Keep a Child Alive

Sarah Knapp & Lily Mojdehi from Bishop High School raise over $4,000!

On March 31st, 2012, the Bishop’s School students Sarah Knapp and Lily Mojdehi organized a fundraiser for Keep a Child Alive in La Jolla, CA, where they raised more than $4,000 in support of KCA’s work.

“Give Life, Fight AIDS, Spread Love” featured a variety of performances across a spectrum of art forms, from traditional Indian dance to spoken word poetry. Local businesses donated food to the event and items to the Silent Auction, all of which added to the spirit of the night.

The event was beautifully decorated with images of children supported in Africa and India by Keep a Child Alive. In learning about the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India, the students felt a greater sense of appreciation for their own lives, and each read a statement aloud about what they are grateful for.

Sarah, Lily and the students of the Bishop’s School are a testament to how young people can work together and make a valuable impact in the lives of others in need. Learn more about how you can host an event to benefit Keep a Child Alive in your community here: http://keepachildalive.org/get-involved/fundraisers-toolkit/

Thank you to the KCA AIDS Walk Team, 56,000 times!

The mighty 100 members of Team Keep a Child Alive took to the streets in Sunday’s AIDS Walk New York, raising more than $56,000 to fund our clinic and orphan care programs in Africa and India.

Team KCA was proud to be counted among the 45,000 men, women and children who participated in the event, which raised $6,014,822 for GMHC and 40 other critically important AIDS service organizations. AIDS Walk New York continues to be one of the greatest and most inspiring public demonstrations of support for our cause, reminding us of what can be achieved towards a future free of HIV/AIDS if people of purpose join together in action.

If you haven’t donated to Team KCA, there is still time to act!  Please consider making a contribution of $30 to our team to help provide 1 month of AIDS treatment and services for a person in our care by June 15th: http://bit.ly/GGyvPI

Like our Facebook page and view more team photos here: http://keepa.ch/aidswalkny2012

KCA launches new Young Altruist event series

Last Thursday, May 3rd, nearly 150 people joined KCA for the launch of our new Young Altruists Event Series at the Blind Barber in NYC, sponsored by Night Agency. It was a celebration of Keep a Child Alive’s work in Africa and India where guests enjoyed specialty cocktails by Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits and cupcakes by Millie Peartree Cupcakes and More!

We also sold hand-made items from the Tweyambe Women at our Alive Medical Series Clinic in Uganda, which are also available at our online store: http://keepa.ch/Io9f5C.

The night raised nearly $4,000 - 100% of which will benefit KCA’s programs in Africa and India. This was the first of four Young Altruists events that KCA plans to host for young professionals this year. We look forward to having you join us at the next one!  Please email danielle@keepachildalive.org if you would like more information.

Special thanks to:

BoConcept & Mr. Brainwash.

BoConcept, DUMBO has been a longtime neighbor and supporter of Keep a Child Alive’s work. This is the second time that we are partnering with the Denmark based modern furniture store for their art show, owned in NEW YORK by Niki & Shaokao Cheng. We will be featuring three of the limited edition Mr. Brainwash prints that were custom-made for KCA. Each print is numbered and signed/thumb-printed by the artist, Thierry Guetta. 100% of sales from each print will benefit Keep a  Child Alive’s lifesaving work in Africa & India. 

If you are in Brooklyn and a fan of Mr. Brainwash please join us for cocktails on Thursday, April 5th from 6-8 PM.
R.S.V.P: rsvp@boconceptny.com

Empower a girl, empower a world.

“Empower a girl, empower a world.” 

In August 2011, Sheri and Corey Crawley launched Pretty Brown Girl, LLC in Detroit at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History. The movement is asking all girls and women across the United States and around the world to celebrate themselves, families and friends. It is a great way for brown girls of all ages, cultures and ethnicities to empower themselves and boost their self-confidence.

