Girl Power!

Spearheaded by the Nike Foundation, a coalition of 16 organizations came together in December to form the Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation, which supporters say will focus on empowering adolescent girls around the world to bring economic, health, and social change to their families, communities, and countries as well as to remain HIV-negative. 'The only way to halt the spread of HIV is to put girls at the center of HIV prevention by investing in comprehensive programs that address the combination of girls' education, health, safety, and economic empowerment,' says Nike Foundation managing director Lisa MacCallum. 'If we don't invest in girls now, the consequences will be dire for the entire next generation,' adds Peter Piot, former executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.