Keep a Child Alive

Dumbo Art Show at BoConcept

2009-04-30T12:13:00.005-04:00

The Brooklyn location of BoConcept will be featuring an art display from May 7 - June 7 to support the work of Keep a Child Alive. 8 tiles created by Coral Bourgeois (amongst other work) will be featured in the store. These tiles are part of a set of 22 tiles Coral created for Keep a Child Alive - and all imagery used on the tiles were inspired by KCA and our work in Africa. A portion of the proceeds from art sales will be donated to Keep a Child Alive to provide life saving medicine and care to children.

If you'd like to stop by, BoConcept is located at 9 Front Street (Between Main & Washington Streets) Brooklyn, NY. Store hours are 10 am to 7 pm Monday - Friday. 12 pm to 6 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Thank you to BoConcept and all the artists invovled!

AIDS Walk NYC: Team KCA Update

2009-04-28T13:34:00.002-04:00

May 17, 2009, marks AIDS Walk NYC. Keep a Child Alive has the opportunity to participate in the walk, and as an HIV/AIDS organization, we will keep a majority of the funds raised by our team.

Currently we have 89 members for Team KCA who have raised over $17,000, and we'd like you to join us. Our goal of $25,000 is within reach, but we still need your help! Please visit http://www.aidswalk.net/newyork/index.html to sign up! There are just over 2 weeks before the event, and you still sign up to walk, raise funds, or even donate. Follow the link and register with team "Keep a Child Alive - 9872" to participate. Even if you are unable to walk during the day, you can still raise funds for Keep a Child Alive. If you have any questions, please call Danielle Spitzer at 718-965-1111.

Letter from Alive Medical Services

2009-04-28T10:26:00.010-04:00

The following letter is from Dr. Pasquine Ogunsanya, Medical Director of Alive Medical Services (AMS) in Kampala, Uganda. Not just an HIV/AIDS clinic, AMS also provides infection treatment, transport, nutritional support, lab services and general care. Through the help of Keep a Child Alive, AMS currently provides comprehensive care to over 750 people in their community.

I believe that as KCA, our focus is to provide children and families with life saving comprehensive HIV and AIDS care and support as well as prevention. For so long, children have been neglected, especially when they have HIV, and yet they have the right to enjoy their childhood, to be loved, protected...etc.

One time Leigh sent me a questionnaire and one of the questions was: what can we do to reach more children? That set me thinking for some time and seeing the miracle of how KCA's more than one hundred children on ARVs, nutrition, and care are doing very well, I knew we had to do something special for our kids.

Our intention was to start something special for the kids, something that will give them quality of life and hope as soon as possible; but you know we are also just learning, and setting up AMS took much of our time and the fact that the work is growing so rapidly.

So we decided to start having the last Friday of every month as "Child's Day."

This is a day when all our HIV positive children (over 150 on ARVs) from 0 to 18 years and mothers/fathers come to the clinic and we carry out various exciting, interactive and educative activities focused on them.

We use this opportunity to get to know them personally, to know how they are doing at home, in school, health monitoring, with medication etc. We show them we love them and value them and they will grow up and be great people in future.

We talk about adherence, we make them know they are a point of HIV prevention, we allow them to ask questions about things that bother them etc. We have also drawn topics on primary health care, reproductive health, etc.

27th February was our day of getting to interact and ask questions/games/fun

27th March we talked about hygiene and sanitation/games/fun

24th April we talked about Nutrition/fun etc

In all the sessions, we have 4 groups:

1st group are 0 to 2 years and their mothers. We discuss with the mothers on child health and also the topic of the day.

2nd group are age 3 to 8 years

3rd group are age 9 to 15

4th group are age 16 to 18.

We have fun activities in each group like singing, dancing, games, competition etc

Each time also we pay for an after noon at the next door football field for games, sports etc.

Note that all the children in the pictures are HIV positive

In Feb we had 130 children, 17 mothers and 3 fathers

In march over 150 children, 20 mothers and 4 fathers.

All staff are actively involved and each time we have about 10 volunteers come to join us.

Thank you,

Dr. Pasquine Ogunsanya

Pictures below are from the April Child's Day that focused on nutrition.

Community Members at Alive Medical Services

Age group 3 - 8

Parents and children in the 0 - 2 age group

Age group 9 - 15 in the back shade at AMS

Keep a Child Alive at Bentley University/TIME Magazine Leadership Forum

2009-04-24T16:43:00.006-04:00

At the 5th annual Bentley University/TIME Leadership Forum, held Thursday, April 16, 2009, local progressive leaders discussed issues like fair trade, health care, charitable giving and diversity in business ownership. (From left): Kate Otto, Keep a Child Alive; Priya Haji, co-founder and CEO, World of Good; Gloria Cordes Larson, president, Bentley University; Milton J. Benjamin, president and CEO, Initiative for a New Economy. (Photo courtesy of Bentley University.) Watch the presentations here.

MARKUS & INDRANI’S ICONS EXHIBITION

2009-04-20T16:17:00.005-04:00

Brilliant photography duo Markus Klinko and Indrani, represent all that is sensational, powerful and extraordinary in the high intensity world of glamorous photography. Their meteoric rise in the photography industry will be lauded as they announce their first exhibition, ICONS, to be presented by the Lucie Foundation in concert with Month of Photography Los Angeles (MOPLA) and the Farmani Gallery at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles opening on April http://www.monthofphotography.com. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the exhibited photographs will benefit Keep A Child Alive.

"Alicia in Africa" is an Official Honoree at the 13th Webby Awards

2009-04-16T10:12:00.004-04:00

The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences has recognized www.aliciainafrica.com as an Official Honoree alongside this year's Nominees and Winners at the 13th Webby Awards. The Official Honoree distinction is awarded to the top 15% of all work entered that exhibits remarkable achievement. With nearly 10,000 entries received from all 50 states and over 60 countries, this is considered an outstanding accomplishment for Keep a Child Alive

The Webby Awards are hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. The 13th Annual Webby Awards Gala will be held in New York City on June 8 at Cipriani Wall Street.

