A global organization powered by partnership, Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon saves lives from cancer in countries where the need is greatest.

In less-developed regions, breast and cervical cancers are the most frequent cancers among women. In 2013, there were 1.8 million incident cases of breast cancer and 464,000 deaths globally among women, and there were 485,000 incident cases and 236,000 deaths from cervical cancer. Around 85 percent of the global burden of cervical cancer and 63 percent of the burden of breast cancer occurs in developing countries.

Cervical cancer is highly preventable, and both breast and cervical cancer are treatable if detected early. Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon is building a future in which no woman is denied opportunity because she cannot access preventative care and treatment for cancer. Healthy women strengthen families, communities and nations, driving global economic growth and prosperity.

Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon® was launched in September 2011 by the George W. Bush Institute, the United States Government through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Susan G. Komen®, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Now an independent non-profit affiliated with the George W. Bush Institute, Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon works with national governments, non-governmental (NGO) and multilateral organizations, the private sector, and key in-country leadership to prevent and treat cervical cancer, and provide services for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, with locally adapted solutions. Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partners deliver services on the ground in each of the countries of engagement. A small headquarters staff coordinates these efforts and resources, and provides oversight and technical assistance.

By building upon existing health platforms, infrastructure, and resources, they are able to bring cervical and breast cancer services and education to girls and women like never before. It’s sustainable. It’s cost-effective. And it’s working.

Since their inception, they have screened over 280,000 women for cervical cancer, and over 13,000 women for breast cancer. Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon has supported the vaccination of over 120,000 girls against the virus that causes cervical cancer. The “Lives Saved” model, developed by experts at Johns Hopkins University, indicates that the screening and treatment programs they support had averted about 37,638 deaths through December 2016.

The join with other like-minded organizations as part of Cervical Cancer Action (CCA) to advocate for greater investment in the screening and treatment of the disease, as well as the development of new technologies that can diagnose it more precisely and treat it more effectively.

Pink is for breast cancer, which is the leading cancer killer of women in many developing countries and second only to cervical cancer in most of sub-Saharan Africa. Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon works with partners to establish national guidelines and policies around breast cancer, improve the early diagnosis of the disease, and increase access to treatment and supportive services for women found with tumors.

Red is for the link between cervical cancer and HIV. Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon has built upon the success and lessons of the U.S. Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the ongoing commitment of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush to reach communities where women are most in need of access to cancer prevention, detection and treatment services – including women who are benefiting from anti-retroviral therapy to treat HIV.

The global health community has made significant progress in reducing the number of deaths from infectious diseases such as HIV and AIDS in Africa. But this work is not complete. Studies have found that women living with HIV may be at least 5 times more likely to develop cervical cancer than those who are HIV-negative. Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon is dedicated to ensuring that no woman will survive an HIV diagnosis only to die of a preventable or treatable cancer.