Keep a Child Alive Blog

KCA launches new Young Altruist event series

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:57:00 -0400

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.

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:16:00 -0400

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.

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:21:34 -0400

“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

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

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:06:00 -0500

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

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:06:00 -0500

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.

Meet the Staff - Felicia Eve

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:06:00 -0500

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

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:06:00 -0500

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!

KCA Hosts Creative Industry Screening of New Documentary

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:44:00 -0500

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

A survey released yesterday found that South Africa's population would be 4.4M more today, if it weren't for AIDS.

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:07:34 -0500

A survey released yesterday found that South Africa's population would be 4.4M more today, if it weren't for AIDS.

More than 1000 families fed for an entire month.

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:44:00 -0500

What a beautiful way to start off 2012! With your generosity and support, Keep a Child Alive can feed more than 1000 families at Alive Medical Services in Uganda for an entire month. We are forever grateful to provide nutrition to those on AIDS medication to ensure successful treatment. THANK YOU!

Dr. Pasquine Ogunsanya, the Medical Director of Alive Medical Services has shared a message with us over Skype for all of you with her appreciation. You’ve made the difference between life and death by providing these patients and families with beans, rice, sugar and cooking oil.

Happy 2012 from Keep a Child Alive’s staff, and supported children & families.

A Miracle of what Nutrition can do for a poor HIV widow.

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:07:25 -0500

We have been meeting patients from Alive Medical Services, Uganda, these past few weeks to introduce to our KCA supporters who they are helping to feed with our Feed a Family campaign.

Supported by our treatment and nutrition programs, we’d love for you to meet Nanteza Maimuna and her 2 children Sseera Fatuma, 6 years old and Sowali Musisis, 4 years old.

Maimuna lost her husband to HIV and she and both her children Fatuma and Sowali are HIV positive and all on ARVS at AMS and doing very well.

If not for the food that KCA provides, Maimuna and her kids would be dead now. You are making the difference between life and death for these patients at Alive by providing nutritional support!

Maimuna came when she and the children had very low immunity and were very sick. They all had chest infections, skin infections and were all malnourished.

To see Maimuna and her kids so beautiful and healthy today, is a miracle of what nutrition can do for a very poor HIV widow. Dr. Pasquine saw Maimuna and the children at their holiday meal this month and Maimuna looked like a queen in her fine clothes. She now has enough strength to dig and care for her family.

To continue to provide this strength, care and nutrition for families like Maimuna’s please visit here to make a $26 donation to feed a family for one month in Uganda.

Janet and daughter Lucy at Alive Medical Services

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:38:13 -0500

Meet Janet, 36 years old and her daughter, Lucy who is 12 months old, both on AIDS treatment and receive the nutritional program at Alive Medical Services.

They are both newly diagnosed with HIV and mother Janet was referred to Alive Medical Services on the 14th September 2011 and is now in care. Janet, a peasant from the eastern part of Uganda, is a 4 hour drive from Kampala where Alive Medical Services is located to receive her medication. She has 5 children and has difficulty getting food. Her daughter Lucy whom she is carrying is one year old, HIV positive and severely malnourished. Lucy is currently undergoing nutritional rehabilitation. At 11 months she was weighing 3.8 kg.

You can help to continue to feed Mother Janet and Daughter Lucy with Keep a Child Alive’s Feed a Family Campaign which will provide a food parcel for one month for $26. Can you help feed Janet & Lucy for another month?

Give $26 here today.

Meet Teddy who is ALIVE because of AMS in Uganda

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:07:00 -0500

Teddy is a 65 year old widow who lives in the neighboring slums a few meters away from Alive Medical Services (AMS) in Kampala, Uganda. She came to AMS in 2008 with full blown AIDS and is currently under comprehensive HIV and AIDS treatment and care.

Our nutrition program provides Teddy, one of many grandmothers, food for her and her 11 orphaned grandchildren. Not only is Teddy a widow at 65, but takes care of 11 orphaned grandchildren who live with her. Only one of her children is alive and he is sick with elephantiasis, with a big ulcer on the leg an unable to work.