Click here to view our official selection: http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current_honorees.php?media_id=97&category_id=140&season=13

University of Texas at Austin Gives a Buck

2009-04-07T11:08:00.002-04:00

The KCA College chapter at University of Texas at Austin is in the midst of their Who Gives a Buck campaign - and getting noticed! This story in The Daily Texan is great exposure for KCA on UT's campus and way for the KCA College chapter to be more recognized.

"Who Gives a Buck?" is a signature Keep a Child Alive campaign asking everyone to give a buck to help keep a child alive. The goal is to raise $180,000 to support Keep a Child Alive clinics and orphan care sites in Africa and India. College chapters worldwide will execute the campaign during the month of April using their own unique fundraising methods along with a "KCA Roadblock" each chapter will hold on campus.

Silent Auction: Trash to Treasure for KCA

2009-04-07T10:26:00.006-04:00

The New York State Division for Historic Preservation sponsors an annual silent auction to benefit Keep a Child Alive. Everyone involved raids their closets and attics for items they no longer need, and local businesses are asked to donate goods and services to the auction. Many of the auction items are of actual value, yet some of the most prized pieces are those which would normally would have been thrown away! As the New York State Division for Historic Preservation has adopted KCA as their annual benefactor, the fundraiser has grown considerably each year. In fact, this year's auction raised over $1,600 – an all time high.

Thank you to the New York State Division for Historic Preservation for their continuing support!

AIDS Walk NYC: Team KCA Update

2009-04-07T10:02:00.000-04:00

May 17, 2009, marks AIDS Walk NYC. Keep a Child Alive has the opportunity to participate in the walk, and as an HIV/AIDS organization, we will keep a majority of the funds raised by our team.

Currently we have 60 members for Team KCA who have raised over $9,000, and we'd like you to join us. Please visit http://www.aidswalk.net/newyork/index.html to sign up! Follow the link and register with team "Keep a Child Alive - 9872" to participate. Even if you are unable to walk during the day, you can still raise funds for Keep a Child Alive. If you have any questions, please call Danielle Spitzer at 718-965-1111.

Art and Theatre at Washington University St. Louis

2009-04-02T11:57:00.002-04:00

The KCA College Chapter at Washington University St. Louis is hosting a a benefit tomorrow, Friday April 3, to raise funds for KCA! The event runs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Danforth University Center, Tisch Commons at the university. Youth Expressions will be the featured performance, along with poetry, dance and more. Click here for more information.

Follow us on Twitter!

2009-03-31T10:32:00.008-04:00

You can now follow Keep a Child Alive on Twitter! Twitter allows users to communicate online in real time - even from your cell phone. We'll keep you posted on upcoming community events, fundraisers and online media to pass on to your friends.

It also makes it easy to Tweet us to let us know you just texted "Alive" to 90999! As a KCA supporter, you can also use Twitter to motivate your friends and Twitter followers to help you keep children and families together in Africa and India.

If you're already using Twitter, you can find us @keepachildalive. If not, sign up, follow KCA, and spread the word!

Murder Mystery at St. Joseph's College!

2009-03-24T15:09:00.004-04:00

On March 3rd and 4th, the KCA College chapter at St. Joseph's College hosted their third annual Murder Mystery Dinner Theater in support of Keep a Child Alive with a performance of "Clue." Not presenting a typical theater experience, KCA College chapter leader Billy Gonyou explained, "Our shows are much different because they are not just straight plays. We serve dinner, interact we the audience, and leave people sitting on the edge of their seats."

As past years' performances have sold out, a second night was added for this year's event - and proved to be just as successful. Because of the past success, they also received support from the administration, staff and other student groups on campus. In addition to collecting donations, 250 tickets to the performances were sold, which resulted in $2600 raised to provide care and treatment for children and their families.

KCA in the UK: Guess the Sweets Fundraiser

2009-03-19T10:51:00.005-04:00

Dita Patel, a Keep a Child Alive supporter based in London, recently wrapped up a fundraiser she held at work. The event was a "guess the number of sweets in jar" fundraiser. Employees guessed the number of sweets in a jar for £1, the winner with the correct guess won the jar full of sweets.

Over 3 weeks, Dita raised £1,262 (that's $1,817.28 on this side of the pond) to support our work!

The workplace is a great location for fun and simple fundraising events. If you have an idea for a fundraiser at work, please visit our Hosting a Fundraiser page or contact Danielle Spitzer at danielle@keepachildalive.org.

Shop Online to Save Lives

2009-03-16T12:42:00.000-04:00

What if Keep a Child Alive earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Keep a Child Alive as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!

ALSO -- GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.

Below, see a template e-mail that you can copy and paste into an e-mail for all of your friends to use these tools as well!

TEMPLATE E-MAIL

Subject: Keep a Child Alive Needs Your Help!

Dear Friend,

As you know, I'm a supporter of Keep a Child Alive and as you can imagine nonprofits are facing a fundraising crisis this year. Amidst an economic crisis there persists the AIDS health crisis, and the children and families I help serve at KCA need lifesaving AIDS medication and care.

The good news is that more than 900 of the top Internet retailers and travel sites including Amazon, eBay, Target, Apple, Expedia and more have joined forces with GoodShop.com to donate part of every purchase to your favorite charity or school at no additional cost to you (more than 72,000 nonprofits are now on-board)!

It takes just a few seconds to go to www.goodshop.com, select "Keep a Child Alive" as your charity, and then click through to your favorite store and shop as usual.

Also, Yahoo has teamed up with GoodShop's sister site, GoodSearch.com, to donate a penny to your cause every time you search the web. This is totally free as the money comes from advertisers.

To give you a sense of how the money can add up, the ASPCA has already earned more than $23,000!

Please tell 10 friends about GoodShop and GoodSearch today. They've been featured in the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Oprah Magazine and more.

If you are searching and shopping anyway, why not do so to help save lives?

Thank you!

AIDS Walk NYC: Team KCA Update

2009-03-12T15:41:00.000-04:00

May 17, 2009, marks AIDS Walk NYC. Keep a Child Alive has the opportunity to participate in the walk, and as an HIV/AIDS organization, we will keep a majority of the funds raised by our team.

