From 1980-1984, I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho, a small country in Southern Africa.  This was shortly before the AIDS pandemic impacted the region.  I was a school teacher at Holy Names High School, near the town of Bela Bela, teaching building construction and general science. 

In 2015, and again in 2017, I visited South Africa and was happy to see many improvements in social life that came with the end of apartheid.  I was also saddened at the enormous, and tragic destruction due to AIDS  -- an entire generation has truly been decimated.  Lesotho has the second highest HIV prevalence rate in the world, with 25% of adults being HIV-positive. In South Africa the rate is a bit smaller, but still severe. 

In 2003 the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR , which truly deserves accolades, brought much needed help to the region. Pregnant mothers were treated with antiviral medication, which prevented the virus from passing to the unborn child.  Many children have been left orphaned due to the impact of HIV/AIDS; 2.2 million children in South Africa have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Most of them live with a grandparent or in creche. These children are more likely to live in poverty than their non-impacted peers. 

During my travels,  I had the good fortune of finding my old friend, and former student, Seth Kobo, founder of Hope For Nations Gospel Outreach in Johannesburg.  Seth runs a ministry that supports creches ; providing food, books, tuition, clothing and more to children in need.  A creche is a childcare facility that works as both an orphanage (for kids with no family), and a daycare (for kids whose family works during the day). Children attending receive food, attention, early education, and a safe environment to grow and play. Creches are usually run by grandmothers who caring for their grandchildren and those of their neighbors.

After visiting many of these organizations with Seth and his family,  I have become passionate about helping him and helping  the children.  He is, the trusted, "man on the ground" that works every day, to build the support network and deliver much-needed supplies directly to the creche.