MAKE MINE (RED)... and Black

Recently a Mets fan sent photos of her new Converse (PRODUCT) RED shoes that she'd designed on MAKEMINERED.COM, which got me thinking that it's about time for me to design another pair.

Here's what MetsGrrl sent us:


I just designed a pair in red and black, my first pair of Converse (PRODUCT) RED slip-ons – this option is a new addition to the MAKE MINE RED family:


What's your design? Get creative and send them to us at moblog@joinred.com! Go to MAKEMINERED.COM to start.

--bn

"Think (RED) and Give Back"

I'm a big fan of Google search, especially when looking up news. Yesterday I came across this story written about teenagers, by a teenager, entitled "Kids Today: Think red and give back." Take a look at the excerpt below.

Truly heartwarming. Thank you, Sheboygan Falls!

--bn

Who doesn't want an easy way to make a difference in the world?

With companies going Product Red for AIDS in Africa, all you have to do is buy one of their products and part of the profit goes to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa through The Global Fund.

"It helps people less fortunate than us and people who have health problems," said Nicole Degaro, 13, of Sheboygan Falls.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY

Karen's photos from Swaziland

We know you love seeing photos from Africa – I just uploaded some Swaziland photos that Karen from (RED)'s London office took in March. She and Adele from the Global Fund documented their Swaziland trip on (BLOG) RED if you'd like to re-read the entries – here's the batch of photos to help illustrate their stories:

http://flickr.com/photos/joinred/sets/72157600225950584

--bn

Christy Turlington's photos from Swaziland

A mother herself, Christy loved meeting children in Swaziland.

To view more of her photos from her week-long trip, go to http://flickr.com/photos/joinred/sets/72157600218196532/

Christy Turlington's video from Swaziland

(RED) Ambassador Christy Turlington visited Swaziland to find out how the (RED) money raised from sales of (PRODUCT) RED helps people who are affected by HIV/AIDS, and she met some remarkable folks along the way. Here's some of what she experienced:

Seeing (RED) in New York

Just in – photos of the Gap (PRODUCT) RED displays at the Gap store in New York at 54th St. and 5th Ave.

We love seeing (RED) everywhere – send us your own (RED) photos at moblog@joinred.com!

View more of the photos at our (RED) Flickr page:
www.flickr.com/photos/joinred

From Santa Monica to Kigali, with love

While our (RED) colleagues were in Swaziland to see how (RED) money works on the ground, (RED) staffer Suzy and I visited a first grade classroom at Carlthorp School in Santa Monica last week to bring a little bit of Africa to the kids.

With the help of teachers Mrs. Falk and Ms. Annino, Suzy and I explained how (RED) works to the students. The children were excited to learn that when they choose (PRODUCT) RED, a portion of the profits goes to help people in Africa. Raising their hands, they breathlessly shared stories about their own contributions to charitable efforts. One boy told us that half of his allowance goes to charity, a quarter to the bank, and he keeps a quarter of it. Their enthusiasm was uplifting and incredibly sweet.

To connect the students to another student their age, we told them about Denyse, the 8-year-old girl from Kigali, Rwanda, whose story we shared last year on (BLOG) RED. We passed around photos of Denyse so that the students could see how healthy she is now that she is on ARV treatment and able to go to school.

The Carlthorp students were so happy to hear that Denyse is doing well that they wrote letters for us to deliver to her the next time we’re in Rwanda. Here are a few of them, along with photos of the class!

--bn

Big House

E-mailed from Swaziland, by Tamsin Smith

When a child in Swaziland is orphaned by AIDS, community leaders step in to help, setting aside land and forming KaGogo (“Granny”) Centers. There are about 300 such places in Swaziland. We visited the Esitjeni KaGogo Center on Friday, where 20 women care for some of the country’s 70,000 AIDS orphans.

Ms. Inkhosikati LaMtsetfwa is the granny in charge. She is unforgettable. Within five minutes of our arrival, she had Christy carrying a huge bucket of beans in from an outdoor fire pit to feed to the kids. She and a few other women then taught Christy and me how to perform a Swazi dance… or tried to, at least in my case! The grace of Swazi moms and grannies was revealed to us in many other ways as well.

