May 31, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Iman, the African-born supermodel and businesswoman, has turned her attention to helping African children and families who have AIDS, says the cover article in Town & Country’s June issue, which contains numerous articles and advice columns focused on the “power of giving.”
Born in Somalia, Iman, now in her 50s, reached the height of fame and fortune through her modeling career and marriage to the rock star David Bowie. Now she is spending some of her free time as a “global ambassador” for Keep a Child Alive, a charity in New York, that last year gave $1.3-million to local clinics mostly in South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda that provide treatment to people suffering from AIDS.
“The problem is so big, it’s like a bottomless pit,” says Iman in the magazine. “I want people to be able to say, ‘It’s not curable but it’s treatable; it’s livable.’ It’s not a death sentence anymore.”
In an article about the businesswoman Sheila Johnson, the magazine notes that she has given away close to $22-million in the past five years, and her goal is to reach $100-million. Ms. Johnson, whose wealth comes from the sale of Black Entertainment Television, which she co-founded, does not want to be pigeonholed in her giving. “I enjoy giving to a range of things, like the arts, like CARE,” she tells the magazine.