Grandma Teddy came to AMS very sick with full blown AIDS in 2008 and was started on AIDS treatment. When staff of AMS visited her at home she was in a bad state with no food and no source of income and 11 little hungry mouths to feed.

She was then later started on nutrition support and this has literally saved them from starvation.

Teddy has no formal job but now with some food provided and with a little capital, she has been able to boil cassava and sell whenever she can.

This food parcel keeps Grandma Teddy and her 11 grandchildren ALIVE.

For $26, you can provide a food parcel to a family like Grandma Teddy’s for an entire month at Alive Medical Services - make that difference today and give the gift of life here.

Julie's INSPIRE Paintings to benefit Keep a Child Alive!

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:46:29 -0500

Julie Weaverling, chose to support Keep a Child Alive’s work through her creative passion. Julie creates contemporary paintings and mixed media pieces using encaustic, oil & wax and acrylic paint as well as Joomchi, a Korean art form. Beginning with a thought or idea, the artist’s inspirations are endless. Generally abstract, Julie’s work includes 2D works and installation.

An award winning artist, Julie’s paintings are exhibited nationally. Julie created 6 special pieces from her Inspire series and 25% of the sales from this series will be donated to Keep a Child Alive.

Visit: www.julieweaverling.com to view Julie’s work and click here to order one of her pieces to benefit Keep a Child Alive!

Thank you Julie!!

Jay Sean Visits Sahara

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:34:00 -0400

On August 19, Jay Sean visited the Sahara Aalhad Care Home to see the beauty of Keep a Child Alive’s work on the ground in India. To date, KCA has helped Sahara provide nearly 2,000 people with comprehensive HIV/AIDS care services, including access to treatment, food, counseling, and residential care.

Sahara was started more than thirty years ago to help people struggling with substance abuse, and its efforts continue today to counter the debilitating stigma that surrounds both substance abuse and AIDS in India. During his visit, the Sahara team shared with Jay Sean the challenges they face working in the context of HIV/AIDS in India, and how Sahara and KCA are working together to improve the quality of life and health for the underserved HIV+ population in Pune.

Dr. Dharmadhikari, a physician who’s worked with the project since its inception, discussed with Jay Sean the dire situations that poor HIV+ people face in India, and the difference that the Care Home is making in the community. The increase in access to medical care and support has made an invaluable impact in the lives of Sahara’s patients, who were proud to meet Jay Sean and share their stories with him during his visit.

He met Santosh, who used to be a soldier in the Border Security Force, until he was terminated because he was HIV+. He met Girija, a patient so sick that the government hospital could no longer care for her, so she was transferred to Sahara as a last hope. He met Iyoti, who came to Sahara bedridden with tuberculosis, unable to take care of herself and her two children, and faced with the most difficult decision to give up her infant child for adoption. He met Rizwana, who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, and lives in the Yerwada slum where Sahara does community outreach. And he met Naveen, who was so proud to share that his daughter was born without HIV because the Sahara team made sure that his wife received the medicine she needed to prevent the transmission of HIV to her baby. In Naveen’s words, “Jay Sean wanted to know what was happening as far as stigma and discrimination was concerned. He came across as an Indian who could easily relate to the problems of his own people. He was really happy to see people recovering and recovered, his face reflected this.”

The day ended with the young girls at Sahara dancing for Jay Sean and his team in all their Indian finery, and then Jay joined in by singing for everyone at Sahara. According to Gilbert, another patient at Sahara: “It was a great pleasure to meet such a personality, who was just so down to earth.” And in the words of Sahara’s patient Jayanta, “It was amazing to see that such a popular person is so simple and caring.”

KCA is proud to have Jay Sean as an ambassador for our work, and we need you – our donors and supporters – to act as ambassadors by spreading KCA’s message. There are many more vulnerable people living with HIV in Pune today that still need our help. Help KCA help Sahara and donate now.

