African Woman of the Year, Justina Mutale shares her message of women’s empowerment in the USA

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Sept. 6, 2013 - PRLog -- (Hollywood, CA, USA) Justina Mutale, African Woman of the Year 2012 and Founder & CEO of POSITIVE RUNWAY: Global Catwalk to Stop the Spread hit the ground running during her recent five week trip to the USA, changing lives with her gentle yet powerful presence everywhere she landed. From New York to Atlanta to Hollywood and beyond, Mutale makes an entrance and a statement in any room and in every city. She enters with grace, poise and flair, donning fashionable international clothing, one time arriving at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles in a stunning outfit designed to look like the Zambian flag. A philanthropist, humanitarian and human rights advocate, Mutale shares a message that empowers women of all ages around the world.

Her advocacy and empowerment of women and girls inspires everyone in her path. While in Atlanta she met with co-founder Mambwe Janet Kamanga to further plan their Global FFMTT Awards, an awards show that recognizes talent in multiple areas of sports, television, music, theatre, film, and fashion. "The Global FFMTT Awards is a gesture of goodwill by POSITIVE RUNWAY to thank, recognize, honor and celebrate special advocates from various industries who help spread the message to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and other scourges that negatively impact today’s young generation," informed Kamanga.

Mutale traveled to Los Angeles in August specifically to address over 500 people at the Annual Awards Luncheon of the U.S. National Congress of Black Women at the Los Angeles Millennium Biltmore Hotel. While in California, she also brought greetings from Africa, at another awards event, personally handing out the awards to a distinguished list of recipients while also delivering a keynote address at the Anakazi African Business Women’s Conference. Audiences clamor for the opportunity to hear Mutale speak, as her speeches are a perfect blend of quiet demeanor and powerful bold statements on the status of women globally.

Days before her departure back to London, Mutale was appointed to yet another esteemed role as Honorary Ambassador for Gender Equality and Spokesperson for the International Women’s Think Tank and International Women’s Center (IWTT-IWC). Mutale will be the Official Spokesperson to promote Gender Equality, which is central to the economic and human development of women and girls. This appointment provides Mutale with an expanded international platform and supports IWTT-IWC’s mission to advance the sustainable political, social and economic empowerment of women and girls.

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the IWTT Team on such a brilliant initiative to elevate the status of women in the 21st century”, stated Mutale on her recent appointment.

Mutale joins a list of highly respected international personalities from the arenas of government, education, business, agriculture, STEM and media who are serving as Honorary Ambassadors for the IWTT, and who are chosen because of their eminent name recognition and because of the respect with which they are held worldwide and their appeal as genuine humanitarians and business people.

In addition to her vast work internationally, Mutale’s recent trip to the USA gave her opportunities to work with local politicians, as well as her American volunteers and supporters of her organization, POSITIVE RUNWAY: Global Catwalk to Stop the Spread, which now spans the globe in over 130 countries. Spending time with Positive Runway’s Hollywood Coordinator, Denise O’Brien, and Atlanta based Vice President and Coordinator, Mambwe Janet Kamanga during her extended stay in the USA strengthened not only the Positive Runway base from East to West Coast, but allowed Mutale time to share her mission while being interviewed on multiple radio and television shows.

“While taking her from event to event during her 10 day stay in Hollywood, I was inspired by Justina’s wisdom, grasp of international current events, genteel compassion for others, and passion for helping women and young girls in every city,” detailed O’Brien, publicist, emcee, and event coordinator for POSITIVE RUNWAY in California. “Spending personal time with Justina was not only inspirational and educational, but she encouraged me to keep going on multiple projects in which I volunteer to support the global efforts of Positive Runway right here in the heart of Hollywood. We were exhausted but exhilarated with our many accomplishments during her trip to the USA.”

In other international efforts, Mutale has worked with the London, England based Gender Section of the Commonwealth Secretariat; a membership of 54 countries that promote the advancement of gender equality; and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

A recipient of the 2013 WAF-MDG Award from the Women Advancement Forum in South Africa, in recognition of her efforts towards the actualization of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, Mutale has received many awards which include the African Woman of the Year 2012 Award presented to her during a ceremony held in London and the International Honorary Award, which was presented to her at the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network Conference (GWIIN) in Accra, Ghana. GWIIN has a global platform that highlights women’s invention and innovation and promotes the introduction of new products, processes and services.

“Justina Mutale is known globally for her humanitarian and community work. She brings substantial experience and resources to IWTT that includes her relationships with governments, international women’s groups and business organizations”, says Brenda Morant, Founder, Chair & CEO of the International Women’s Think Tank and International Women’s Center (IWTT-IWC).

For Mutale, as she departed Hollywood, via Atlanta, and then New York for more meetings before flying back to the UK, it’s all in a month’s work, and she is already planning her next trip to the USA this fall. She will again take flight from London and arrive back in the USA, first in New York as part of the Civil Society delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Session on the High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. She will then move on to Atlanta, to put the final touches on her Global FFMTT Awards. The deadline for nominations for the FFMTT Awards (FFMTTawards.com) is September 15th, and Mutale and her International Panel continue to search out future honorees.

Not resting on her laurels in any city around the world, Mutale will also be a Keynote Speaker at the official opening of the International Women’s Center (IWC), which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, October 17, 2013 at the Atlanta Metropolitan College.

For more information on Mutale’s work both in the USA or abroad, or to schedule her for a speaking engagement, she can be reached on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and through her website at www.justinamutale.com (http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justinam...) and also www.positiverunway.org (http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.positive...).