The Pretty Brown Girl movement encourages families, youth mentoring groups, civic organizations and churches locally and nationally to embrace the differences among their youth. It is important for girls to understand that no matter what their skin tone they are beautiful inside and out. 

The Pretty Brown Girl collection includes the book, “My First Day of School” and the PBG pledge, T-shirts, bags and other accessories which encourages girls to Dream Big. PBG chose Keep a Child Alive to benefit from a portion of their sales, thus far they have raised over $250 for Keep a Child Alive’s work! To learn more visit: www.prettybrowngirl.com

Meet the Staff - Felicia Eve

Meet Felicia (Not to be confused with Alicia)

What did you do prior to working at Keep a Child Alive?
Immediately prior to KCA I was the PTA President at my children’s school for two years. Before that I owned my own podiatry practice in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area for six years. I have always been involved in the medical field and I think that is what initially attracted me to the work of KCA.

How did you first get involved with Keep a Child Alive?
My children and Elizabeth’s (our VP) children have gone to school together for the past seven years so we spent a lot of time working together in non profit activities. Through Elizabeth, I had been involved with KCA through various fundraising events and attended the Black Ball a few times. When I was ready to start a new chapter of my life, KCA was a great fit. I had seen the wonderful work they had been doing and I was ready to get involved too.

What inspires you most about the work of Keep a Child Alive?
As a mother of three, I feel for parents who want to do more for their children and can’t. My heart breaks for the children with no parents. I refused to buy into the idea that there is nothing you can do and KCA proves that we all have a role. With as little as a $1 per day I have seen first hand what a difference a little money and a lot of love can make. These children and families want to know someone cares and KCA does. We go to the heart of the problem and try to turn it around.

What does a day look like in the life of Felicia?
It feels like I’ve put in a full days work before 8am, but I assume you mean at KCA, not with my three kids! Primarily, I work with our donors to ensure that their contributions and request are handled properly. I take phone calls with them and answer emails from them each day. I also work with our Special Events staff to cultivate new donors and sponsors, and with our Programs staff to develop compelling stories to share with our members and donors to share in the newsletters.

What is your favorite part of the job?
It is really encouraging to see the commitment of our donors. It is so inspiring! They believe in what we do and want to make a difference in any way they can. Working with my my co-workers is also exciting, as everyone on our staff wears many hats. On any given day we could be fulfilling KCA store purchases and preparing for a documentary screening the next. It really is an all-hands-on-deck kind of place!

What do you do outside of Keep a Child Alive?
Soccer mom! My picture is probably on the Wiki site. Girl Scouts, Lego Robotics, pee-wee baseball. With three kids I stay pretty busy. I am also knit-a-holic and absolutely love yarn. Fortunately, I can watch the kids play and knit simultaneously.

Describe yourself in 3 words.
Loyal. Decisive. Roll-with-the-punches-type (is that one word?)

Join KCA at the AIDS Walk NY

Each May,  tens of thousands of fundraisers gather in Central Park for a 6.2 mile walk, better known as AIDS WALK NY!  The walk began in 1986 and in its 27 years, the event has inspired nearly 845,000 people to walk, and millions more to donate, raising more than $122 million to combat HIV/AIDS.  The main benefitting organization of the walk is GMHC whom serve the Tri-state area affected by HIV/AIDS.

Since Keep a Child Alive is a NY based nonprofit AIDS organization, we qualify for the Community Partnership Program – which means KCA receives 75% of the funds our team raises. We created our team in 2006 with just 16 walkers raising $1,472.00 and last year we had our most successful year yet with 188 team members raising an INCREDIBLE $74,977.02 for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India.

AIDS WALK NY 2012 will be held on Sunday, May 20th and we would be honored if you would join us in walking and fundraising for KCA. Click ‘Join Our Team” here: http://keepa.ch/ype0AV. Bring your family, friends, children, pets, yoga classmates, etc to join you!