Currently we have 43 members for Team KCA, and we'd like you to join us. Please visit http://www.aidswalk.net/newyork/index.html to sign up! Follow the link and register with team "Keep a Child Alive - 9872" to participate. Even if you are unable to walk during the day, you can still raise funds for Keep a Child Alive. If you have any questions, please call Danielle Spitzer at 718-965-1111.

Clean Out Your Closet for Africa!

2009-03-12T13:01:00.009-04:00

On Thursday April 9th, 4PLAYBK is hosting a fund raising benefit for Keep a Child Alive. With Spring fast approaching, 4PLAYBK is asking everyone to Clean Out Your Closet for Africa!

Follow three easy steps to take part and support KCA:

Step 1: DONATE: 4PLAYBK is accepting all of your fashionable donations. You loved it when you bought it, but it's been hanging in your closet ever since. Sound familiar? 4PLAYBK will be accepting all donations Wednesday, March 4th through Tuesday, April 7th. They are asking for stylish teen and women's clothing of good quality only.

Step 2: SHOP: On Thursday April 9th 4PLAYBK will be selling all donated clothing at ridiculously low prices. Don't miss this rare shopping opportunity. One woman's donation is another woman's bargain treasure.

Step 3: SUPPORT: 4PLAYBK will be donating 100% of the sales from this event to Keep a Child Alive.

The event will take place on April 9th from 6 - 10 p.m. at 4PLAYBK's Park Slope location at 360 7th Ave, Brooklyn. For any additional information on this event contact 4PLAYBK at 718-369-4086.

AIDS Walk NYC: Team KCA Update

2009-02-19T14:15:00.006-05:00

May 17, 2009, marks AIDS Walk NYC. Keep a Child Alive has the opportunity to participate in the walk, and as an HIV/AIDS organization, we will keep a majority of the funds raised by our team.

Currently we have 17 members for Team KCA, and we'd like you to join us. Please visit http://www.aidswalk.net/newyork/index.html to sign up! Follow the link and register with team "Keep a Child Alive - 9872" to participate. Even if you are unable to walk during the day, you can still raise funds for Keep a Child Alive. If you have any questions, please call Danielle Spitzer at 718-965-1111.

THINK PR and Bobi Tees team up for KCA!

2009-02-19T13:48:00.006-05:00

THINK PR and Bobi Tees recently came together to raise funds for Keep a Child Alive. THINK hosted a cocktail party at Caravan, the chic New York City store, and Bobi Tees sold shirts to decorate with paints. The shirts were decorated to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and Keep a Child Alive. Together THINK PR and Bobi Tees raised over $800 for KCA!

I am Where I am Because of Where I Have Been

2009-02-19T13:19:00.007-05:00

Cecy Dlamini, 19, lives in Soweto, South Africa with her siblings, nieces, and nephews. After her mother passed away from complications with AIDS 6 years ago, Cecy has been responsible for caring for her family. Through the help of Ikageng Itireleng AIDS Ministry and Keep a Child Alive, Cecy has been able to raise her family and attend school. As she has a passion for writing and journalism, Cecy has decided to share her story with you.

Chapter 4 - After Brian's Death

After Brian's death I fell into a deep depression and all I could do was wonder what he was thinking in his last seconds, if he was afraid and if I wished I could have been there to comfort him. I felt like a had a giant hole or an ice cold iron ball weighing two tons in my stomach. For months after his death I felt betrayed, that something so precious and priceless had been stolen from me and I could never get it back. I hated the world and everyone in it, including myself, for not stopping this obvious injustice from occuring in the very first place.

When I was 15 years old I came home one day and swallowed a whole bottle of my late brother's painkillers and hoped like hell that my death would come as quickly and as painlessly as possible. I must have fainted on the kitchen floor because when I regained consciousness I was laying on my back with my entire family surrounding me while we waited for the ambulance. It was not until three years later that I finally knew myself well enough to know that my intention on that day was not to simply end my life, but it was to put an end to the excruciating pain I called my life.

Today, three years on, knowing all the things I know now that I did not have the privilege of knowing then I can not believe how far I have come, not only myself but my whole family too. Sometimes I look at each one of them and I just cannot fight back the tears of pride. I know now the truth in the saying: everything happens for a reason, because as horrid as it was going through it, I know now that had I not lost my mother at the tender age of only 13 years, I would not even be half the woman that I am today. I have learned so many lessons through these hardships and none less important than the next. All the lessons that I learned from my mother, both from intentional lectures and silent observations on my part, give me the courage to carry on in the hopes that I will one day be at least half the woman she was.

Send a Keep a Child Alive Valentine's Card

2009-02-10T13:56:00.004-05:00

Spread love this Valentine's Day and with a Keep a Child Alive card!

Follow the link below to send an eCard, or to download printable cards. Copy the link and post it anywhere you can - Facebook, MySpace, blogs, and websites.

http://valentines.keepachildalive.org

I am Where I am Because of Where I Have Been

2009-02-10T11:35:00.007-05:00

Cecy Dlamini, 19, lives in Soweto, South Africa with her siblings, nieces, and nephews. After her mother passed away from complications with AIDS 6 years ago, Cecy has been responsible for caring for her family. Through the help of Ikageng Itireleng AIDS Ministry and Keep a Child Alive, Cecy has been able to raise her family and attend school. As she has a passion for writing and journalism, Cecy has decided to share her story with you.

Chapter 3 - Brian

At the time of my father's death, my mother was seven months pregnant with Bruce and Brian. Ever since the day they were born, Brian had always been very weak. At first my mother dismissed it as a the myth that in each pair of twins there will always be one who is weaker than the other half. But the sickness persisted and Brian tested positive for HIV, but the ironic thing is that Bruce tested negative on the same test. Things became especially unbearable for all of us when my brother Brian started falling ill from opportunistic illnesses caused by HIV.

More often than not both my mother and brother would be hospitalised at the same time at the same hospital, HIV wracking their immune systems. But there is a day that stands out in my mind. It was a time when Brian's body was so swollen that it was twice its normal size and he was experiencing very painful blisters all over his body. For two days he screamed in sheer agony. He could not even sleep because pressure on those blisters caused them to burst which caused him to let out a cry for help which brought us all to our knees.

