Children Who Lost Parents To HIV Spread Awareness With Special Mother's Day Cards
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The contributions mothers bring to our lives have been celebrated almost since the beginning of time.
Now--as Mike Schuh reports--the children of the third world are offering Mother's Day greetings through modern technology.
For 40 years the Hopkins affiliate, Jhpiego, has traveled the world to improve the health of women.
Alicia Jaramillo runs the office in Mozambique.
"To offer the testing for HIV," she said.
The orphans of parents who died from HIV in Mozambique drew special Mother's Day cards--drew them to remember.
"They just think about what they imagine and what they have in their minds, the future and the beautiful moments they lived with their parents," said Jaramillo.
And they drew them to help Jhpiego.
"We know that when a mother lives, a child has a great chance of living. We also know that when a mother dies, the child is 10 times more likely to die," said Dr. Leslie Mancuso, Jhpiego CEO.
It's facts like those that motivate people in the organization.
Dr. Mancuso has traveled to the orphanage where the children drew the cards.
Those cards are available online. Send one, and you're asked to donate to Jhpiego. Five dollars, to whatever you want to give.
Sure, the money is important, but:
"I'll be honest, this was done as an awareness much more than it was done for the dollar figure. Our goal was, I think people still when I talk to people, don't realize that mothers die and they don't need to die," Dr. Mancuso said.
All who donate will have the names of their mother listed on the website.
Those Mother's Day cards can be found right here.
