December 2002
The Africa-America Institute (AAI) presented Limited Brands with its 2002 Special Recognition award for Business Enterprise in Africa at a dinner held at the United Nations headquarters on September 17th in New York City.

MAST president and CEO, Jerry Stritzke, accepted the award on behalf of the company. Stritzke praised African vendor partners, entrepreneurs and elected leaders for their hard work and dedication to building world-class apparel production in the region.

Jerry also recognized MAST customers: including Express, Victoria's Secret, and Limited Stores for having confidence in the region. Colin Campbell, Executive VP for Production at Limited Stores, was present at the ceremony -- along with Lucy Soares, former MAST country manager in Mauritius, Mast Chief Administrative Officer Cathy Morrison, MAST Executive Vice Presidents, Bill Little, Jim Schwartz, Mast associate Dennis Dodo, and Mark Neuman, of Limited Brands.

The mistress of ceremonies for the evening, a former Miss Universe from Botswana, Mpule Kwelagobe, was seated at the MAST table. Also receiving an award was Anthony Lewis, the former New York Times foreign policy columnist, and His Excellency Festus Mogae, the President of Botswana.

After his remarks, Jerry Strizke asked Lucy Soares to share the podium with him and to make remarks as well. Lucy spoke of her experience of "being born poor in Africa" and "having a chance to go back as an American to help bring economic development to the region". Lucy recounted her successful efforts along with other MAST and Limited Brands associates, in the effort to pass the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) legislation, which eliminated duties and quotas on apparel products produced in Africa and was the catalyst for generating new garment production in the region. Due to the passage of AGOA, apparel shipments from the Sub Saharan Africa Region topped one billion dollars this year. Limited Brands is proud of having played a leading role in the AGOA effort. Limited Brands associates testified in favor of the bill before both the House Ways and Means Committee and the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, the two panels that wrote the trade legislation.

During her remarks, Lucy expressed pride in having proven wrong a notorious cover editorial from the Economist magazine: According to Lucy Soares, the success of MAST in the region had shown that Africa was not, as the Economist newsmagazine cover story had commented, "the hopeless continent".

AAI leaders noted that MAST's efforts in the region have made a difference in helping the combat the spread of HIV-AIDs in the region. AAI's program commented that women employed in the garment sector in South Africa are far less likely to engage in activity that leads to infection. AAI commented that "women that can feed their families, don't turn in desperation, to risky behavior that could result in sickness and ultimately, death." Economic development -- including employment in the garment sector, is an effective weapon against HIV-AIDS in Africa -- where over 25 million persons are estimated to be HIV positive. AAI also pointed out that in South Africa, many of the women working in garment factories are supporting up to a dozen persons on their good salaries -- which are several times the local minimum wage.

Limited Brands is proud of this recognition from a prestigious organization such as AAI, whose principal function is providing promising African students with scholarships to attend American colleges and universities. In Lucy's case, her cousins from Cape Verde had the opportunity to study in the USA -- thanks to the generosity of AAI.

Limited Brands foundation has provided generous financial support for AAI this year and in previous years.