Brian had not been hospitalised for years since my mother's death, and we were all convinced that we had caught a very lucky break as he seldom complained of discomfort or pain in those days. Unfortunately we were in for a very rude awekening. Brian suddenly fell very ill very quickly only three months after my sister Sandile's death in 2005. After a dreadful week in which his naturally small frame had deteriorated into mere skin and bones, he could fight no longer. He was lying in the same bed that my mother had laid in less than three years prior, and he asked me to make some porridge for him. I was especially proud of him at that moment as it had been a struggle getting him to eat anything all week, not that there was much to eat in any case. All that we had to eat for two weeks was porridge. I dished the cooked porridge up into the biggest bowl I could find and to my surprise he devoured every last spoonful of it.

Little did I know that that would be his very last meal. I got up to take the bowl to the kitchen area and halfway to the kitchen something inside me told me to go back to him, and to my absolute horror there he lay, luke warm and limp with his head hanging from his neck. I remember seeing almost a smile on his beautiful face. I had experienced a lot of loss in my life before that, with the deaths of first my father, then my mother, then my older sister and now an innocent little child whose only crime was being born into this dreadful disease. That moment single handedly destroyed me. Brian's passing away felt like the last nail in my own coffin.

Date Raffle Benefits KCA

2009-02-10T10:18:00.008-05:00

Rachel Kapur learned about Keep a Child Alive through the Tyra Banks Show. Alicia Keys' dedication to helping children in Africa and India that are affected by HIV/AIDS provided inspiration for Rachel.

Rachel runs a social networking and fundraising group called Network of Single Professionals (NESP). She focuses on a different charity organization each month. NESP has over 400 members in the New York area and wanted to help raise awareness and funds for KCA by putting together a Charity Date Raffle.

The Charity Date Raffle will be held on February 13th at Pranna Restaurant in NYC. 100% of proceeds from this event will benefit KCA. Rachel has organized special performances from two well known comedians and a magician.

If you would like to join Rachel please RSVP to:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=56937927791#/event.php?eid=56937927791&ref=ts

Planting Hope: The Blue Roof Clinic Community Garden

2009-02-09T03:49:00.006-05:00

The Blue Roof Clinic in Durban, South Africa is the first clinic wholly owned and operated by Keep a Child Alive, bringing our dream of comprehensive HIV care to life in a community where its services are desperately and urgently needed. The clinic moved into its brand new state-of-the-art facility in December, and as word spreads in the community about the treatment and care offered here, our patient numbers continue to rise!

The beautiful new building!

The VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) and psychosocial support programs at the Blue Roof are managed by our brilliant counselors, Thuli, Kathy and Cynthia. For our clients who test HIV negative, they counsel them on safe sex practices, and encourage them to return every three months to be re-tested. For our clients who test positive, drug adherence classes are offered three times a week, in English and Zulu. One of the challenges we have encountered is that many of our patients have difficulty coming to the clinic on a regular basis because they cannot afford bus fare. The clinic is currently developing empowerment programs that can be offered to our patients in the early mornings, so patients can be dropped off at the clinic early by their friends en route to work, learn a skill and then stay for their adherence classes.

Another challenge the clinic is facing is the need to educate the families of our patients, especially those in more rural areas. The stigma associated with HIV continues to be an obstacle to our AIDS relief efforts. Many of our patients have told our counselors how they lost the support of their families once they found out they were HIV positive. Can you imagine? One woman recently came in for her doctor’s appointment, starving, because her sisters would not let her cook food from the same pots and pans they used, and she had not eaten in days. The Blue Roof Clinic team is exploring ways that we can extend our psychosocial support services to our patient families, to help break the stigma that results in such physical and emotional abuse.

The psychosocial support program at the Blue Roof also offers a support group for patients every Thursday, and last week they began planting in the community garden! You could see everyone having such a wonderful time, planting all the different seeds. They planted all sorts of vegetables, which, once grown, will be used to prepare nutritious meals for clinic patients on a daily basis.

Preparing the seeds

Preparing the soil

Cynthia, one of our VCT counselors

What a beautiful team effort!

Moussa, our groundskeeper

It is so inspiring to see how simple a task can empower people. The Blue Roof Clinic is working hard to develop more activities like the community garden for our patients to participate in, so moments like these can grace the clinic all the more often, and so our patients will have items like the garden that they can look at and say with pride, “I was a part of that.”

I am Where I am Because of Where I Have Been

2009-02-03T14:21:00.008-05:00

Cecy Dlamini, 19, lives in Soweto, South Africa with her siblings, nieces, and nephews. After her mother passed away from complications with AIDS 6 years ago, Cecy has been responsible for caring for her family. Through the help of Ikageng Itireleng AIDS Ministry and Keep a Child Alive, Cecy has been able to raise her family and attend school. As she has a passion for writing and journalism, Cecy has decided to share her story with you.

Chapter 2 - My Life was Forever Changed

Our mother made certain that we went to school and that we did well. I was always the best student in my class and I always got the highest grades and that made her very proud. She was always present at all my prize giving ceremonies, even though she had to walk very long distances in order to be there for me. She unconsciously instilled an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and education.

I remember a few months before she passed away, she had fallen severely ill and needed urgent medical attention. I gave myself a day off from school in order to take her to our nearest clinic which is about a kilometer from my home. It was one of the coldest days I have ever experienced, but I still wore my school uniform as it was the only outfit I had. I had outgrown it and I remember feeling like my legs were freezing and wiping mucous from my mother's nose as we waited in the cold to be attended to. We must have been there for three hours before we were helped by one of the nurses. My mother made me promise not to tell the others about what had happened because she did not want to worry them. From that experience I learned that unconditional love meant truly putting another person's needs way ahead of your own, at any cost.

The months subsequent to that day were consciously stored away in a secret safe in the back of my mind and I intentionally forgot the combination so as never to see its contents again. My mother's health deteriorated and one Wednesday evening I remember seating next to her as she tried to sleep, in so much pain that with each sound she made I felt my insides rip open like an old piece of cloth. It was three hours later that one of the children made a noise that was loud enough to brake the trance-like state I was in with my dying mother. I will eternally be grateful for that last night with her because it is what gave me the closure I so desperately needed and the opportunity say my goodbye and cry with her until I could cry no more.

