Tinie Tempah named ambassador of MTV Staying Alive Foundation

PRESS RELEASE:

The MTV Staying Alive Foundation, MTV’s organisation dedicated to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people, welcomes its newest celebrity ambassador, multi-award-winning English rapper, Tinie Tempah. As ambassador, Tinie will represent MTV Staying Alive on a global scale, acting as the spokesperson and face of the organisation to help increase awareness around HIV/AIDS and raise funds for the benefit of young people around the world.

"If we’re going to end HIV, then we need to raise awareness and get people talking. I think it’s my duty, and the duty of other artists, to use their platform and their voice for social good. I can’t wait to help MTV Staying Alive positively impact the lives of young people around world," Tinie Tempah said.

Tinie’s support for MTV Staying Alive comes at a crucial time in the fight against HIV/AIDS, when millions of young people are at risk of infection and millions more face barriers to their sexual and reproductive health. Reports continue to laud the progress being made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but data shows that young people are suffering more than ever. Between 2005 and 2012, HIV-related deaths among adolescents increased by 50%, while the global number of HIV-related deaths fell by 30%. In 2012, 2.3 million people became newly infected with HIV, 42% of which were in young people aged 15–24 years.