The document summarizes the work of the Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project in Liberia to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. It introduces Dr. Lily Sanvee, Director of St. Joseph's Hospital in Monrovia, who has treated HIV-positive mothers and children for 30 years. It describes the challenges faced in Liberia like lack of infrastructure and stigma around HIV/AIDS. It highlights the arrival of Dr. Mark Corden in September 2011 to help provide pediatric care and train staff. The Project aims to prevent HIV transmission to 300 babies and educate/test 3000 women through its Child AIDS Prevention initiative in partnership with Global Strategies for HIV Prevention and local Rotary clubs.

1. Watch for next issue’s special points of interestVocational Training Trip to LiberiaInterview with a Corporate SupporterLiberian Photo UpdateDr. Lily Sanvee, Director of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Monrovia, LiberiaThe soft-spoken but amazingly courageous Dr. Lily Sanvee, Director of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, shared her experiences treating HIV positive mothers and their children at an August 10 reception honoring her in Los Altos. Twenty local supporters from the Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project and the San Francisco Bay Area learned firsthand the challenges she has met for 30 turbulent years during the Charles Taylor era: a decimated economy, a lack of infrastructure in the country, and the severe stigmatization of HIV/AIDS victims. Dr. Sanvee saved Saint Joseph’s Hospital from destruction by standing up to the attacking General with, “Then who would treat your combatants?” To provide a safe water supply for baby formula for HIV-positive mothers, the hospital drilled its own deep well water to avoid contaminated city sources. HIV stigmatization is the most severe challenge; among “discordant couples” husbands and wives hide their infections even from each other. Global Strategies for HIV Prevention provided a vehicle to visit patients too fearful to be seen at the hospital. Offering pediatric and general healthcare provides some measure of anonymity to HIV-positive mothers. The lives of over 130 babies exposed to HIV have been saved at St. Joseph’s Hospital alone, with only one child lost from infection by HIV-positive mothers over the past five years. Rotary Clubs Support CAP2 Feet on the Ground2Dude Angius Inspires Action2On-Site Visit to Liberia3“Transformer” Rotary District Governor Arley3Contact Us4Mark Your Calendar4Inside this newsletterA Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project Initiative1Liberian Hospital Director Visits Los AltosSeptember, 2011Volume I, Issue 1<br />Rotary Clubs Support Child AIDS Prevention (CAP)<br />Generous contributions from many Rotary clubs, individuals and corporations have supported 501 (c) 3 Los Altos Rotary AIDS projects through the years. This year, contributions of District Designated Funds (DDF) and cash from eight Rotary Clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area helped secure a Rotary Foundation (TRF) Humanitarian Global Grant for Child AIDS Prevention (CAP) in Liberia. After hearing presentations by the Los Altos Rotary Speakers Bureau, members of the Los Altos, Dublin, Newark, Palo Alto, San Leandro, San Jose Sunrise, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale Sunrise Rotary Clubs invested in the African Child AIDS Prevention project. CAP goals are to prevent transmission of HIV from 300 infected mothers to their babies; to educate 3,000 women how to avoid HIV infection, and to test 3,000 women for their HIV status. Los Altos is the International Sponsor, and the Rotary Club of Sinkor, Liberia is the Host Sponsor..<br />Feet on the Ground<br /> <br /> According to Hospital Director Dr. Lily Sanvee, a critically important staff member at St. Joseph’s is “one of the first patients that got me involved in HIV back in 2000. She’s still alive and now manages the prevention -of-mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) HIV program with supervision.” Dr. Sanvee looks forward to the arrival of UCSF-trained Dr. Mark Corden in September 2011. He will bring the total pediatrician count for Liberia up to three! Then 500,000 children will depend on these three doctors for their health care—a dramatic improvement for the nation. “I got into medicine to work in developing countries because I wanted to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.” Dr. Corden will focus on general pediatric care and staff training, for his goal is to assure the sustainability of pediatric care for Liberia. In fact, he dreams of establishing a pediatric residency site at Saint Joseph’s Hospital.