Lady Diana Philanthropy

1. AIDS Charity Work Despite having donated financially, perhaps Diana's biggest contribution to AIDS charity work was her public persona. In 1987 there was still a lack of widespread education on how AIDS was contracted and many people believed that AIDS was contagious through casual contact. Diana however, was one of the first celebrities photographed touching and holding HIV/AIDS patients and many experts credit her with removing the stigma associated with AIDS. In addition to her many visits to African AIDS patients, the charity work of Princess Diana also supported the work of the National Aids Trust which seeks to education, promote research and in other ways positively influence the fight against AIDS. By supporting the causes of AIDS, she is credited as beginning the public conversation about AIDS as an epidemic. 2. Land Mines Campaign While the six core charities are assumed to be major beneficiaries of the Diana Memorial Fund, it is less clear that the British Red Cross Anti-Personnel Land Mines Campaign has the same status even though Dianas best-publicized activities in the months preceding her death were her agitation against land mines and her visits to victims of mines in Angola and elsewhere. In fact, the Princess spoke strongly in favor of the proposed treaty banning land mines before the present Labor government took office. In fairness, the Land Mines Campaign is only partly about politics. The International Red Cross effort, of which the British effort is a part, not only seeks to ban land mines, it supports mine-clearing efforts and medical treatment for mine victims. Diana clearly embraced all of these activities. In the wake of her death, however, the division between treaty proponents (the advocacy route) and those primarily interested in clearing mines in place seems to have grown wider. The gap has been exacerbated by the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Jody Williams, founder of the International Campaign to Ban Land-mines. Ms. Williamss organization is pushing the land mine ban and the destruction of land mines that are warehoused but not yet placed. Some individuals and organizations involved in risky mine-clearing operations object to the attention given Ms. Williamss efforts, feeling their activities are much more urgent. Interestingly, in one of many efforts to promote worthy causes in the name of the late Princess of Wales, Londons Daily Telegraph launched its own Memorial Fund, raising close to $700,000 to aid mine-clearing efforts and provide artificial limbs for mine victims. The Telegraph, usually regarded as a Tory paper, avoided the issue of the ban altogether. On the other side of the Atlantic, the National Council of Churches of Christ Church World Service is soliciting funds directly in the name of Princess Diana, promising that donations will go both to de-mining and treaty advocacy. However, the organizations promotional material strongly emphasizes the political advocacy side, including sample letters to congressmen urging support for the treaty ban.What Princess Diana herself would make of this is unknowable, but by stepping into the political arena on the issue of landmines she may inadvertently have given a boost to political advocacy as against de-mining efforts and medical services. As a strong, well-liked, and high-profile public figure, the Princess in her lifetime could help hold the anti-land mine coalition together. Now the two wings of the coalition seem to be competing for funds and attention, with the treaty advocates in the lead for now. But the use of Dianas name and image in promoting the land mines campaign is just one example of the

charitable entrepreneurialism her death has spawned. Diana is becoming a philanthropic phenomenon in her own right. On January 15, 1997, the Princess of Wales earned public criticism and praise as the world saw pictures and video of the Princess touring land mine fields in flack jacket and helmet. Her crusading with the International Red Cross and Crescent movement frustrated government officials but helped put International pressure to pass a ban on the use of land mines. Her concern over the use of land mines was largely for those they injured--particularly children and others after the conflict was over. 3. Centrepoint Centrepoint is an organization that helps homeless youth and teens by getting them off the streets. They provide temporary shelter, referrals to professional services, help in getting education, job placement and counseling. While Princess Diana may have championed this local cause, it's Prince William who now carries on her legacy by volunteering his time and money to support this organization. 4. The English National Ballet Princess Diana was an avid fan of the arts and was known for her generosity in supporting the English National Ballet. 5. The Leprosy Mission Consistent in Princess Diana's visual compassion for those children who were afflicted and hurting, Diana became a patron of The Leprosy Mission, an organization dedicated to providing medicine, treatment, and other support services to those who are afflicted with the disease. 6. The Royal Marsden Hospital The Royal Marsden Hospital is an English hospital known for treating childhood cancers. In 2004, the Royal Marsden became an NHS (National Health Service) Trust, a status that has launched the hospital into better financial security. When Diana was alive, she was a patron of this mission, often being photographed holding and visiting the littlest cancer patients.

7. The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children In England, parents of children with rare and complicated diseases and injuries know the doctors and staff at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children as miracle workers. Taking on some of the most difficult and complicated cases, this hospital has been home to ground breaking surgeries. Consistent with Diana's personal mission to reach out to suffering children, she was a patron of the hospital. 8. Diana's Legacy In looking back at Diana's legacy, you can see very consistent themes in her causes. She was described as compassionate and was always seen reaching out to those who no one else would visit and touching those who no one else wanted to touch. She was also known as a champion for children who had been forgotten or written off. With the exception of the ballet, which was simply motivated by her love of the arts, every single one of her charities and humanitarian endeavors was

focused particularly on children. She is credited for bringing numerous issues to the forefront of society, including the needs and misplaced social stigma of HIV/AIDS patients. Her legacy lives on in her sons, both of whom have carried on her tradition of humanitarianism. Posthumously, Diana's eldest sister created the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund which seeks to give grants in Diana's honor for work that she was involved in and causes that she held dear. Source: http://charity.lovetoknow.com/Charity_Work_of_Princess_Diana