Keep a Child Alive

South Africa from Dan Bakst

Watch my video on our trip to South Africa here:

S. Africa from Dan Bakst on Vimeo.

Back home in Tampa, FL where there has been a record cold and school has already started back up…safe to say I already miss South Africa. I miss more than just the amazing, summer days though. I miss the people, the food…I miss everything. This opportunity will be one I will never forget. I was nervous about traveling 19 hours to a foreign continent to be immersed in something I still knew very little about; but that all changed the moment we landed in Durban. The people I met were all amazing. They were so welcoming and warm. Complete strangers would invite us into their homes and tell us their fascinating stories, and then hug us as we said our goodbyes. It seemed like everywhere we went, from the clinics to the townships to the upscale communities of Joburg, everyone would wave and smile.
Since coming home, I have been busy at work getting countless photos developed as well as editing together some video footage of our trip. I’m also already planning out shows to hold where 100% of all proceeds will go towards KCA. Lastly, I’m already trying to map out my return to the beautiful country of South Africa in the next couple summers. After talking with the all the people I was fortunate to come across, and to see how much KCA does for them, I realized how much I truly want to help out in anyway I can. As clichéd as it sounds, KCA and South Africa will always hold a place in my heart.

-Dan

Why I Love KCA’s Work in South Africa by Jessica

What an incredible experience! I have been back in Canada for a week now, and still have clear, vivid memories of every person I met in South Africa, every place I went, and every story I heard, as if it all happened yesterday. This was only my second time in the beautiful country, yet I felt as if I was right at home and amongst my family and good friends, where every one of their experiences and emotions were ones that I automatically experienced and felt, too.

Each of the sites that we visited (The Blue Roof Clinic, Bobbi Bear, Agape, and Ikageng) is run by four of the strongest and most inspirational women I have ever met. Their desire to make the lives of those around them better, their love for each one of these people, and their dedication to what they do have made these women four of my top role models in life. After speaking to any number of people affected by their work, they have nothing but good things to say, getting emotional at times because they cannot put into words how much they love these women.

One of the most memorable stories that I had shared with me was that of a child-headed family of four girls and one boy supported by Ikageng. The four girls lost both their parents and were left on their own to take care of each other a few years ago. Nokulunga, the eldest of the four girls stood up to the challenge and has been a mother figure to these girls ever since. In April of last year, she gave birth to a son of her own, so takes care of him, as well. She is only seventeen years old, but takes her role very seriously and loves her family with all her heart. Nokulunga means “mother of kindness”, which is such a fitting name for her. She wants good things for her family, so she has arranged to have her son taken care of while she attends school again this year. This family is one of the strongest families I have seen despite the circumstances they face and I felt the love they share as soon as I met them. When asking one of the younger girls, Zandile, about her older sister and Mum Carol, who runs Ikageng, she immediately exclaimed that she loved them both dearly. It was beautiful!

This trip has really opened my eyes to the work of Keep a Child Alive. I had visited a few of the sites on my previous trip to South Africa, but actually going with KCA allowed me to see how truly passionate everyone is about the work they do for so many people in South Africa. It makes me genuinely happy to know that I have been raising money over the past four years for such an impactful and worthwhile cause. I am so grateful to KCA for the experience, and I hope that my involvement with them will continue to grow. I also encourage anyone who is not a part of KCA to get involved.

xo Jess

Reflections on South Africa - Heroes to me.

Dan, Jess and I returned from South Africa on Monday evening and it’s been quite a trip getting back to everyday life here in the U.S. This was my second time in South Africa and I can’t tell you how good it felt to be back immersed in the love of the people there. There is something about the people in South Africa - how they welcome you into their homes like family, will tell you stories and stories about their lives, will cook the most delicious foods for you and the hugs they give are just beyond! I miss them all dearly as if I just left my family, well I guess I did.

This past trip was to show some of our KCA College students how Keep a Child Alive works on the ground. KCA works to provide anti-retroviral treatment at no cost to patients at the Blue Roof along with comprehensive care, we work with Bobbi Bear to give abused children a voice in ZA, we take care of orphaned children at Agape and give them a loving home and help Ikageng & Mum Carol to be a family to 1715 children who have lost their parents and live in child-headed households. For me, watching Dan & Jess immersed in the South African culture and embrace these children and talk with patients was phenomenal and that was what the trip was all about. I know that these two will take what they saw with them and carry it into everything they do.

