Kate Roberts (YouthAIDS)
Encyclopedia
Kate Roberts is a British
human rights advocate and humanitarian. She works on a global scale to develop programs and services which target malaria, child survival, HIV/AIDS, gender equality, reproductive health, and non-communicable disease. She is best known as the founder of YouthAIDS and Five and Alive, subsidiaries of Population Services International
(PSI), where she serves as Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Communications.
, Merseyside
in the United Kingdom
, where she graduated from Southport University of Art and Technology with a City and Guilds
in Hotel and Catering Management. She started her career with the hotel group, Relais et Chateau
. She speaks five languages including Russian
, Dutch
, and Romanian
. She is also an accomplished contemporary artist and interior designer.
In the early 1990s, Roberts moved to Moscow
, where she worked on launching the Russian version of Cosmopolitan Magazine, before moving into work in advertising
and marketing
with Saatchi & Saatchi
. Her work then took her to Romania
where she created this country's first HIV
/AIDS
prevention marketing campaign that, Roberts said, "increased condom use by 100 percent in the first year". On holiday in South Africa
she became aware of the scale of mortality
being caused by the disease AIDS in the country
and realised that the work and strategies she had put in place in her Romanian campaign could be applied to the rest of the world. This led her to create the YouthAIDS campaign in 2001.
Kate Roberts founded YouthAIDS in 2001 as an educational and prevention campaign for the charity Population Services International
(PSI). YouthAIDS is based in Washington, DC, while being active in around 70 countries.
Five and Alive
After the success of YouthAIDS Roberts started another PSI campaign, Five and Alive, in order to raise money for and awareness of PSI projects to tackle preventable disease
in children under five years old.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
human rights advocate and humanitarian. She works on a global scale to develop programs and services which target malaria, child survival, HIV/AIDS, gender equality, reproductive health, and non-communicable disease. She is best known as the founder of YouthAIDS and Five and Alive, subsidiaries of Population Services International
Population Services International
Population Services International is a global health organization with programs targeting malaria, child survival, HIV and reproductive health...
(PSI), where she serves as Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Communications.
Early career
Roberts is originally from SouthportSouthport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where she graduated from Southport University of Art and Technology with a City and Guilds
City and Guilds of London Institute
The City and Guilds of London Institute is a leading United Kingdom vocational education organisation. City & Guilds offers more than 500 qualifications over the whole range of industry sectors through 8500 colleges and training providers in 81 countries worldwide...
in Hotel and Catering Management. She started her career with the hotel group, Relais et Chateau
Relais & Chateaux
Relais & Châteaux is a global fellowship of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. Although the total number or members changes as members are added and others drop away, the group currently has some 500 members in 60 countries on five continents. Strongly represented in...
. She speaks five languages including Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, and Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
. She is also an accomplished contemporary artist and interior designer.
In the early 1990s, Roberts moved to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where she worked on launching the Russian version of Cosmopolitan Magazine, before moving into work in advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
with Saatchi & Saatchi
Saatchi & Saatchi
Saatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising agency network with 140 offices in 80 countries and over 6,500 staff. It was founded in London in 1970 but now headquartered in New York. The parent company of the agency group was known as Saatchi & Saatchi PLC from 1976 to 1994, was listed on the London...
. Her work then took her to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
where she created this country's first HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
prevention marketing campaign that, Roberts said, "increased condom use by 100 percent in the first year". On holiday in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
she became aware of the scale of mortality
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
being caused by the disease AIDS in the country
HIV/AIDS in South Africa
HIV/AIDS in South Africa is a prominent health concern because South Africa is believed to have more people with HIV/AIDS than any other country....
and realised that the work and strategies she had put in place in her Romanian campaign could be applied to the rest of the world. This led her to create the YouthAIDS campaign in 2001.
Programming development
YouthAIDSKate Roberts founded YouthAIDS in 2001 as an educational and prevention campaign for the charity Population Services International
Population Services International
Population Services International is a global health organization with programs targeting malaria, child survival, HIV and reproductive health...
(PSI). YouthAIDS is based in Washington, DC, while being active in around 70 countries.
Five and Alive
After the success of YouthAIDS Roberts started another PSI campaign, Five and Alive, in order to raise money for and awareness of PSI projects to tackle preventable disease
Preventive medicine
Preventive medicine or preventive care refers to measures taken to prevent diseases, rather than curing them or treating their symptoms...
in children under five years old.