Princess Stephanie, Busier Than Ever

With 'World AIDS Day' coming up on December 1, HSH Princess Stephanie has been very busy lately with her roles as President of Fight AIDS Monaco and Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS, as well as the work she does with numerous other organizations and charities to further the causes of awareness about AIDS, preventing the disease and caring for those afflicted by it. A number of new initiatives are being tried this year. Already, last Monday, Fight AIDS Monaco held the first 'get tested' drive in the Principality of Monaco, a campaign called "Test in the City" which provided anonymous HIV testing for free with the results back in only ten minutes. The program was set up on the steps of the Church of Sainte-Devote with a new method called Rapid Test Screening that can be done quickly and effectively. Princess Grace Hospital, the Emergency Department and the Center for Anonymous and Free Screening partnered in the event.

Another undertaking has been Operation "Quilt", the second such event, in which a canvas is covered by images representing people missing from the world because of AIDS. There will be eight canvases sewn together to make each quilt, covering 4m x 4m with the names of people, made by Fight AIDS Monaco, representing people who are victims of AIDS or, for most, living with HIV. This piece of memorial artwork was also displayed at Sainte-Devote Church on Monday. There is also again this year the program "Restauranteers Solidarity" supported by Fight AIDS Monaco which encourages restaurants and cafes to use things like placemats to spread messages on preventing AIDS as well as offering means of prevention to customers, donated by Fight AIDS Monaco. And then there is the auction, done with the support of Barclays Monaco for the last five years, by invitation only, at the Hotel Méridien Beach Plaza on Saturday, 1 December 2012 with over 50 new works of art going up for sale, followed by the Fight AIDS Monaco Summer Gala all of which raise money to support the struggle against HIV/AIDS.