There is one moment from our trip to ZA that I must share. On our last day in ZA, we joined Mum Carol on home visits to 4 child-headed households that are under the care of Ikageng. These are households of children who have lost their parents and only children are left in the families. Our very last visit was to see brothers Arthur and James on the very edge of the township in Soweto. They have lost both their parents and have no other family to live with - they were left with the shack their parents owned. It is at the bottom of a little hill which means all the rain runs into their home, they have one bed, one sofa and a stove top lit with a match. But let me tell you, it was the most immaculate house I’ve ever seen for boys! Arthur is 19 years old and is in his second year of accounting at uni and lives in residency (funded by Ikageng) which leaves his younger brother James at home alone. James just passed his matric (high school final exams) and we are very proud of him! He has such big dreams and wants to go to school to study Marketing and also play soccer. Even with all their loss, these boys were all smiles and have the biggest dreams in the world. This describes the beauty and hope that these children somehow maintain amongst everything that has happened to them. These children are heroes to me. Ikageng makes these dreams possible and continues to do so for so many children of Soweto. That is why Mum Carol is a superwoman to us at KCA and a mother to the hundreds of children at Ikageng.

I am so thankful to be apart of the Keep a Child Alive family and coming back here to NYC just means that I get to continue my work for these children and families. I urge you in this new year of 2010 to think about these children and the stories we’ve told from our trips and how you can help them. Text ALIVE to 90999 to donate $5 to Keep a Child Alive or head to www.keepachildalive.org to make a tax-deductible donation online. I think you know what you have to do next.

All my love,

xo Busiswe (my Zulu name) / Louise

Onto Johannesburg!

I’m sorry that we haven’t had the chance to update the KCA Community on our adventures since we landed in Jo’burg - we’ve been so busy!

Leaving Durban was very sad and I was absolutely dreading leaving the Blue Roof after an incredible week with the staff there and all the patients welcoming us in, but we had to leave nonetheless. Thank goodness our South African mother, Auntie Rhona, who is the Director of the Blue Roof Clinic in Durban decided to come with us to Jo’burg to visit Ikageng because I couldn’t handle another goodbye!

We landed in Jo’burg and immediately felt the difference now being up in the mountains at a much higher altitude and away from the ocean where we were in Durban. We headed straight to Soweto to meet the wonder woman known as Mum Carol at Ikageng Itireleng AIDS Ministry. Ikageng Itireleng means ‘helping others help themselves’ and that is exactly what Mum Carol and the staff here accomplish. Because HIV/AIDS has wiped out an entire generation of parents, too many children have been orphaned and abandoned here in South Africa. It is heartbreaking to see little children running around, but knowing they don’t have parents to go home to at night. Mum Carol is a mother to 1715 children here in Soweto, a township outside of Johannesburg that have lost their own parents. She runs a beautiful project that gives children the opportunity to come together, share their stories, become a family, have an education and ultimately, gives each of these children a mothers’ love and hope for the future. To see her interact with each and every child that comes to Ikageng is beyond. She knows every story, every name and how they are doing in school.

We had the opportunity to be at Ikageng while there was a support group running. There were about 50 children singing and dancing together when we first arrived. We joined in and I was over-enjoyed by the smiles on their faces. We split into groups of 10 to talk about how 2009 was, what they are leaving in the past, what they are excited for in the new year and what 2010 means to them. I had the chance to sit with 10 children ages 9-17, each with an incredibly unique story. What amazed me was how passionate each child was about school and their goals in 2010 to do better in school and make their families proud. I want to tell you a story about a family of 4 girls who live in a child-headed household in Soweto and are apart of the program at Ikageng. Nokulunga is the eldest at 17 years old and looks after her 13 year old and twin-10 year old sisters. Their parents died a few years ago which left these 4 girls to fend for themselves. Nokulunga just gave birth in April of last year and now has a beautiful baby boy to add to the family, leaving her to look after her 3 younger sisters and now a newborn child. When I asked Nokulunga how 2009 was, she said it was a good year - I cannot complain, my baby is healthy, we have food to eat and all my sisters are still with me. Nevermind the fact Nokulunga (which means ‘the good one’) lost her parents, is now a single-parent and had to drop out of school but somehow with a huge smile on her face she said 2009 was a good year. She is hoping to be back at school this year and will find someone to look after her son. The strength this young girl at 17 years of age is absolutely beyond me - but this is exactly the reason why Mum Carol has created Ikageng, to look after these children, and this is just one story. There are hundreds of thousands more.

Our trip is quickly coming to an end here in South Africa but it just makes me realize our huge the need here is. These children and families need us. Our work is more crucial now in the lives of these people than ever and we must help. I know not everyone can make it to Africa to witness these stories but I hope our stories will touch you and move you to a place where you understand how necessary it is to join this Keep a Child Alive movement. Please donate at www.keepachildalive.org or you can text the word ALIVE to 90999 in the U.S to donate $5 to Keep a Child Alive right now.

So much love,
xo Louise

Home Based Care Visits with The Blue Roof

Sanibona!!

So we are finally here in South Africa…We still can’t believe it! From the moment we arrived, the warm welcomes that we have received from every person have made us feel right at home. The weather, the sights and the food are all incredible, but still nothing compares to the all of the KCA-funded programs that we have had the priviledge to visit this week. We were blown away from the moment we entered the Blue Roof Clinic - from the staff to the patients, we felt as if we were part of the family already.

