up its response to AIDS, to reverse the epidemic’s spread in China and reduce the threat it poses to human society.

In October of 2004 CAI held a fund-raising event that generated tremendous enthusiasm and support from the people of Hong Kong. With private funding CAI is launching the following programs:

	CAI helped the National Basketball Association to produce anti-AIDS public service announcements featuring Yao Ming and Magic Johnson. Since their initial broadcast in October these announcements have raised awareness about HIV and generated strong interest among China’s population.
	Jointly with the NBA, China’s Ministry of Health, and Tsinghua University, CAI produced a multimedia website that was launched on World AIDS Day (December 1) last year. The site features conversations with medical experts, eminent social scientists, HIV-positive individuals and ordinary people, conveying up-to-date information about AIDS treatment and prevention. Please see www.aids333.com and www.aids123.org.cn.
	CAI is joining with the Clinton Presidential Foundation to establish testing and treatment clinics in severely-impacted areas of Yunnan, Henan, Hubei and Xinjiang provinces, promoting rapid-testing techniques and prevention models that can be scaled successfully to other parts of China. Pregnant women who test positive at these sites are being enrolled in a related anti-retroviral treatment program that will dramatically reduce transmission of HIV to their unborn children.
	CAI is preparing to launch HIV awareness programs for high risks groups, with testing, counseling and prevention campaigns aimed at sex workers in developed urban and coastal areas, gay men, and the 120 million migrant laborers concentrated in the Pearl River Delta region.
	CAI is working with Tsinghua University on a pioneering public health training program for journalists in Henan, Beijing, Yunnan, and Sichuan. Health reporting is a new and tremendously important frontier for Chinese journalism, and the media has a critical role to play in battling infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS.
	CAI is working to assess the capacity and strategies of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working to fight AIDS in China, and preparing to launch training programs to strengthen their role in battling the epidemic.

CAI welcomes input and support from interested members of the community. For more information please visit www.chinaaidsinitiative.org or contact Lily Lai-Cutugno, tel: 212-928-9988.

About the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center

ADARC is the largest private HIV/AIDS research center in the world and a leader in the search for a vaccine and a cure. The Center conducts basic research to increase understanding of the structure and function of HIV, and to define the mechanism by which it destroys the human body’s immune system. ADARC’s Director and CEO, Dr. David Ho, was recognized as Time Magazine’s Man of the Year in 1996 for his contributions to the field. In 2003, ADARC joined with relevant Chinese and international organizations to form the China AIDS Initiative. CAI draws attention to the serious threat HIV/AIDS poses to China and applies the Center’s scientific and research expertise to help China strengthen its response to the epidemic.

For more information please contact Lily Lai-Cutugno, tel: (212) 928-9988.

About the Gracious Glory Buddhism Foundation

Tony Yeung established The Gracious Glory Buddhism Foundation in Hong Kong in 2000, and also registered it in New York in 2002. The Foundation is dedicated to helping the poor and disadvantaged in their hour of greatest need. Its philanthropic programs address numerous causes and reach the most remote areas of China, with grants now totaling some 100 million RMB.