A social worker who was doing house calls recommended that she be sent to a hospice the next day. That Saturday at 8:15 in the morning, Sheila Dlamini drew her last breath. The hospital called to notify us and my legs felt as if they were glued to the floor, a sharp pain consumed me. From that moment on, my life was forever changed.

AIDS Walk NYC: Join Team KCA!

2009-01-29T10:57:00.012-05:00

Keep a Child Alive invites you to join Team KCA for the AIDS Walk NY on May 17, 2009. Please visit http://www.aidswalk.net/newyork/index.html to join the KCA team!

Click "Team Info" on the left side of the page, and then "Join a Team NOW." On the next page follow the instructions and find our team, "Keep a Child Alive - 9872"

Since 1986, AIDS Walk New York has raised millions for HIV programs in the US. As Keep a Child Alive is a community partner of Gay Men's Health Crisis, KCA will keep a majority of the funds raised by our team. Join Team KCA today and help make AIDS Walk NYC 2009 a success. Follow the above link or call Danielle Spitzer at 718.965.1111!

KCA College in South Africa

2009-01-28T11:22:00.004-05:00

Join Tina, Eila, Briana and Kate on their January 2009 visit to three Keep a Child Alive sites in South Africa!

KCA Chapter Leaders Tina, Eila and Briana won a contest and were . You can win the same trip to South Africa for January 2010 by submitting a Public Service Announcement that advertises KCA's "Text 'ALIVE'" Campaign. Learn more about the Contest here.

I am Where I am Because Of Where I Have Been

2009-01-27T10:55:00.010-05:00

Cecy Dlamini, 19, lives in Soweto, South Africa with her siblings, nieces, and nephews. After her mother passed away from complications with AIDS 6 years ago, Cecy has been responsible for caring for her family. Through the help of Ikageng Itireleng AIDS Ministry and Keep a Child Alive, Cecy has been able to raise her family and attend school. As she has a passion for writing and journalism, Cecy has decided to share her story with you.

Chapter 1 - Mother's Struggles

If there ever was a woman who completely and without any reservations, adored her children and was ready at a moment's notice to lay down her own life for those helpless bundles of joy she had so lovingly borne, it was my mother Sheila Dlamini. From her I learned that dignity and selfworth are qualities that are deeply sewn in one's soul and that even in the most desperate of situations one could still retain both. My mother would have rather died a thousand deaths before she let any harm to come to her children, and she tried to protect us from all things harmful.

When I was five years old my mother was pregnant with the twins, Bruce and Brian, and my father passed away due to severe malaria - or so we were told. What inexplicable pain my mother must have felt at the news of her husband's death, with four children already in existence and two more on the way.

In the years subsequent to my father's passing, my mother - who was illiterate - begged, borrowed, and almost stole before she worked as the only female construction worker in a railway company. After working for the railway company she began washing taxis at our local taxi rank. She asked drivers who were getting out of their shiny comfortable cars if she could wash their cars for them at a fee equivalent to one US Dollar.

One cold winter's day she approached a driver and he said she could wash his car. When she had finished her task the man told her that he worked in the building in front of them and that he had left his wallet in his office. He said that she should come to his office to collect it. With nothing in mind but getting enough money to buy food to feed her children back home (who had not eaten in two days), she stepped into the elevator with the man. Half way up the building the man pressed the emergency stop button and proceeded to brutally rape my mother. When he felt that he was satisfied forcing himself on a woman who was half his size he got up, dressed himself and ensured that the elevator procceeded to its destination. Then he left her there.

My mother didn’t have the taxi fare to get back home or money for supper, and she had just been violated in the most horrific of ways by a complete stranger. When she finally did get home that night after begging in the streets for taxi fare, she said nothing about what had happened. She kept the knowledge of the incident to herself until many years later when she shared it with my sister.

Birthday Fundraising for KCA

2009-01-22T15:12:00.003-05:00

In lieu of receiving birthday gifts from friends and family, Jordan Sinclaire Nuernberg asked for donations to be made to Keep a Child Alive.

Jordan said she was inspired by her role model Alicia Keys to get involved with Keep a Child Alive. Her motivation for her party was to educate her friends about the many young people dying from AIDS each day, simply because they were born with the virus. After being blessed with a wonderful Christmas season, Jordan decided that there was no better time to raise money than her birthday. And for her birthday present, her friends and family helped her raise over $100.

After the event, Jordan wrote about how she believes that young people have the power to truly change the world. She believes that people should become more selfless and focus more attention on people who are in need of help. Jordan has clearly done that herself and can serve as a great inspiration for others.

Happy Birthday Jordan and thank you for your support!

The Presbyterian Church of St. Albans World AIDS Day Benefit Concert

2009-01-06T12:55:00.009-05:00

On November 29, 2008, The Presbyterian Church of St. Albans, NY, hosted a World AIDS Day Benefit Concert for Keep a Child Alive.

Judith Henry of the church's Health Information Ministry wrote that their "goal was to increase our community's awareness about HIV and AIDS and how it affected everyone." During the event community members performed plays, danced and played music to educate the audience about the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the urgent need for action.

During the event donations were collected and over $530 was raised for KCA! We are grateful for your support and spreading the message.

One Child's Love Keeps Another Child Alive!

2009-01-05T11:06:00.010-05:00

Meet one of Keep a Child Alive's youngest donors, 5 year old Sophia Guzman. Sophia fundraises for KCA every year by collecting donations in lieu of Christmas, Easter and Birthday presents! Sophia raised $418.00 on her 5th birthday this year, and guests at her birthday party signed up as monthly donors! Sophia also featured KCA on her "Life String" at her birthday party, which she hung to showcase her artwork and other important things in her life, including Keep a Child Alive!

Proud mom Michele thanked us for "teaching our children to be the new ambassadors of giving in this world!" Thank you Sophia, for setting the example, and for inspiring everyone around you to support our work. Together, we can keep many more children, just like you, alive.

Upgrade Your Karma with KCA

2008-12-16T11:18:00.005-05:00

InStyle Magazine's January 2009 issue features Keep A Child Alive's Text Alive campaign as the #1 way to Upgrade Your Karma. Keep A Child Alive was alerted to this by MGive's blog. The Text Alive Campaign is powered by MGive, and has had great success so far - raising over $40,000!

