In a special edition on European Heroes five years ago, Time magazine described the Countess Albina du Boisrouvray as an "alchemist who turned private pain and personal wealth into loving care for the estimated 100 million AIDS orphans and vulnerable children expected in this decade".
Ms du Boisrouvray, who is the next top-level French speaker to address the independent think-tank, The Today Public Policy Institute, in collaboration with the Embassy of France, is an inspiring example of somebody who turned the agony of personal tragedy into a force for hope in the world. The death of her beloved only child, Francis-Xavier, at the age of 24 during a helicopter mission in Mali in Africa, precipitated a dramatic change in her life over 20 years ago.
She walked away from a successful career as a film producer to champion the cause of tens of millions of vulnerable children left in the wake of the devastating AIDS pandemic. She sold most of her personal assets and, along with family and friends, founded the Association François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB International), an international non-governmental organisation, to pursue the rescue missions that François-Xavier led and to perpetuate the values of generosity and compassion that guided his life, focusing on the fight against poverty and AIDS and supporting orphans and vulnerable children left in the wake of the AIDS pandemic throughout the world.
The poorest countries in the world are also often the hardest hit by AIDS. In the abject chaos of poverty and disease, children end up neglected and abandoned when their parents fall sick. Poverty erodes the ability of grand-parents, siblings or neighbours to take in these children and to raise them. As a result millions of children face lives of exploitation and hopelessness.
The cycles of poverty and HIV remain unbroken. Today, FXB leads over 100 programmes in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe and has a staff of close to 400 and many volunteers. It strives to build a future for AIDS orphans and vulnerable children to enable their families and communities to escape poverty permanently.
Ms du Boisrouvray will be recounting the story of Association FXB and her heroic efforts to alleviate poverty and AIDS around the world in a lecture to be delivered at the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, in Valletta on May 7 at 6.30 p.m. All members of the public will be most welcome to attend this most fascinating talk by an outstanding individual committed to the alleviation of AIDS and poverty around the world. Those attending should please be seated by 6.15 pm.
Drinks will be served after the talk.