Albina du Boisrouvray
Encyclopedia
Albina du Boisrouvray is a former journalist and film producer who has become a global philanthropist
and social entrepreneur working with AIDS
orphans and vulnerable children around the world. She is a grandchild of the Bolivia
n King of Tin, Simón Patiño, who was one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time of her birth. She founded the Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
(FXB) in 1989, in memory of her son who had died in 1986. She is godmother
to Charlotte Casiraghi
, daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco
.
du Boisrouvray was the daughter of Luz Mila Patiño Rodríguez, wife of Guy comte du Boisrouvray (died 1980)
and married firstly Swiss Bruno Bagnoud and secondly Georges Casati, and had issue by first marriage:
Prior Work
After working variously as a model, actress and freelance journalist, she established a film production company in 1969 and is credited with producing eleven movies. These include Fort Saganne
(1984), directed by Alain Corneau
and starring Gérard Depardieu
.
Philanthropy
In financing the establishment of the Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
in 1989, she sold a large part of her assets. These included a jewelry collection auctioned by Sotheby's
in New York
for $31.2 million, an art collection of $20 million, and a substantial part of her family real-estate business which fetched $50 million.
As part of the Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
, Albina du Boisrouvray developed FXB International. The mission of FXB International is to fight poverty and AIDS, and support orphans and vulnerable children left in the wake of the AIDS pandemic. FXB International offers comprehensive support to the families and communities that care for these children, and advocates for their fundamental rights. Today, FXB International leads over 100 programs in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and has a staff of over 450.
In 1991, Albina du Boisrouvray funded the Global AIDS Policy Coalition at the Harvard School of Public Health
. A year later, the Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
announced that it was giving $20 million, its largest gift ever, to establish the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health
and to pay for construction of the François-Xavier Bagnoud building in Boston, and the François-Xavier Bagnoud Professorship in Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Albina du Boisrouvray also started the FXB Center at the School of Nursing at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
, which "reaches across traditional boundaries to link research and practice through education". The Center provides clinical care, education, and technical assistance in the United States and globally to support capacity building to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
In 2002, Albina du Boisrouvray and FXB International founded World AIDS Orphans Day, "a grassroots campaign to draw attention to and advocate on behalf of the over 15 million children orphaned by AIDS".
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and social entrepreneur working with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
orphans and vulnerable children around the world. She is a grandchild of the Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n King of Tin, Simón Patiño, who was one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time of her birth. She founded the Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
Association François-Xavier Bagnoud is an international organization aimed at providing support for children affected by AIDS and poverty and was founded in 1989 by Albina du Boisrouvray.-Name:...
(FXB) in 1989, in memory of her son who had died in 1986. She is godmother
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
to Charlotte Casiraghi
Charlotte Casiraghi
Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi is the second child of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco, and the late Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist. She is fourth in line to the throne of Monaco...
, daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco
Caroline, Princess of Hanover
Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco , formally styled Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover , has been heiress presumptive to the throne of Monaco since 2005, a position which she previously held from 1957 to 1958.She is the wife of...
.
Biography
Personaldu Boisrouvray was the daughter of Luz Mila Patiño Rodríguez, wife of Guy comte du Boisrouvray (died 1980)
and married firstly Swiss Bruno Bagnoud and secondly Georges Casati, and had issue by first marriage:
- François-Xavier Bagnoud (Genève, 11 September 1961 - MaliMaliMali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, 14 January 1986), unmarried and without issue
Prior Work
After working variously as a model, actress and freelance journalist, she established a film production company in 1969 and is credited with producing eleven movies. These include Fort Saganne
Fort Saganne
Fort Saganne is a 1984 French war film directed by Alain Corneau, based on the 1980 novel of the same name by Louis Gardel. It was screened out of competition at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival...
(1984), directed by Alain Corneau
Alain Corneau
Alain Corneau was a French film director and writer.Corneau was born in Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret. Originally a musician, he worked with Costa-Gavras as an assistant, which was also his first opportunity to work with the actor Yves Montand, with whom he would collaborate three times later in his...
and starring Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu is a French actor and filmmaker. He is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite and has twice won the César Award for Best Actor...
