About Us  

Our History: The Beginning of the Gift of Hope

In June 2006 my daughter Jamie and I made our first visit to South Africa. We had plans to volunteer at McCord Hospital, a pioneering institution in the fight against HIV/AIDS, which had a dedicated HIV/AIDS clinic called Sinikithemba (translates from Zulu as “we give hope”). McCord is located in KwaZulu Natal, a province in South Africa that is at the very heart of the global HIV pandemic. We had no clinical skills or research capacity or any significant experience in the field of HIV care and treatment. Rather, we came with a check for $20,000, which Jamie had raised at her high school and with the generosity of our local community, and two fundamental attributes: our passion and our desire to help. Unsure of how we could contribute exactly, our goal was simple and modest;  to make a difference in the life of just one person living with HIV/AIDS.

Her best chance at reducing the risk of transmission was a cesarean, but like so many women in this part of the world, the cost of this simple surgical procedure was beyond her reach.

Upon arrival, we had been told by Dr. Helga Holst, then CEO of McCord, to take our time assessing the hospital’s needs so that we could make our own determination where the funds could best be used. Ten days into our stay, July 7, 2006, we had found a purpose – the day that a special baby girl named Charmaine came into this world. While working in McCord’s highly successful Prevent Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) program that morning, I encountered a situation that turned out to be the birth, literally and metaphorically speaking, of what is today The Gift of Hope. A woman came into the ER in full term labor; HIV positive, not on anti retroviral therapy or in the PMTCT program, and with a staggeringly high viral load. This woman had an incredible risk of transmitting the virus to her newborn baby.

Her best chance at reducing the risk of transmission was a cesarean, but like so many women in this part of the world, the cost of this simple surgical procedure was beyond her reach. Unable to cover the incremental cost of approximately $450 for the surgical procedure, she would have had to take her chances with a normal delivery and administration of ARV prophylaxis during delivery and to the baby post delivery.

When I heard about this situation as it unfolded, I had an immediate thought: What better use of the funds we had raised than to cover the cost of this women’s cesarean and give her unborn baby the best possible chance of living healthy and free of HIV.  The doctor quickly ran to propose this to the expectant mom.  Grateful for the offer of assistance, but without a partner, she wanted to know if I might also serve as her birth partner.  A few hours later I was standing in the operating room, dressed in green surgical scrubs and holding this woman’s hand, while her daughter was brought into this world. Needless to say, it was one of the most amazing personal experiences I have ever had, and the best use of $450 I could ever imagine! Six weeks after the birth, all of our prayers and hopes were realized: Charmaine  was HIV negative! I have had the joy of seeing this little girl grow to be a beautiful, healthy, happy child, sharing special visits with her on my yearly trips to Durban!

We had found our mission and reached our goal. It was a powerful way to make a difference, by giving women hope and working towards the goal of an AIDS free generation—one woman and one child at a time

It was a life changing experience, and a week later my 16 year old daughter served as a birth partner for another mom in the same situation. The cost of her cesarean was also covered from the funds we raised and her beautiful baby boy was born HIV negative. We had found our mission and reached our goal. It was a powerful way to make a difference, by giving women hope and working towards the goal of an AIDS free generation—one woman and one child at a time.  The Gift of Hope was born; a program to support HIV positive pregnant women with care and treatment at McCord’s PMTCT program, giving them the best chance possible of preventing transmission of the virus to their newborns. Over the course of the last 6 years, more than 70 expectant mothers have benefited from this program, and only one baby has been born HIV positive.

Jamie and I were transformed during that first visit to South Africa and McCord Hospital, setting us both on a new course in life. Some 8 years later, following university studies and a Fulbright fellowship in Durban focused on HIV treatment models, Jamie is now a graduate student at the Harvard School of Public Health, where she continues to focus much of her work on HIV and global health issues.  I returned to McCord every year since that first visit, expanding the scope of the Gift of Hope to include a sponsorship program for HIV infected children, providing them with care and treatment at the Sinikithemba Clinic of McCord Hospital. From 2006 until 2012, more than 150 HIV positive children, most of whom are AIDS orphans, benefited from this sponsorship, giving them hope for a bright, happy and healthy future.

As we move forward with support from our generous donors, our goal remains the same: to extend the Gift of Hope to more women and children in need, and make a difference in the global fight against HIV.  We invite you to join us on this journey.

Give a Gift of Hope Today

"Of all the forces that make for a better world, none is so indispensable,
none so powerful, as hope."

— Charles W. Sawyer

How You Can Help

» Donate to our programs

» Travel with us to South Africa

» Attend our Craft Sales

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I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” 

Edward Everett Hale

 

About The Gift of Hope

The Gift of Hope (EIN# 26-1613888) is a volunteer led organization dedicated to caring for women and children in South Africa infected with and affected by HIV. We strive to ensure that all women and children have access to quality holistic HIV care and treatment, regardless of financial ability. The Gift of Hope is a 501(c)3 organization.

The Gift of Hope

1127 High Ridge Rd. #251
Stamford, CT 06905