Keep a Child Alive (KCA) has announced that the 12th annual Black Ball will be hosted by Grammy award-winner, Alicia Keys and actor, comedian and director, Chris Rock. The star-studded evening will celebrate the work of KCA and help raise the necessary funds to provide treatment and care for children, youth and families living with and affected by HIV in Africa and India. The Black Ball will be held on Thursday, November 5^th at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.

The theme of this year’s Black Ball is Afrofuturism, which celebrates the ingenuity, creativity, and talent of Africa’s entrepreneurs, artists, designers, musicians and activists.

“At this year’s Black Ball, we will bring attention to the young, vibrant and extraordinary people of Africa,” said Alicia Keys, co-founder of KCA. “Their future is bright, but with 25 million people currently living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, we need to get AIDS out of the picture once and for all, for Africa to reach their full potential.”

“At Keep a Child Alive, we believe local solutions are key to ending the AIDS epidemic, supporting HIV programs that are implemented by innovative community-based organizations. This approach is key as we work to increase access to treatment for the millions of African people still in need, particularly the children” said Peter Twyman, CEO of KCA. “This year’s Black Ball will allow us to expand our efforts, helping communities tackle the challenges of HIV, and eliminating AIDS as a factor holding them back. We are very thankful to our supporters that join us each year to celebrate this special night, as the Black Ball is so vital in helping us reach our goals.”

Presenting partners for the 2015 KCA Black Ball include the Jynwel Charitable Foundation Limited, Microsoft, Givenchy parfums and Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits.

“Jynwel Foundation is pleased to build on its legacy of support to impactful organizations working to solve pressing global public health crises,” said Jho Low, Chief Executive Officer of Jynwel Capital Limited and Director of Jynwel Charitable Foundation Limited. “We are proud of the opportunity to continue our partnership with Keep a Child Alive through the Black Ball in order to elevate awareness of this cause and help support initiatives that will realize the end of AIDS for young people across the world.”

To date, Keep a Child Alive’s Black Ball has raised over $24.9 million for children and families affected by HIV. Past performers of the event have included Jay Z, Carole King, Bono, Adele, Pharrell Williams, Chris Martin, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake and many more incredible artists.

For more information, please visit keepachildalive.org