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Say what you want about Alicia Keys but there are few celebrities who use their influence, time and talent to give back on the level that she does. And it was in that spirit that she and her beautiful family, husband Swizz Beatz and son Egypt, celebrated 10 years of her charity “Keep A Child Alive,” (KCA).  Keys was inspired to co-found the charity in 2003 after she visited Africa for the first time. Each year the charity spends $5 million to help clinics in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa and India with the cost of treatment programs, food and orphan care.

In celebration of those efforts KCA hosted a ball last night where Pharrell Williams, Carole King, Laura Mvula and Roy Ayers performed.

Bloomberg spoke with KCA’s CEO, Peter Twyman, about the need for the organization and the role Keys plays:

“It’s particularly challenging with kids. Only 3 out of 10 who need treatment in middle-income countries are actually getting it. It’s a horrible situation for kids who are infected para-natally. About 50 percent will die by age 2 if they don’t get treatment and 80 percent by the age of 5. It’s an astounding figure. A lot of people think that HIV has been taken care of, but for kids it’s a desperate situation.”

How Keys contributes 

“She’s our co-founder and global ambassador and she helps us in every way. She helps us with fundraising, she hosts the Black Ball, she engages her celebrity friends and she talks whenever she can about the issue. She’s written letters to the president about HIV funding.”

Kudos to her. Check out Keys’ family and the other celebrities including Pharrell, Grant Hill and Tamia and more who made an appearance last night.

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