<br /> “Dude” Angius Inspires ActionDr. Mark Corden: “I got into medicine to work in developing countries because I wanted to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.” It was “Dude” Angius, newly elected President of Los Altos Rotary Club, who first asked his club to help him “do something about AIDS.” In 1989 Dude’s family was living the shock and anguish of his son who had contracted AIDS. Some months later, Rotarian Walter Singer, known as “Mr. Los Altos” for his extraordinary volunteer work, announced that he had tested positive for HIV after receiving HIV-infected blood during heart surgery. These tragic experiences motivated a courageous group of club members to establish the Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project. Robin Young, former NBC news correspondent wrote and directed “The Los Altos Story”, a Peabody Award- winning documentary offered on video tape and DVD to Rotary Clubs around the world following Dude Angius’ keynote address at the 1992 Rotary International Convention in Orlando. Dude continues to be an inspiration for the Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project.2<br />Top: Newborn Liberian baby receives Nevirapine medication to protect against HIV transmissionMiddle: Rich Casey meets with Clara Mvogo, President of Sinkor Rotary ClubRight: children treated at St. Joseph’s Hospital<br />“Transformer”: Rotary District Governor Arley III <br />Arley Marley III, 2011-2012 Governor of Rotary District 5170 has selected Child AIDS Prevention as his District’s international youth focus. As a new member of “The Transformers”, the group of 24 west coast Rotary District Governors, he actively supports Child AIDS Prevention which focuses on children’s health. At the Aug. 10 reception honoring Dr. Lily Sanvee, Director of Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Liberia, he announced his personal interest in this project and presented Dr. Sanvee and Dr. Ammann with Transformer pins. Hopefully the twenty-four Rotary District Governor Transformers with him will build West Coast consensus in America for Los Altos Rotary’s maternal-child health projects.<br />Experiencing the crowded hospital waiting rooms, the sweltering heat, the lack of reliable electricity or internet contact in Monrovia, capitol city of Liberia, was uncomfortable. But in February 2011 when Rich Casey and Allan Varni of Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project watched a newborn baby receive Nevirapine medication that could save his life, they knew their Child AIDS Prevention effort would make a huge difference. The Rotary and Global Strategies teams also traveled outside Monrovia through lush green rolling hills and grass/mud huts to visit rural clinics with a very limited number of medical staff. Many of the nurses and assistants live in Monrovia, hours from the clinics, so they spend several days in the nearby village, working 12-14 hour days, traveling back to their homes and families only when caseloads permit.The visiting teams met with the Sinkor Rotary Club, host sponsor for the $75,000 Rotary Foundation grant. The club members will provide back-up support transporting patients and medications for these clinics. They will also promote HIV testing awareness through PR campaigns and lobby governments for increased funding to support maternal and child health.<br />District Governor Arley, Dr. Lily Sanvee, and First Lady Mary MarleyDistrict Governor Arley with Dr. Sanvee and First Lady Mary Marley On-site Visit to Liberia3 Q: How can I contribute to the Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 ?A: Click this link (link to be added):Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project P.O. Box 794 Los Altos, CA 94023 A non-profit 501(c)(3)www.rotaryaidsproject.org A Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project Initiative Mark your calendarMonthly meetings are 2–3 pm, 2nd Thursday each monthat First Republic Bank 400 South San Antonio Rd. Los Altos, CA 94022Future CAP presentations are currently scheduled at these California Rotary Clubs: Sept. 7 Sunnyvale SunriseSept. 20 Mill Valley Oct. 4 Mt. View Oct. 11 Santa Cruz Sunrise Oct. 25 Dublin Oct. 28 Galt Q and A highlights Q: How can my foundation/corporation participate in Child AIDS Prevention? A: Contact Rich Casey, President, at telephone 650-743-1352 or rlc73@aol.com.Q: How can my Rotary Club schedule a 30 minute update on the Liberian visit? A: Contact Marlene Cowan, at telephone 408-832-7858 or marlenecowan@gmail.com Contact usThe Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project was founded in 1989 by members of the Rotary Club of Los Altos, California. Its goal is to engage Rotarians in the fight against HIV.In 1989 the Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project (LARAP) became the first Rotary in the world to bring attention to AIDS. Today their Child AIDS Prevention initiative aims to improve maternal-child health by preventing HIV transmission from infected mothers to their infants. Partnering with Global Strategies for HIV Prevention, they have focused on the country of Liberia where they will develop the very first nationwide program for the prevention-of-mother-to-child HIV transmission.Contacts:Rich Casey, President, Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project rlc73@aol.comMarlene Cowan, Newsletter Editor marlenecowan@gmail.com 4<br />