In July 2005, in a small maternity clinic in the township of Khayelitsha outside Cape Town, South Africa, eight mothers sat together and talked about families and HIV/AIDS ...

A Meeting of the Moms

It would have looked like an ordinary meeting of mothers2mothers except for the Secret Service agents stalking the hallways and the political and diplomatic bigwigs waiting patiently in an outer room. Inside the room, U.S. First Lady Laura Bush learned first-hand, through laughter and tears, about the realities of being African, pregnant, and HIV-positive.  And amidst good-bye hugs, an invitation was issued - that these special women should pay a visit to her house, the White House in Washington, D.C.

That casual invitation has since turned into a dream come true for the mothers who made the trip on 13 March 2006, accompanied by Dr. Mitch Besser, Founder and Medical Director; Gene Falk, Executive Director; and Robin Smalley, International Director.

The mothers2mothers group was welcomed to the White House with a tea, conference, and a reception.  A week of events was coordinated between the First Lady's office and the State Department, which included speaking to several Senate committees and participating in various symposiums and roundtables at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities.   The week culminated in Philadelphia where the group had the opportunity to visit local HIV/AIDS-related organizations, including The Center for Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Much is often made about broken promises in politics. But according to Site Coordinator Patty Thomas Brooks, this had little to do with politics and everything to do with reaching out. "My first impression of the American First Lady, Laura Bush, is not that she is just beautiful, but intelligent and warm-hearted as well. It comes forth strongly in her body language that she's not afraid to hug or touch,” says Brooks.  "Through her conduct, being a world figure, she made a powerful statement that people living with HIV/AIDS are as normal as can be. A small gesture that tore down another piece of the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS.  My wish is that the First Lady will accomplish what she set for herself and that she will affect change in the lives of those people she comes in contact with in a positive way."