Inkhosikati took us to her homestead, an extensive network of beautiful thatched circular mud structures, the largest of which is the Indhlunkhulu or Big House. The Big House is a special room that signifies the idea of community support and love, where no child is abandoned and no one is first in line. All are equal under the roof of the Big House.,,

The children at this granny’s center lack for nearly everything – clothes, toys, food and, of course, family. But they have a place to be with one another and a network of care.

AIDS has crushed this generation of kids in Swaziland. The children sang songs about this killer disease. Antiretroviral medicine, which costs just $140 per year, could have saved their sick parents. The (RED) money flowing into Swaziland through the Global Fund – and thanks to (RED) shoppers and partners – is filling this void and more, in a way extending the roof of the Big House to cover all the people in this amazing country.

On our last evening in town, we walked by some kiosks where local artisans sell sculptures and traditional fabrics. It was dusk, as a young man said hello, encouraging us to come back tomorrow morning when there would be more light to look around his shop. He was on his way to sing with a choir in a nearby hotel. We went to hear him sing – chorus groupies! We introduced ourselves and asked his name. “Comfortable,” he said with a smile, “because I am always Comfortable.” This is an easy place to love. And a hard one to leave.

Hamba Kahle – Go Softly, Tamsin

The Promise of Sustainability

E-mailed from Swaziland, by Christy Turlington

Today we drove about forty-five minutes outside of the Ezulwini Valley to visit the Esitjeni Kagogo Centre, also affectionately called a “Granny” center (“Kagogo” means “grandmother,” and grandmothers hold a respected place in this society). There are approximately 277 centers like this all over the country, building on the Swazi concept that grannies provide a safe haven for the family, built and maintained by money from the Global Fund and (PRODUCT) RED. These centers are service delivery points for small communities, all-purpose community centers, and where orphans are looked after by volunteer caregivers – usually grandmothers – who form an informal community collective.

When we arrived we were greeted by a powerful force of a woman, our host and guide Inkhosikati La Mtsetfwa, the leader of this community, and thrown right into action as lunch was being prepared, as usual, for up to 250 children each day, about half of whom are orphans and who come to the center to eat and play. (These children’s parents died of AIDS before they were able to access the ARVs which are now freely available here, and which would probably have saved their lives.) Inkhosikati gave me a great big hug, then grabbed my hand and attached it to a bucket filled to the brim with very hot beans fresh from the fire, and led us into a room where a small assembly line of woman dressed in traditional Swazi garb was busily dishing out plates of food as the children lined up outside waiting to be fed. I took my place in the assembly, began scooping out cupfuls of beans and pouring them over “lipalishi,” a thick porridge made of cornmeal, a dietary staple in Southern Africa, and handed a plate to each child, while a couple of the older women gently reminded each child to say “thank you” (“Ngiyabonga”) after taking their plate.

Once every child had been given a plate of hot food, they sat quietly on the floor of a classroom next door to eat their first, and more often than not, their only meal of the day. If their stomachs would allow and if there was enough food left over, they were permitted “seconds.” While the children finished their meals the volunteer elders who cooked and served them came together for a proper introduction to us. We explained our tradition of Mothers’ Day back home in relation to the purpose of our visit and assured them that their stories would be brought back to mothers across the world who were also coming together in a sort of collective to contribute to the Global Fund through their purchasing of (PRODUCT) RED.

The women gave us wraps decorated with images of the King’s face, which we were told to wear over our pants, in order to dress like “proper” mothers, and then sat us down perform a public service message all about HIV/AIDS and its effects on their community. Tamsin and I were invited to join all of the other women who were singing and dancing “backup” to the music, so we did. “When in Swaziland”…! After a good laugh, at our expense, we were sung a “thank you” song by all of the children.

The concerns that were shared with me here were related to the overriding issue of sustainability that we have encountered throughout this short stay in Swaziland. Will the ARVs that are saving lives now still be there in the future? And, what about the other basic human needs such as food, water and shelter, especially for these countless thousands of orphans? The ARVs are now accessible to most Swazis, but one cannot take this medication effectively without those other basics that are often lacking. How can a Swazi or any other African not live day-to-day when the road is as long as it is for the infected?

