African Affairs- March/April 2009
By Shoshi Mabina
US Doctors for Africa (USDFA) will host benefit gala in Los Angeles, California on April 21, 2009 at 7PM in The Beverly Hills Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. The benefit will honor African Synergy Against AIDS and Suffering, a non-governmental alliance organization of 22 first ladies from Africa. The formal attire gala supports the first-ever U.S. based Leadership for Health Summit that will highlight the first ladies’ initiatives to forge new partnerships with U.S.-based agencies and corporate foundations, and identify actionable goals regarding HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health and girls’ education.
Expected First Lady attendees include current members of African Synergy and other active First Ladies from across Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Comoros, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and more.
African Synergy Against AIDS and Suffering, formed in 2002 with the aim of “pooling our efforts for more concerted and concrete action to alleviate suffering” and fighting HIV/AIDS throughout Africa. Collaborations to date include the opening of maternal health clinics, HIV treatment centers, orphan care programs and vocational training schools. In July 2008, African Synergy approached USDFA to begin a five-year partnership focused on expanding these efforts across the continent. The April 2009 summit will be the first undertaking of this partnership.
The host committee include: Quincy Jones, Holly Robinson Peete, Mattie Lawson, Pauletta Washington, Cookie Johnson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Jackie Avant, Ken Kragen, Courtney Phillinganes, Dolores Robinson and Ellen Palevsky.
For tickets to the summit benefit gala visit www.usdfa.org; call 866-663-2613; email rsvp@usdfa.org; single ticket prices are $250.00 / $375.00 / $500.00. For more information, please visit www.leadershipforhealth.org.
“Wal-Mart is the presenting sponsor of Tavis Smiley’s “America I AM: The African American Imprint,” a four-year touring museum exhibition that celebrates the impact African Americans’ actions, innovations and teachings have had on nearly 400 years of American history. The tour opens on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth date on January 15, 2009, and runs through May 3, 2009.
We were also able to provide a $12.5 million letter of credit through the Wal-Mart Foundation to start construction on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C. We are proud to be a part of a project that will help future generations uphold the legacy Dr. King stood for by studying his work, ideals and vision for America.
It’s personally gratifying to be part of Wal-Mart’s effort to invest in the continuing history of Black America. I’m constantly aware that whatever I’ve achieved in my own life is the result of investments others have made in me. They ranged from the highly motivated teachers in our schools to the elderly “porch ladies” who watched over the community’s children. They delivered the message that we were the future, and our future would only be limited by our own goals and commitment.
No matter who you are, or how you do it, giving back is one of the best ways to make a big difference.
Esther Silver-Parker, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., is charged with the strategic planning and execution of Wal-Mart’s relationships with community- based organizations and leaders, where Wal-Mart does business