One of the most profound experiences that we have had so far was accompanying Thulani and Audrey, two of the miracle-workers at the Blue Roof Clinic, on their home visits to patients. We visited several patients, all with different stories to share. On the way to Philisiwe’s home, Thulani spent the entire drive bracing us for the condition that she was in when he last saw her. We waited by the van as Audrey went to see her first and we were surprised by shouts of joy. We went over to the front door and were shocked to see Philisiwe in a beautiful dress with a smile on her face. She was dancing and more than happy to show us how well she was doing. It was amazing to see how just after four months of treatment, she is already so much better.

Our last visit was another remarkable story. Riaz was a man who knew for years that his condition was worsening, but didn’t feel that it was possible to leave his work for a moment to seek treatment. When he was eventually unable to even work and was forced to beg for medicine from pharmacies, he decided to come to the Blue Roof and seek treatment. He had no family nearby, yet still was determined to fight his illness. He has been on ARVs for the past three years, and says that if it wasn’t for his family at the Blue Roof, he would definitely have not been able to cope with his situation. Knowing about KCA’s work is one thing, but being here and experiencing it have shown us exactly how influential its work actually is.

We are looking forward to the rest of the week and meeting more people that have had their lives touched by the Blue Roof.

We are going to try to post again when we arrive in Johannesburg this weekend.
xo Jess and Dan

Remember to Text ALIVE to 90999 to donate $5 and make more of these home based care visits to our patients possible.

A one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance when you text the word ‘ALIVE” to the number 90999. Msg&Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of Keep a Child Alive by the mGive Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.mGive.com/A. To unsubscribe text STOP to 90999, for help text HELP to 90999.

KCA College PSA Winners to South Africa!

Do you remember the KCA College PSA Competition that Keep a Child Alive held last year? The KCA College Program held a competition for students to enter a 60-second commercial advertising our ‘Text ALIVE to 90999’campaign. After 6 months of entries and online voting, our winners: Jessica Rebeiro and Dan Bakst were announced! You can check out their winning PSAs here. For the past 6 months, we’ve been planning this trip and now we’re finally here! Jess, Dan and I met in NYC at the airport on Friday and after hours of movies, getting to know each other and attempting to sleep - we arrived in South Africa.

South Africa is home to 4 of Keep a Child Alive’s sites: The Blue Roof Clinic, Agape Care center, Bobbi Bear and Ikageng Itireleng Ministry, and we are so excited to be visiting all of them in the next 9 days. This trip is designed to show our two winners exactly how Keep a Child Alive works on the ground providing ARV treatment along with nutrition, counselling and a whole variety of care that you will find nowhere else!

Today is our first full day in Durban, SA and I think it is fair to say that all 3 of us could not wait to get the day started. We arrived at the Blue Roof Clinic early this morning just as patients began streaming in the front doors. The last time I came to the Blue Roof a year and a half ago, the whole clinic consisted of rooms off of one hallway. The Clinic has since transformed and expanded and I cannot begin to explain my excitment when I walked in this time to see this incredible new space! Coming through the gates, the first thing you notice is the beautiful garden that spans the whole side of the building. This way we are able to grow vegetables and herbs that can be used to cook patient meals and it gives patients an opportunity to help and give back by working in the garden. As soon as you enter the Blue Roof, you know you are in a place of care. From the beautiful smiles of the receptionists,to the big ‘hellos’ from the counsellors and the loving care from the nurses/doctors - everyone that comes here knows this is a safe place to receive treatment and care. Not only does the Blue Roof provide ARV treatment but there is HIV testing, adherence classes,counsellors, doctors, hospice day care, a media room and a full dining hall where patients can receive a meal! Keep a Child Alive is beyond proud of the nutrition program here at the Blue Roof where all patients receive a meal after their appointments before receiving their medications. We understand how necessary it is for patients on anti-retroviral therapy to have food in their stomachs with this treatment. Watching the patients happily eat a meal and being able to sit and interact is so powerful.

It is the first day back at the Blue Roof Clinic after the New Year so it is very busy but amazing to see so many people coming into the Clinic! From home-based care visits to patients that are too ill to make it to the Clinic, from those who come in for appointments and some that are here for the first time to be tested- the number of people in the Wentworth community touched by the Blue Roof Clinic is incredible. I just found out from Wendy, our receptionist that we have 1331 patients on anti-retrovirals here at the Blue Roof Clinic! What a way to start off the New Year for the Blue Roof Clinic!

Tomorrow Jess, Dan and I will spend another day at the Blue Roof Clinic and venture out on a home-based care visit. We can’t wait to spend another day interacting with patients here at the Clinic and see the lifechanging work Keep a Child Alive is making possible. Stay posted for more updates here in South Africa!

xo Louise

A one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance when you text the word ‘ALIVE” to the number 90999. Msg&Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of Keep a Child Alive by the mGive Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.mGive.com/A. To unsubscribe text STOP to 90999, for help text HELP to 90999.