Text ALIVE to 90999 and contribute $5 to Keep A Child Alive. It will automatically show up on your next phone bill.

Be on the lookout for InStyle's January issue and check out the article on page 119.

Facebook Event for Operation Bobbi Bear!

2008-12-16T10:25:00.004-05:00

Ian Jopson, a supporter of KCA, is currently hosting a Facebook event to raise awareness and money for Operation Bobbi Bear. This program works in a unique way to console and support victims of child abuse to determine if they have been sexually assaulted. Operation Bobbi Bear provides them with a blank teddy bear, markers and band aids and the children draw and place band aids on the bear to describe what happened to them. This allows Operation Bobbi Bear to determine the extent of the abuse and whether the children should be tested and treated for HIV.

Click on the following link to help make Ian's event a huge success. He has provided several ways to assist Operation Bobbi Bear, as well as photos and videos about Operation Bobbi Bear.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=37786783620&ref=mf

Alicia Keys on CNN's "A Night for Heroes"

2008-12-02T13:06:00.005-05:00

Alicia Keys appeared on Larry King and spoke about the work she does with Keep A Child Alive. She spoke of the important medicine and care KCA provides to children and families, as well as her own personal heroes.

World AIDS Day 2008

2008-12-01T08:00:00.005-05:00

Today is World AIDS Day. A day to remember, reflect and respond.

Remember our work is not done. There are still many, many people in the impoverished world without access to these life-saving drugs.

Reflect on those that have died because of lack of medicine but also on our accomplishments everyone of you at Keep a Child Alive have helped to achieve.

Respond to the desperate need of all of those unfortunate. To those of you that have responded to our call, we thank you from our hearts.

This year's journey to our sites in Africa brought us such joy and sorrow. There is still so much to do in one of the most beautiful continents in the world. I have written a diary of my journey - come and read about all of our accomplishments on World AIDS Day.

Please go here - READ MY JOURNAL - see what your support has done for those in Africa and remember that our work is not done.

Peace,
Leigh Blake
President

John Liechty Middle School raises $100 for KCA!

2008-11-21T14:07:00.008-05:00

Former KCA intern Cristina Johnson teaches 8th grade at John Liechty Middle School in Los Angeles now. Her Africana Studies class spent three weeks learning about HIV/AIDS, and turned their awareness into action by raising money for Keep a Child Alive! Her students worked hard to organize a penny drive and a bake sale for the cause, and the class raised $100 for KCA! Now that's KCA Kid Power!

The Children's School in Brooklyn, NY raises 3K for KCA!

2008-11-03T12:17:00.009-05:00

The Children's School in Brooklyn, NY recently raised $3,862 for Keep a Child Alive! Mr. Joe and Miss Elena organized the fundraiser around lesson plans for their class that focused on "social issues. Mr. Joe and Miss Elena saw it as a great opportunity for their class to teach the rest of the school about HIV/AIDS in Africa. Four of their students visited each classroom to talk about Keep a Child Alive and screen a video clip of Alicia in Africa. They posted a giant bar graph in the school cafeteria to track how much money each class collected. The class that raised the most money won the choice to have a pizza or ice cream party. The fundraiser was a HUGE SUCCESS. Keep a Child Alive is inspired by how these children worked together to help keep our children in Africa and India alive and well.

KCA College UK at the Freshers' Fair!

2008-10-21T10:47:00.005-04:00

KCA College kick-started the school year in the UK at the Freshers' Fair at the University of London. The Freshers' Fair is an opportunity for students as they begin the school year to learn about the different services and facilities available in their city or town, as well or clubs or societies they can join on campus. Dita Patel is spearheading the KCA College initiative in the UK, and spread the word about KCA at the Freshers' Fair to students attending 19 different universities. WorleyParsons in the UK sponsored the KCA UK stall at the event - and we are very grateful for their support! Dita recognizes that "there are keen young supporters out there wanting to make a difference." She hopes to continue to engage these students to take action and expand the KCA College network in the UK!

Site Update: Hope Center Clinic

2008-10-01T13:58:00.005-04:00

The new Hope Center Clinic in Sikoro, Mali officially opened in June 2008. The incredible Dr. Annie De Groot oversees the KCA-funded clinic, and recently sent us her latest update from the field:

"A very thin woman in a yellow headscarf, who is 28 years old and who waited for over two hours to have her turn in his office today. A small child sits quietly in her lap. The doctor asks her some questions. She speaks softly, coughing as she is answering. A medical student looks at her lab results. She has 20 T cells. He asks her if she had ever been given medication before, and she says yes, but it was a long time ago, and the medicine had run out. The doctor pauses, considering what to do. Her life is in danger, but she has no money to pay for emergency treatment, and the hospital is far away...

This is a place where one in three to four children dies before the age of five, where [in our small clinic] one hundred babies are born every month, where mothers die in labor without so much as uttering a sound. This is a place where, too, a small tree of hope can take root, where green leaves can shine on slender branches, and where hope and dreams can eventually bear fruit...

We built [our clinic] to ease access to care for the hundreds of HIV seropositive patients who are living in this village of 35,000 people. We planted the clinic here at an arm's reach for the patients, like the one we saw today, because we know she will not wish to travel far for her care. We planned the clinic here for our patients because they prefer to see doctors they know will care for them. Those are the doctors who will pause for a moment when confronted with a young woman they know well, and think about her HIV infection in the context of her whole life. What would it mean for this woman, if the doctor made the decision to send her to the hospital far away on the top of the hill? Would she go there? How would she pay for her care? Who would take care of her small child? And what of the family members who would have to travel there to feed her and pay for her care? This is the context of HIV care in West Africa. These are the real barriers to good health.

Our new clinic has an infirmary where she will be able to get care. Our new clinic has a new laboratory, where we will be able to see if she has tuberculosis, and a new conference room where we will be able to plan her return to her home [only a few streets away], where we'll map out her directly observed TB treatment therapy visits, and her follow up care.

The need is great, and the cost is small. For less than $35,000, we have created a space where patients can receive the care they need right near their home. The number of HIV patients in our care has increased from less than 20 a year ago to 120 today...

Because of our work [together], a young woman, 28 years old, who has a small child to take care of, will be here tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. She will get better. This is no small thing to achieve, in a clinic that sits at the farthest corner of this Earth."