We are three months away and KCA is proud to currently be the 3rd Highest fundraising team at $7,450 with our very own Jackie Nichols as the 3rd highest fundraiser at $6,150!!



Join us this year in raising even more funds for Keep a Child Alive lifesaving mission! 

Bobbi Bear & Blue Roof Partner to Increase Access to HIV/AIDS Testing & Treatment

With 5.6 million people living with HIV, South Africa has the highest HIV prevalence in the world. In the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, where the Blue Roof Wellness Centre and Operation Bobbi Bear work, nearly 40% of the population is HIV-infected. The numbers are daunting, and the South African government continues to amplify its efforts to increase access to HIV testing and AIDS treatment services across the country. Keep a Child Alive’s Blue Roof Wellness Centre has become an integral part of the South African government’s HIV/AIDS efforts, and is impacting the lives of thousands in urgent need of its services.

Currently, the Blue Roof provides free anti-retroviral treatment to more than 1,600 patients, and free comprehensive care including HIV counseling and testing, TB testing, adherence classes, psychosocial support, community outreach and nutrition. With the visionary support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the Blue Roof continues to expand its HIV Counseling & Testing program this year beyond the clinic’s doors by conducting Community Outreach Testing Days in the surrounding area.

The Blue Roof is organizing its Community Outreach Testing Days in partnership with Operation Bobbi Bear, located in Amanzimtoti, 20 kilometers away from the clinic. Bobbi Bear rescues child victims of sexual abuse and works with the Blue Roof to help minimize their risk of HIV-infection. The partnership works both ways. Bobbi Bear frequently brings women and children to the Blue Roof for testing and treatment, and if the Blue Roof encounters a victim of rape or abuse, the clinic reaches out to Bobbi Bear for its expertise. Linked by Keep a Child Alive’s support, the Blue Roof and Bobbi Bear complement the work of one another in effectively addressing multiple aspects of the AIDS crisis in South Africa.

Bobbi Bear organizes two “Tree” clinics in rural communities every week as a source of empowerment for vulnerable women. At these clinics – titled “Tree” for the spiritual Tree around which the original group met – women and their children come together for social assistance from Bobbi Bear and support from one another. Bobbi Bear has always used the gathering as an opportunity to educate these women about getting tested and treated for HIV, and refer many to the Blue Roof. Now, the Blue Roof is facilitating testing and counseling services at the Tree clinics twice a month, and providing transport for those who test positive so they can follow up at the Blue Roof for treatment.

In addition to these Community Outreach Testing Days at the Bobbi Bear “Tree” clinics, the Blue Roof is working with Bobbi Bear to facilitate Awareness Days at local high schools in the South of Durban. While HIV and sex education is included as part of the Life Orientation classes that students take in high school in South Africa, the Blue Roof and Bobbi Bear teams found that many students had lingering questions and were eager to learn more about HIV/AIDS. The Blue Roof’s Community Outreach workers continue to play a valuable role at these Awareness Days by educating students particularly about HIV treatment and adherence, and making them aware of the testing and treatment services available at the Blue Roof.

The Blue Roof Wellness Centre and Operation Bobbi Bear have become powerful symbols of hope and all that is possible to the communities they serve. Keep a Child Alive is proud to support their combined efforts to increase access to HIV testing and treatment services. Together, we are continuing to make an importance difference in communities in most urgent need of quality HIV/AIDS care in South Africa.

KCA Celebrates International Women’s Day

In recognition of International Women’s Day, March 8th 2012, the team at Keep a Child Alive is reflecting on the incredible women who have been and continue to be involved in our work.

The story of Keep a Child Alive (KCA) began in 2003, co-founded by two women, Leigh Blake and Alicia Keys, to provide access to AIDS treatment in Africa. At the Family Care Clinic that we continue to support in Mombasa, Kenya today, a woman named Anne walked in, desperate to obtain the anti-retroviral drugs her three-year-old son Brine needed to survive. In 2003, the medication’s high cost was an impossible dream for most Africans to afford, and Leigh was so moved by this woman and her courage that she decided to pay for them. Word of the desperate need for medication spread among Leigh’s friends and colleagues, and soon they were offering to do the same.