Through our collective purchasing power, we have together made an impact and proven that (RED) money is making a huge difference in the lives of thousands. Let’s keep this thing moving and growing so that we can offer to many more than those we met in these past days the promise of sustainability, which is of such concern on the receiving end of our efforts. We can do this.

--Christy

A Community of Optimism and Hope

Tamsin and Christy with HIV-positive mothers who work at the Baylor Clinic

E-mailed from Swaziland, by Christy Turlington

We spent a few hours at the Baylor Clinic which provides pediatric AIDS care to children and their families. We met a mother there with her six-month-old son who had just tested negative. She tested positive early enough in her pregnancy to be eligible for the single dose of nevirapine during labor and her son was given a single dose of a syrup form of the same drug within the first three days of his life (this halves the risk of transmission of HIV from the mother to the baby). Had she been tested earlier at this clinic she would have had even more treatment options during the pregnancy. She has also been diligent in her breastfeeding exclusively until now (no formula or other foods until 6 months, strongly recommended if you are unable to do exclusive formula feeding from birth, which would ensure no transmission via breastfeeding), so her son is healthy and strong.

She now faces another challenge, which is to successfully wean him from her breast onto formula and food to avoid future transmission now that he is 6 months old and clear of infection. Formula is obviously more expensive than breast milk and not as readily available, and for this only part-time employed mother, will present yet another pressure. She was unable to check her CD4 status (which measures the strength of one’s immune system at a given point) because machines were down for the day but was counseled during her visit on the various options and told to return to the clinic to take the test in a few weeks’ time.

The American doctors that are working here in Swaziland are committed for one to two years as volunteers and were assigned here because of the urgency of the situation in this country.

We also met five adolescents between ages 12 and 17 who come to the clinic regularly for treatment as well as counseling. This was a particularly emotional visit because most of these children are double orphans, having lost both parents to HIV/AIDS. These children have only recently learned of their own HIV status and have been directed here for support amongst their peer group away from their homes and schools where they are unable to share their health conditions because of the stigma that still exists. They are heartbreaking and inspiring at once in that they speak so candidly about all that they are enduring in the midst of learning to cope. They are fragile and vulnerable and yet pragmatic about their fates. I was in tears by the end of hearing their stories. It is hard to fathom that despite all the public service information that is available and seemingly visible that people are being shunned by their communities.

The clinic now serves as a community for these children and there are many positive models in others who volunteer here who are HIV-positive, and going forward in their lives with optimism and hope. We met three such volunteers, mothers who have dedicated their time and their lives to counsel other woman who find themselves in similar positions as they themselves were when they first learned of their own HIV status as pregnant women. They were each shocked when they tested positive and shocked that they could continue their pregnancies in that state. But, they were also relieved to learn that they could be treated and that there was a strong likelihood that their children could test negative, if they had the correct treatment.

All but one of these three mothers’ babies have tested negative and the child who tested positive is now three years old and has not shown signs of sickness so far. Now that ARVs are available, he will have the chance to live a long and full life. The future will be different for these young people and that is an amazing thing to report back to you given that (PRODUCT) RED is one of the reasons why.

Soul Surfers

E-mailed from Swaziland, by Tamsin Smith

It is possible to look at statistics on AIDS in Africa and fail to recognize the individuals; the people who help determine whether the arrows go up or down. But not today, here in Swaziland. Today, we met many heroes – caregivers, doctors, moms and kids – determined to turn the tide neighbor by neighbor, friend by friend.

We began the morning with a visit to the Mbabane ART Center. Dr. Patrick Okoth guided us through the clinic and the process whereby the majority of Swazis receive their antiretroviral medicine. Counseling is a core part of the work of ensuring that each patient understands why and how to maintain an effective two pill-per-day protocol.

Dr. Okoth stressed the language of adherence – rather than compliance – to the protocol. Adherence puts the power in the hands of the patient. Individual empowerment, he explained, demonstrates that people hold life in their own hands and it teaches that it’s possible to control one’s own destiny. This is very much the Global Fund “demand-driven” approach, in which the countries themselves design programs appropriate to local needs, customs and conditions.

We met so many incredible people today…

Christy Turlington is blogging now about the middle part of our day at the Baylor pediatric clinic… she’s writing about the wonderful kids and fiercely determined moms who we met there. So, I’ll fast forward to Sylvia Khuzwayo.