Rani Learns to Read

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:34:00 -0400

Rani was born into peril to a poor rural family torn apart by HIV/AIDS at a time when the virus was beginning to show its face in rural India. Her father died of AIDS in 2005, and her mother died a year later, after years of illness and decline. Rani was sent to live with her aging grandmother, where she soon began working as a day laborer, at age 11, to help support the household.

Rani yearned to go to school, but school fees were beyond reach for this struggling family. Shortly after her mother’s death, Rani’s health began to deteriorate. She developed fevers and long periods of weakness. When her grandmother finally took her to a local hospital, she learned she was HIV-positive, and feared that she was destined to die just as her parents had.

As so often happens with HIV-positive orphans who are cared for by aging grandparents, the cost for essential medical care was more than they could afford. Rani is luckier than most children in her circumstances. She found a new home at the Living India Home of Hope in June 2008. Supported by KCA, 60 HIV-positive children live in peace here, where they eat well-balanced meals, go to school for the first time and experience the once seeming impossibility of childhood.

Rani was 13 when she came to Living Hope, and had never seen the inside of a classroom. With a school right on the premises, children who need extra attention can get the support they need. As a teenager, sitting in a classroom filled with 5-year-old students at a public school would have been humiliating for Rani, who has already faced the worst that life delivers.

Today, Rani is a veracious reader, an eager student and leader among the other children who live in the Living India Home of Hope. She is also a constant on the swing set during school breaks!

Your support for Keep a Child Alive makes it possible for Living India to continue providing the highest quality of care to children like Rani, once abandoned to horrifying circumstances because of HIV and AIDS. Help KCA help Living India and donate now.

Where in Brooklyn is Keep a Child Alive?

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:40:00 -0400

Summertime in BK just might be our favorite season! It’s full of lazy afternoon rooftop gatherings, scenic walks across the Brooklyn Bridge, community gardening, outdoor concerts, and of course our beloved street fairs and fleas! Together, with our amazing community supporters, Keep a Child Alive has been out and about around our Brooklyn ‘hood.

Have you seen us yet this summer?

Maybe you ran into us at the Epic DUMBO Stoop Sale, hosted by our office neighbors of the Dumbo Improvement District! Held under the Manhattan Bridge archway on a beautiful Saturday afternoon mid June, the KCA team mingled with the public to spread the word of our lifesaving work and sell our amazing goodies handmade by our friends in Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, and India.

Or perhaps you met fellow AIDS warrior and KCA supporter, Laura, owner of Park Slope’s 4PlayBK, at the Seventh Heaven street fair in June? She was even representing KCA this past weekend at Bastille Day on Smith Street selling yummy, chilled sangria!

Between the two Brooklyn street fairs, Laura and friends were able to raise almost $5,000 for KCA! What a beautiful contribution! (This generous donation buys the food, clothing, shelter, education, and loving care for 50 child-headed households, for one year.)

We’re only halfway through the summer-where will KCA be seen next? Host your own fundraiser for KCA in your city this summer, and share your ideas with us. We are constantly impressed and inspired by the beautiful outpouring of passion from each of our supporters! Click here to learn more about hosting a fundraiser for KCA.

AIDS Activists at Grand Saline High School!

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:57:27 -0400

KCA would like to extend an immense thank you to the students of Ms. Crone’s 1st period World Geography class at Grand Saline High School of Grand Saline, Texas! After learning about the devastating AIDS pandemic in their class, the students became determined to make a positive impact in the lives of those who suffer from this terrible disease, knowing very well that these were people they would probably never meet across the world.

In a matter of weeks, Ms. Crone’s class had elected leaders, held meetings, brainstormed and implemented ways to raise money for Keep a Child Alive including awareness posters, a bake sale, and sale of self designed t-shirts. $378 was raised by this young group of selfless and passionate AIDS activists! Keep a Child Alive is incredibly grateful for your support of our work saving lives in Africa and India!