.
Philanthropy
In financing the establishment of the Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
Association François-Xavier Bagnoud is an international organization aimed at providing support for children affected by AIDS and poverty and was founded in 1989 by Albina du Boisrouvray.-Name:...
in 1989, she sold a large part of her assets. These included a jewelry collection auctioned by Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for $31.2 million, an art collection of $20 million, and a substantial part of her family real-estate business which fetched $50 million.
As part of the Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
Association François-Xavier Bagnoud is an international organization aimed at providing support for children affected by AIDS and poverty and was founded in 1989 by Albina du Boisrouvray.-Name:...
, Albina du Boisrouvray developed FXB International. The mission of FXB International is to fight poverty and AIDS, and support orphans and vulnerable children left in the wake of the AIDS pandemic. FXB International offers comprehensive support to the families and communities that care for these children, and advocates for their fundamental rights. Today, FXB International leads over 100 programs in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and has a staff of over 450.
In 1991, Albina du Boisrouvray funded the Global AIDS Policy Coalition at the Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...
. A year later, the Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
Association François-Xavier Bagnoud
Association François-Xavier Bagnoud is an international organization aimed at providing support for children affected by AIDS and poverty and was founded in 1989 by Albina du Boisrouvray.-Name:...
announced that it was giving $20 million, its largest gift ever, to establish the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...
and to pay for construction of the François-Xavier Bagnoud building in Boston, and the François-Xavier Bagnoud Professorship in Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Albina du Boisrouvray also started the FXB Center at the School of Nursing at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is the state-run health sciences institution of New Jersey, United States. It has eight distinct academic units...
, which "reaches across traditional boundaries to link research and practice through education". The Center provides clinical care, education, and technical assistance in the United States and globally to support capacity building to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
In 2002, Albina du Boisrouvray and FXB International founded World AIDS Orphans Day, "a grassroots campaign to draw attention to and advocate on behalf of the over 15 million children orphaned by AIDS".
Awards
- On June 11th 2009, Albina du Boisrouvray received the BNP Paribas Jury's Special Prize.
- On April 8th 2009, the French President, Nicolas SarkozyNicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, presented Albina du Boisrouvray with the insignia of Officer in l'Ordre National du MériteOrdre National du MériteThe Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
. The President honored Albina and her work, saying "Your NGO is a model throughout the world. You are a woman involved. Your solidarity is exemplary and that is why the Republic will distinguish you." She is the first film producer to be awarded L’Ordre National du MériteOrdre National du MériteThe Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
. - In 2007, the French Fédération nationale des Clubs Convergences gave her an award for her activities on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children affected by AIDS in the world.
- On July 12, 2004, Albina du Boisrouvray, received the Thai Komol Keemthong Foundation Award of Outstanding Personality for the Year 2004.
- In November 2003, Albina du Boisrouvray received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 4th International Conference on AIDS in India, in recognition for the projects that she initiated in the 35 States and Territories of India.
- She was awarded the 2002 North-South PrizeNorth-South PrizeThe North–South Prize is awarded annually by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe to two public figures who are recognised for their deep commitment, outstanding achievements and hope they have generated in the field of protection of human rights, the defence of pluralist democracy and...
by the Council of EuropeCouncil of EuropeThe Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
. - An asteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
has been named after her, 8005 AlbinaduboisMeanings of asteroid names (8001-8500)Minor planets not yet given a name have not been included in this list....
. - Her philanthropy and humanitarian efforts earned her a knighthood of the Legion d'HonneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 2001. - In 2001, Harvard students presented her with the “Harvard Project for International Health and Development Award”.
- She received a Special Recognition Award for “Responding to the HIV/AIDS Orphan crisis” at the second conference on Global Strategies for the prevention of HIV transmission from mothers to infants in MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, in September 1999. - She was made a “John Harvard Fellow” by Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1996. - In 1993, the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
conferred upon her a “Doctor of Humane Letters Degree”. - She was made Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1985.
- Because of the innovative cost-effective projects that she formulated and directed within FXB, she was selected a member of the Social Entrepreneurs Group of the Schwab Foundation.