Picture Your Child - Save Another

2008-09-29T13:29:00.004-04:00

Celebrated photographer Anna Campanelli held her second photography fundraiser to benefit Keep a Child Alive this weekend. Anna specializes in portraits of children and families, and this was an exciting opportunity for her clients to support the KCA cause.

NYC's Industria Studios generously donated their space and equipment for the event, and close friends pitched in to help on-set during the day. Fifteen families participated this year. It was very interesting to see how some of the returning families had changed!

Anna is donating 100% of the purchase price of each gorgeous, keepsake 12x16 print ordered. Cost: $150 for a single print; $275 for 2; $375 for 3; $50 for each additional print. Anna is offering a bonus for Cookie Magazine readers: buy 3 or more images and get a disc complete with all of your images! Last year, the event raised $10,000 for KCA!

Delta GEMS Party for a Purpose!

2008-09-19T15:23:00.004-04:00

The Delta GEMS of northeastern North Carolina recently organizd a fundraising dance for Keep a Child Alive! Delta GEMS is an initiative by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, empowering at-risk adolescent girls to follow their dreams. With the support of school administrators, parents, and the surrounding community, the Delta GEMS made their dream for KCA a reality. Three local high schools joined together to party for a purpose, and raised $1,000 for Keep a Child Alive!

Alicia Keys speaks at ServiceNation Summit

2008-09-18T10:48:00.005-04:00

KCA Global Ambassador Alicia Keys spoke at the ServiceNation Summit in New York City, last Thursday, September 12th. Check out the video below to hear her shout out for Keep a Child Alive!

Save the Date: KCA Black Ball 2008

2008-09-17T18:13:00.009-04:00

Keep a Child Alive's fifth annual Black Ball Gala, hosted by Ambassadors Alicia Keys and Iman, will honor the global AIDS work of three remarkable humanitarians. This legendary evening will take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Thursday, November 13th, 2008.

Our humanitarian honorees are an incredible group of people who have used their will, fame and courage to change the lives devastated by this pandemic. This year, we are thrilled to honor Jackie Branfield, founder of Operation Bobbi Bear in South Africa, Simon Fuller and Queen Latifah.

The Black Ball will begin with a cocktail party followed by a seated dinner with extraordinary live performances by Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Joni Mitchell, Jack White and other extraordinary artists to be announced.

Please help make a difference by joining us at The Black Ball! For more information, call 718.965.1111.

Register for the KCA Student AIDS Summit!

2008-09-11T11:01:00.006-04:00

Keep a Child Alive is thrilled to invite you to our 2nd annual KCA Student AIDS Summit 2008! The Summit will be a legendary meeting of 400 creative minds and compassionate hearts, welcoming student AIDS activists from around the nation who are actively and measurably committed to progressing an agenda of AIDS relief on their college campuses. The two-day Student AIDS Summit will take place at New York University from November 14-15, 2008, and participants will also attend the exclusive Keep a Child Alive Black Ball Gala hosted by Alicia Keys on the evening of November 13.

PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT HERE: http://summit.kcacollege.com

Registration will be confirmed on a first-come first-serve basis, and is open to all student AIDS activists.

Priority will be given to KCA College Leaders and Members registered on www.kcacollege.com. Those who are not registered on www.kcacollege.com will not be given priority in Summit participation.

Please contact Kim (kim@keepachildalive.org) if you have any questions about Summit Registration.

We look forward to seeing you in November. Thank you for your energy and commitment!

University of Central Arkansas Gives a Buck!

2008-09-07T22:45:00.005-04:00

The KCA College Chapter at the University of Central Arkansas recently challenged their student body to give a buck about AIDS with their "Who Gives a Buck?" fundraising event.

Our UCA team of activists set up a station in their Student Center, and encouraged their professors and fellow students to donate a dollar to the cause. Everyone who donated was photographed to recognize their life-saving contribution.

In a matter of hours, the Chapter raised more than $150 for Keep a Child Alive!

Take action with Keep a Child Alive on your campus. To learn more about the KCA College Program, visit www.kcacollege.com.

Nyamila Video!

2008-09-03T12:05:00.003-04:00

KCA College Regional Leader Jennifer Salazar spent this summer volunteering in Kenya, and organized a visit to the Nyamila Community Center in Siaya!

Nyamila Community Center provides clean water, food, school materials and access to medical services to 137 children and their surviving caregivers in 47 households. Nyamila is also working to generate more conversation about AIDS in the community, by empowering several HIV+ individuals to openly talk about the disease, something that was unheard of in this area until now!

Jennifer visited the site with her fellow students from the University of Oklahoma and representatives from the Maisha International Orphanage. Her friend, Mark Nehrenz, created a fantastic video documenting their trip to Nyamila this summer. Check it out!

Meet Noah

2008-08-29T19:34:00.007-04:00

Meet Noah. He is 15 years old and HIV positive. Noah lives in Rwanda and raps in his community to educate people about HIV prevention. He is a patient at the Icyuzuzo Clinic in Kigali, funded by Keep a Child Alive.

Click here to meet Noah.

Anti-retroviral medication has made it possible for Noah to be alive today. Help keep Noah and children like him alive.

Vote for Keep a Child Alive to win $2.5 million from the American Express Members Project.

If you do not have an AMEX card, you MUST vote by Monday, September 1st!

Voting only takes a minute - so CLICK HERE to NOMINATE NOW!

Once you have Voted, email or call at least 5 friends and make sure they Vote too! Help us start a virus to end a virus and share this video with everyone you know!

KCA College on Youtube!

2008-08-28T15:27:00.004-04:00

Keep a Child Alive is thrilled to start posting video content by our dedicated Keep a Child Alive College Chapter Leaders! Chapter Leaders have raised over $40,000 on campuses nationwide for Keep a Child Alive, and a new series of "How To" videos will instruct and inspire fellow and future Chapter Leaders to do the same!

Check out Jennifer Salazar of University of Oklahoma!

Nominate Keep a Child Alive for $2.5 million!