Want to get involved in KCA Community? Explore our website for ways to fundraise in your own community, or start a KCA Chapter if you want to continually help us! Contact dianna@keepachildalive.org for more information.

Alicia Keys: In Women's Words at the UN

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:41:00 -0400

Watch Alicia’s Speech at 1:18:00

Watch the video on the UN Women site here: http://www.unwomen.org/calendar-of-events/?event_id=17#webcast

The women of the world know what to do. And they do it. They would do more if they had equal rights and weren’t discriminated against. That is what we need to fix more than anything in our world. With my organization, Keep a Child Alive, we put the trust directly in the people on the ground, who are extremely capable to run these programs but lack the funding, medicines and health care professionals. If we show to the next generation of men and women affected by the AIDS pandemic that we care by providing the necessary resources of universal treatment that doesn’t end, doctors & nurses, food programs, micro-loan opportunities - this will empower them to live their dreams. And stop the pandemic in its tracks.

We believe that, with AIDS treatment, anything is possible. We watch people become reborn with treatment. And I’ve seen it myself! At our clinic in Uganda, ALIVE Medical Services, a father came in one day, his name is Bashir, unable to walk and on his death bed. He had 7 children at home. Within one month of ARV therapy and food parcels from our ALIVE clinic - Bashir looked like a new man and over the past year, his health has restored to a level where he is actually a father again. With the help of a small loan from us, he opened a boda-boda spare parts shop not far from the main road to Jinja. With funds from the shop, he is now able to send all 7 of his school-aged children to school. That is empowerment. He can care for his family and contribute to his community because he is healthy. Without effective treatment his 7 girl children would have lost their father and their outcome would have been painful at best.

Even in Rwanda, at our Centreville clinic in Kigali - women receive AIDS treatment and surrounding care but they have started the Ineza Cooperative as a source of personal empowerment and economic development. Through education programs in design, sewing, management, computer skills and marketing, these patients learn valuable skills to help support themselves. In addition, English classes are taught to enable the women to better communicate with customers and tourists that come to Ineza to purchase goods. Every product that the Ineza women create is one-of-a-kind, and represents the strength and renewal of female survivors of the 1994 genocide. That is empowerment. They find renewed courage and support to heal their once fragmented lives.

I also think we should empower the care-takers themselves to continue the incredible life-changing work they have fearlessly decided to devote their lives to. My dear Mum Carol Dyanti, who founded and runs Ikageng Itireleng in Johannesburg holds a dear place in my heart. She is a mother to over 1500 children living in child-headed households and provides the basic needs such as food, clothing, transportation, water, electricity, school fees, healthcare and transport. KCA empowers Mum Carol with funding to be able to provide these needs to relieve some of the pressure and despair faced by these young children, who are forced to take on adult roles. This is empowerment, enabling Mum Carol to continue her work to help raise these children all affected by AIDS.

Empowering women and men affected by the AIDS pandemic will come from OUR investment in them. We need to provide the treatment for life, we need to provide it to everyone, and give them opportunity. We need to believe in them and not give up.

In my capacity as Co Founder and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive I call on all Heads of State, Governments and Leaders in the Global North and the Global South to decide:

Will we end AIDS? Will we end the immense pain and suffering that has been wrought upon millions of people in Africa and beyond by saving millions of lives or not? This discussion has been going on for years but now we have very real evidence that we can stop the disease. If we decide yes we can, we must do everything in our power to keep our promises with a very bold plan for universal access. We must commit to $22 billion by 2015 to prevent 12 million infections and save 7 million beautiful lives. 15 million on AIDS treatment by 2015!!! We CAN create the future!!!!

Now that we know that treatment can stop the disease in its tracks we would be literally getting away with murder if we don’t. So I call on the powers that be to:

Treat to prevent the spread of HIV toward an AIDS free generation.
Treat to prevent millions more children being orphaned.
Treat to prevent women and girls from having HIV+ babies.
And finally treat to prevent children dying of AIDS. This must be our moral imperative.