What started as a very personal incident between two mothers has become a tremendous initiative for change. Alicia’s passion for the issue brought her to be KCA’s Co-Founder and Global Ambassador. During her first trip to Africa, she witnessed the drastic impact that AIDS can have, and came to understand AIDS as a deadly disease capable of orphaning children, devastating communities and stifling economic progress. Ever since, Alicia has been the driving force behind Keep a Child Alive. With her support, and YOUR support, we have served more than 300,000 people to date, and continue today to give life to so many that need our help.

Out of the 34 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, half are women. Globally, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age. 75% of all women with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa today, where the rate of infection is much higher in women than in men. This issue is undeniable and our work is never done. But on the ground at each of our programs are warrior women, who have become leaders in their communities, fighting for the rights of people living with and affected by AIDS in Africa and India.

We recognize Dr. Pasquine Ogunsanya, the Medical Director at our Alive Medical Services clinic in Kampala, Uganda, that has more than 9,100 patients today.

We recognize Rhona Buckley, who manages our Blue Roof Wellness Centre in Durban, South Africa, the clinic that KCA transformed into a state-of-the-art care center for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

We recognize Jackie Branfield, Founder of Operation Bobbi Bear, that works to protect thousands of vulnerable children in South Africa that are victim to rape and abuse.

We recognize Chantal Benekigeri of We-ACTx (Women’s Equity in Access to Care and Treatment), who oversees the Centreville Clinic we support in Kigali, Rwanda, fulfilling the dreams of women and children in need of medical care, many of whom are survivors of the 1994 genocide.

We recognize Carol Dyantyi, Founder & Director of Ikageng Itireleng AIDS Ministry in Soweto, South Africa, who works tirelessly to provide for thousands of youth living in child-headed households, orphaned by AIDS.

We recognize Elizabeth Selhore, Executive Director of the Sahara Aalhad Care Home in Pune, India, providing assistance to thousands of HIV-infected people who have little to no access to AIDS treatment, and nowhere else to turn in the face of poverty, stigma and discrimination.

We recognize Machelle Norling of Living India, whose Home of Hope in rural Chandrakal has created a safe and loving home for 60 HIV+ children orphaned by AIDS.

And we recognize Lydia Iza, who manages the Family Care Clinic in Mombasa, Kenya, where the KCA story began.

Many of the programs supported by Keep a Child Alive are working to liberate women from the cycle of poverty and the AIDS pandemic. They are giving women the opportunity to earn the respect they deserve in their households, and overcoming the stigma and trauma of living with HIV in their communities.

Keep a Child Alive believes that every woman has the right to a future, and we are committed to provide the comprehensive care for HIV/AIDS that makes that possible. Through the programs we support, we continue to create hope and a real chance at a healthy and productive future for all those whom we serve.

Happy International Women’s Day.

KCA Hosts Creative Industry Screening of New Documentary

Last Thursday, Keep a Child Alive hosted a private screening of our latest documentary “Keep a Child Alive with Alicia Keys” at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in SoHo, NY .

It was an intimate gathering of distinguished guests who represented a variety of creative companies in New York. The KCA team was thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce our work to a new audience, and show our appreciation of the amazing people who donated their time and talent to the creation of the film.

Directed by Earle Sebastian, “Keep a Child Alive with Alicia Keys” tells the story of five Americans who won the chance to travel to South Africa with their favorite superstar, Alicia Keys as she visited Keep a Child Alive funded sites in Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa. The film premiered on Showtime on World AIDS Day, December 1st, 2011, and continues to be aired on Showtime today. For a complete list of future airings on Showtime, click here.

Special thanks to:
COVERGIRL | Cutting Room Films | Human | Light of Day | Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits | The Tribeca Grand Hotel