Life Ball founder visits Bobbi Bear
Gery Keszler was in the country to visit other projects.
LIFE BALL founder and supporter of Operation Bobbi Bear, Gery Keszler visited the children’s sanctuary in Doonside on Wednesday, 26 August.
Aids Life, an NPO was founded in 1992 by Keszler and Dr Torgom Petrosian, to raise funds to support people living with HIV/Aids.
The annual Life Ball is the organisation’s biggest source of income and the largest AIDS charity event in Europe.
Founder of Operation Bobbi Bear, Jackie Branfield was awarded the Crystal of Hope award, donated by Swarovski at the 2012 Life Ball.
Keszler was in SA for five days visiting various partner projects, among them the Charlize Theron African Outreach Project, also a beneficiary of the Life Ball.
Another beneficiary project is ‘Chomo’, an online tool for young women. “It targets women between the ages of 15 and 25-years-old and provides information on risks of HIV and encourages them to be responsible for their own lives. The platform also has a ‘friend’ option where they can ask questions anonymously. In 2014, it had one million visitors,” said Keszler.
He also visited programmes in rural East London.
Besides raising funds, Aids Life aims to create awarness and public consciousness about HIV/Aids.
“Bobbi Bear is an island of safety, those who make it here are lucky.”
