m2m - African First Ladies Summit, LA

African First Ladies Summit, LA - 20-21 Apr 2009

Actress Camryn Mannheim, Zambian First Lady, Her Excellency Thandiwe Banda

First Lady of Lesotho, Her Excellency Mathato Mosisili

Prime Minister of Kenya, Her Excellency Ida Odinga

Robin Smalley was invited to attend the first ever African First Ladies Summit in LA, organised by U.S. Doctors for Africa (USDFA) and African Synergy Against AIDS and Suffering. First Ladies from 13 African states introduced their efforts and involvement in maternal health, girls' education and HIV/AIDS, and had the opportunity to engage with other international health leaders. This purpose of the summit was to identify effective interventions and best practices to help the First Ladies achieve their objectives for their respective countries and Africa.

"This has been very, very moving for me, and very inspirational."

U.S. First Lady Laura Bush about meeting the women of mothers2mothers , MSNBC.com

"My child is HIV negative, and I think I would not be alive without the programmes."

19 year old Andiswa

"I didn't want anything to do with HIV-positive people or women, but when I saw these healthy-looking women and listened to their stories, I immediately became part of that family. We actually created a bond, which will last forever. I was empowered and prepared for disclosure..."

Site Coordinator and mother speaking about her m2m experience