I note that in the global plan being proposed here today that there are no real bold plans to treat and care for children already infected. Treat children or we will be faced with many problems from kids who were not nurtured and not loved as they grow. Only 18% of children in need are getting treatment. As Graca Michel says “Every Child Counts”. Even if we decide after this UN meeting that we are going for VICTORY, we will still have to care for 16 million plus AIDS orphans. And that must be our focus too.

I call for us to empower people on the ground to win the battle. Empower people on the ground to win. That is the whole ethos at KCA.

I call for us to put women in charge of the issues that affect them. We are agents of change to a more compassionate world.

I call for us to educate men that women’s bodies belong to them. Rape is not allowed, not even if you are married to your rapist.

I call for full gender equality.

I call for a new world that respects the rights of all people including sex workers.

I call for the end of Homophobia. For Gods sake, get over it. People are gay. I call for their human rights.

I call for an end to ideals that put profits and patents ahead of people.

I call for a plan to ensure that condoms are available everywhere. Male and female. I call for every effort possible to ensure microbicides are rolled out to protect women.

I call for an end to TB. By rolling out ARVs and screening for TB we can cut TB infections in half.

I call for progressive language in the final declaration that comes out of the High Level meeting that caters to the world as it is today not medieval concepts we are far beyond. As advances in Science and Technology soar in our world so must advances in Human Rights.

We are all a mothers child. Treat her with respect.

I know we can send men to the moon so I know we can do this. I know we can bail out Wall St in a week so I know we can do this. I know we can stop this disease in its tracks. WE CAN CREATE THE FUTURE!!!

Thank you.

Welcome Nichole Rhodes to our Board of Directors.

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:40:55 -0400

As Founder and Manager of The Rhodes Global Group, Nichole has created a dynamic international consultancy focused on understanding, building and promoting competitive identities for nations, multinational companies and NGO’s. Her consulting firm works closely with its clientele to develop strategic business alliances and partnerships, develop and implement strategies for revenue growth and create new business opportunities and competitive identities.

In February 2011, the Rhodes Group was retained by BYD Co. Ltd, in Shenzhen China to lead global business development initiatives in the United States and India.

In December of 2010, Nichole was named the International Spokesperson for Bali Green. Leading the Indonesian Government’s initiative at the UNEP in Bangkok, Thailand, she successfully unified and initiated efforts to make Bali the first green province in Indonesia. Subsequently, her efforts for Bali Green have included leading strategy for the Norway-Indonesia REDD partnership and facilitating a public private partnership agreement with multinational BYD Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, China.

In early 2010, Nichole was contacted by President Shimon Peres to serve as advisory on the Israel - South Korea science and technology driven futures for meetings with President Lee in Seoul, June 2010.

Nichole was recognized at the World Economic Forum as a supporter and ambassador of South African Spirit and Investment by the International Marketing Council of South Africa.

Prior to forming Rhodes Global Group, Nichole was recruited to the position of Vice President of International Marketing & New Business Development for Global Leadership Team. There, she was charged with managing international marketing, strategic communications and business development—as well as key engagements—and generated more than $4 million in new revenue in less than 2 years.

In 2006, Nichole was retained by General Motors as a Consultant specializing in International Marketing. In that role, she developed marketing and communications strategies globally for GM Advanced/Green Technologies partnerships with the Pentagon, the Army, the Marines, the EPA, the Department of Agriculture and the US Senate. Another of her roles was to create and brand broadcast marketing for Tiger Woods and Buick, including scripts and productions for broadcast in the United States and internationally.

Early in her career, Nichole was a Television News Producer and Journalist with the NBC affiliate in Detroit, where she worked as the Senior Political Producer to former White House Correspondent Emery King. She also oversaw market promotions of shows including “The Apprentice” and “Friends.”

In 2012, Nichole will graduate from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts with a Global Master of Arts degree, International Law & Diplomacy.