We saw Sylvia briefly at the ART clinic, where she volunteers. Later, we joined the Hope Heals support group for people living with AIDS that she hosts at her home. Sylvia graciously thanked the (RED) community and the Global Fund for the medicine that keeps HIV positive people like her alive and active.

Sylvia has turned her home and garden into the heart of Hope Heals. She pointed to a two-room mud and stick structure she’s building that will house a counseling room on one side and a sewing/beading studio on the other. Sylvia is an entrepreneur of the spirit. She builds the strength of her neighbors by helping them grow strong and by empowering those to themselves contribute through designing and making jewelry and t-shirts. Hope Heals members sell what they make to pay for food and transportation – whatever they need to maintain and access antiretroviral medicine.

Christy made the point that this kind of active involvement is analogous to the (RED) value chain, in which (RED) shoppers do what they can to help, by empowering their purchasing decisions. No matter where we sit in this world, it is individuals seeing and activating the dignity in themselves and others that turn tides. There is no small act. The smiles on the faces of the determined children, women and men we met today had a grandness which is immeasurable.

-- Tamsin

The Face of HIV/AIDS

Christy Turlington is currently in Swaziland with (RED) team members Tamsin and Julie, as well as Adele from the Global Fund, to learn about how (RED) money works on the ground. Here is her first blog about her experiences – more to come this week from Christy and Tamsin. --bn



I caught my first glimpses of Swaziland through the windows of a propeller plane coming over from Johannesburg this morning.

The land seemed rich and sparsely populated. The climate is perfect, warm and breezy.

Everyone we encountered today seemed gentle and friendly with a sense of pride about their homeland.

On the drive to the hotel I noted at least three HIV/AIDS-related billboards. This is sadly indicative of the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic in this country. It seems reassuring that awareness is so widespread. With nearly a quarter of its population infected with this devastating disease, Swaziland has the highest HIV infection rate in the world. I’m here to see what that looks and feels like.

So far the face of HIV/AIDS here is that of an orphan, even though we have yet to meet one. The number 70,000 is something I cannot shake.

These children have cared for their mothers, watched them die and then become parents to their siblings. These are the converted youth of a generation almost obliterated by a treatable illness.

ARVs have only recently become accessible to the already infected. How will this affect these people? How can this motivate others to have hope? This is a critical point in the history of an epidemic and in the history of this country.

--Christy

Picture Postcard from Swaziland

Via handwritten fax, by Tamsin Smith

Swaziland may be the smallest country in the southern hemisphere, but it seems to burst with more than its share of wonders. Lush mountains, waterfalls, and unique rock formations shelter a rich variety of indigenous flora, all manner of wildlife and some very colorful, cheeky birds. Some particularly noisy members of this latter group apparently serenaded Nicole, our videographer, through the wee hours of this morning.

Despite these natural endowments, 70 percent of Swaziland’s roughly 1 million citizens live below the poverty line on less than $1 per day. Swaziland also has the highest HIV prevalence in the world.

We met this afternoon with Derek von Wissell, the head of NERCHA, the program created by the government in 2002 to spearhead the national response to HIV/AIDS. Derek, the former minister of finance, explained the particular complexity and urgency of eliminating AIDS in Swaziland. He stressed the critical role that (RED) consumers play in making this hope real, particularly for the 70,000 children orphaned by the disease.

Most of these kids watched their parents die. They need food, shelter, clothing and love. It is customary in Swaziland for the community to care for kids if their parents and grandmothers are lost. We will visit one of the country’s KaGoGo (“Granny”) centers on Thursday.

Politicians and educators around the world say that children are our future. It’s almost a cliché, but it’s so true. These kids need to believe, as do all, that life holds promise for them. Even a child who has lost one or both parents, seeing other adults grow strong on ARV medicine and women delivering HIV-free babies, is a powerful message. It signals that life can go on and get better. The freedom to believe in – and to choose – a future that is healthy is available to these kids. They form a key link in NERCHA’s vision of an AIDS-free Swaziland. It is the tangible and intangible impact of Global Fund investments – underwritten by (RED) shoppers – that we want to capture on this trip.

This is a postcard of thanks to those of you who buy (RED).

--Tamsin