 Santa Barbara California Summer Solstice Family, friends and colleagues, I have a fantastic list of excuses for not posting any new blogs since returning from Africa. First, I have had the great opportunity to work as a consultant with two fantastic organizations, which took over my life. Second, my computer has been sick, and has been spending time with the doctor- selfishly keeping my photographs and stories on Africa with it. And third, I have been traveling visiting family, friend, colleagues and beautiful California: embracing my American roots. Please click "read more" to learn more about my consultancies. Returning to California, I have had the opportunity to work with two great organizations, OGRA Foundation and Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County. The concept note for Community Action to Prevent Mother to Child Prevention of HIV I wrote for OGRA Foundation was accepted by the grantor organization in July! A few days later I received an email from OGRA Foundation to lead putting the proposal together! The even better news, is that OGRA Foundation has an approximately 50% chance of having the grant accepted! Just to refresh your memory, Kisumu District has one of the highest rates of HIV in Kenya. It is estimated that approximately 25% of the population is HIV positive. In Kisumu, infants are one of the most vulnerable populations to HIV. Because many women choose to give birth at home and have never received an HIV test, it is impossible to estimate how many infants are infected with the virus. It is estimated that 25% of infants born to HIV infected mothers contract the virus, unless their mothers take prophylaxis. The good news is that less than 5% of infants whose mothers take prophylaxis contract the HIV. Current treatments are highly effective. OGRA Foundation has worked in partnership with Columbia University's ICAP program to increase access HIV care and treatment by decentralizing the current government HIV program. Preliminary results of decentralization have been fantastic! A significant number of women and infants are now accessing these services, and as a result, less women and infants are contracting HIV in Kisumu, but not enough to end the epidemic. The goal of the proposal we put together is to meet the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals 4, 5 and 6: to increase child and maternal health, and combat HIV and AIDS. In effect, to end the infant HIV epidemic in Kisumu District. With the evidence-based successes OGRA is having in Kisumu with decentralization, I am confident the sustainable program in our proposal is a tipping point for HIV in Kisumu District. It was fantastic working remotely with OGRA's staff! Working with Gaby Amolo, Dr. Steve Okello and Ken Obiero, we spent the next 3 weeks putting together the narrative, logframe, indicators, management strategy, and budget for the strategy. Working together for the last 6 months, we were a highly effective and efficient team, completing the proposal a week before the proposal was due. Please cross your fingers for us! OGRA has earned this proposal, and it could be a launching point for future good work! I also had the opportunity this summer to work with Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County again. Working as a fund development consultant with Elizabeth Mayer, Habitat Ventura's fund development consultant, I helped develop Habitat Ventura's first phone-a-thon. The purpose of the Phone-a-thon was 3-fold:
Elizabeth and I hired and trained approximately 15 interns to call donors and volunteers. The interns were fantastic! Over the course of 8 nights they collectively called over 9,000 donors and volunteers, shared the great work Habitat is doing in Ventura County, and raised over $10,000! I am lucky to have been able to spend my summer working alongside such worthy organization filled with fantastic people! Until next week, where I will share my efforts in finding my dream job! |  Enjoying my OGRA Kikoi  Christina and Serena in her Zanzibar Kikoi  Hiking in Malibu Canyon  Hiking beautiful Point Dume  Summer Solstice Parade in Santa Barbara  Sunset in Asilomar  Asilomar Sunset  Serena and Moe on a rooftop in Las Vegas  Las Vegas  The Lovely Kelsch Ladies in Las Vegas  A very unhappy clam  The best sandwich shop in Santa Barbara and Ventura County! |
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