Since joining mothers2mothers in 2002, Gloria Nolubabalo Ncanywa has been to New York to ring the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange with First Lady Laura Bush and she has been feted at the White House. You might think she would be jaded. But when she received her invitation to participate in the PEPFAR PMTCT panel on 5 December 2008 in Washington, DC, she was over the moon, for this would be the first time she would be part of a high level meeting dealing with policy. For an HIV positive mother from the township of Khayelitsha, Cape Town, this tribute of respect for her experience and her knowledge was the final step in her journey of empowerment.
|
|
|
All three of m2m's co-founders have recently been acknowledged for their entrepreneurial leadership, dedication and contribution to HIV/AIDS in Africa. In their unique projects, Dr. Mitch Besser, Gene Falk and Robin Smalley have achieved remarkable successes that have helped to shape the course of mothers2mothers. |
|
During the second week of March, m2m hosted the first meeting of our restructured m2m International (m2mI) Board of Directors in Cape Town. Composed of 11 members, and under the leadership of Board Co-Chairs Judy Gluckstern and Andrew Stern, the m2mI Board participated in two days of intensive work covering m2m program updates, growth scenarios and targeted future plans within this time of global economic uncertainties.
|
|
|
Following last year's mothers2mothers strategic planning, a restructuring of the organization was put into effect in November 2008. Recognizing a gap in our own services, we created a Department of Strategic Information & Technical Support (DSITS). Designed to streamline operations and support our continued growth and
innovation, DSITS will ultimately enable us to serve more HIV-positive
women and their families. As part of our effort to strengthen managerial systems to supervise
m2m’s rapid growth, two regional program departments were created:
Southern Africa and Eastern Africa Program Departments. DSITS and the
two program departments work very closely together to support
implementation of quality based m2m programs in all countries. |
|
|
In line with m2m's ongoing commitment to promote employee wellness and support daily positive living of site staff (all of whom are HIV positive mothers), private yoga classes have been introduced to our Cape Town Site Coordinators. Conducted once a month and designed specifically for those living with HIV, the classes offer a mixed range of breathing exercises, postures, and meditation, all created to not only increase energy levels, but also to support a continual deepening of awareness. The intention is to help women feel increasingly more capable of dealing with the emotional stresses inherent in their daily roles as counsellors. |
|
|
How did you find out you were HIV positive? How did you feel, and was there someone you could talk to? What do you think the HIV Virus looks like? What color is it? What is the shape of the virus? Acknowledging and confronting personal experiences and feelings can be difficult. Expressing these emotions into words can often be even harder. In our quest to gather as many stories from Site Coordinators and Mentor Mothers as possible, and to capture the myriad of feelings a life-changing diagnosis brings, we developed a Creative Writing workshop, incorporating a process “Body Mapping”
|
|
|
Suzen Nakanyika was a participant in the Body Mapping/Creative Writing Workshop held in Zambia in November 2008. Her story is one of a wonderful collection of stories written by Site Coordinators during the 2 day excercise. A year ago, thirty-two year old Suzen Nakanyika was staying with her in-laws in Choma, surviving day-to-day, selling fritters in the local market and making no more than 10,000 to 30,000 Kwacha per day ($2-5). Today, Suzen is living in her own house and is supporting her husband and two HIV negative children after becoming a mothers2mothers (m2m) Site Coordinator. |
|
|