2008-08-20T12:02:00.009-04:00

Dear friends of Keep a Child Alive,

Please nominate Keep a Child Alive for the American Express Members Project award! Your vote online now will help us become one of the Top 25 nominated projects to win $2.5 million in funding. Voting takes one minute and you do not have to be an Amex card member to vote.
How to Vote:

1. Log on to: www.membersproject.com/project/view/23E7H1
2. Click "Nominate This Project." - If you are an AMEX Card Member, click "Log-in"

- If you are not an AMEX Card Member, click "Guest Member Sign-Up"
3. Click "Nominate" to vote for "Keep a child with AIDS alive for just $1 a day."
4. Forward this information to EVERYONE you know, and spread the word via text, blog, website, Facebook, Myspace and YouTube!

Thank you for using your voice to support the work of Keep a Child Alive!

Bomu Medical Centre

2008-08-14T15:29:00.005-04:00

The KCA team recently visited the Bomu Medical Centre, based on the outskirts of Mombasa, Kenya. Mombasa is a small town on the East African seaboard, which operates largely as a trading center for much of the African continent.

Bomu Medical Centre is putting life back into communities that have been devastated by the AIDS pandemic. Bomu specializes in providing treatment and surrounding care to the poor affected and infected with HIV. When Keep A Child Alive started funding Bomu, they were treating 157 patients on ARV’s. Today, the hospital receives more than 250 new patients every month and currently has 1500 children on treatment. In the last two years, Bomu has treated 10,000 patients for HIV infection!

Click here to see Bomu’s warm welcome to our KCA team’s arrival:

These highly energized women are patients of ours that first came to Bomu on the brink of death. Since they began receiving treatment, they have become positive role models in their community, working to help change the face of AIDS.

All of these women are valuable players in Bomu’s new community outreach program that gets people talking about AIDS in an effort to break down the stigma that surrounds the disease. They are also working with the HIV-positive children in their community to ensure that they continue to receive the medication they need on a regular basis.

Sakia Mohamed is a Community Health Worker at Bomu. Click here to hear more from Sakia:

01:03:04 Most of the clients that we have, they are below poverty level. And they live in a slum, at the average of 36,000 people. And they are really poor. They cannot take their medicine on an empty stomach. So, what we do, sometimes we assist them or we help them. We take their cards, get the medicine for them, and give it to them. But you cannot do that all the time. Because they cannot get transport, or they cannot afford even half a dollar in a day. And most of them are mothers, with kids. Some mothers have 3-4 kids who are positive. 01:06:22 That's why you find, most of the people will not come forward to be tested. They are scared. And that is stigma and discrimination. And some of them have accepted that they are HIV positive, but there is discrimination and stigma. 01:06:50 And HIV does not kill, stigma kills. Because nobody will take care of you, nobody will protect you, will talk to you. You will always eat by yourself. You will always sit at the corner on your own. You don't have anybody to talk to. Nobody is there, nobody is interested. So this is why, most of the African community, this is what is happening in between them. 01:14:02 Bomu is a beautiful clinic. Bomu is doing a lot. Bomu is helping a lot of people. Bomu is helping a lot of men, women, just name it! Bomu is doing a lot with Keep a Child Alive. So, whoever is there, please assist Keep a Child Alive. Please, please, I beg you.

Bomu continues to expand to address the growing need for treatment in its community. Dr. Zahir Alavi is the Medical Director at Bomu. According to Dr. Alavi, the HIV prevalence rate in the area has risen from 5.9% to 8% within the last year. The hospital is currently undergoing construction to accommodate more patients.

Click here to hear more from Dr. Alavi:

19:30 So it began as a very small project, but over time, because of the scale of the problem, it's really really blossomed into a full institution that now provides outpatient facilities to those infected. And especially from the slum areas – as you may see when you go around Bomu – surrounded by a lot of slums, and all the poor that live here, have absolutely no other way of getting assistance towards their treatment of the HIV infection. Even though the government and institutions are there, and they have programs that are providing these services, they're just overwhelmed. There are not enough institutions, there are not enough doctors, there are not enough health care providers, and there are not enough drugs. 23:50 We just have to get up more clinics, we just have to get in more labs, and more support facilities so that these patients can get the right care, can get the right access, and can get all the drugs and all the tests that are required with keeping these people on this kind of care. This is the way we are, this is the help we need.

Pan African Student Organization of UC DAVIS

2008-08-11T11:42:00.004-04:00

The incredible students of the Pan African Student Organization at UC DAVIS organized a seated benefit dinner with proceeds to benefit Keep a Child Alive. It was an intimate night of poetry, music, dance & fashion. The students sold tickets to the African inspired fashion show for $10 each and added a auction & raffle as another fundraising component. We applaud raising an incredible $2,000 for KCA's work!

You can see a clip from their evening show at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1V8bWnc5Tc&feature=related

Change for a Change!

2008-07-31T13:56:00.004-04:00

145 students from Western Christian Junior High School in Claremont, California were inspired by stories told by their Bible teacher, Mr. Letherer. He traveled to Africa to help children and families in need. Each day Mr. Letherer shared stories about his life-changing trip. The students collected change in their classes for 2 weeks and raised $4,364.47 for Keep a Child Alive!

Beatrice's Story, Kampala, Uganda

2008-07-31T12:52:00.002-04:00

UGANDA - Beatrice knows firsthand the fear and uncertainty of women left widowed by AIDS. Her husband died, leaving her without any means to care for their tiny baby girl and young daughter. Her health began to fail, confirming what she had already suspected: she too was sick with HIV. Then she learned that both her little girls had HIV. Sick, poor, and completely alone, Beatrice was living every parent’s worst nightmare. She could not care for herself or her children, and because of her HIV, they inherited her terrible fate at birth.

Keep A Child Alive’s funding of a new free clinic, near her home gave Beatrice a chance to hope for the first time since her husband became sick. There, she was able to start on ARV treatment and begin treatment for her daughters. She was able to get food to feed her family and encouragement, love and support for their recovery. Soon, she was able to see a transformation taking place in their health, and her new strength led to optimism.

Today, Beatrice owns a small retail shop and is able to provide for her family. Her daughters continue to do well on their medication and now can enjoy the simple joys of being children. As leader of a support group for people with HIV, she uses her own story to show that there is a way out of despair and an open hand to gently guide the way.