Keep a Child Alive

At Nkosi's Haven, located off a quiet, tree-lined service road in one of the many neighborhoods that surround the city of Johannesburg, a young woman hangs laundry to dry in the morning sun while a group of children play a chasing game nearby. Although desperately poor and living with AIDS, she can enjoy the remarkable sight of her own small child, his face alive with laughter, keeping up with the others. Here, in this sanctuary, an improbable dream is being lived out every day by mothers living with HIV/AIDS, their children, and children orphaned as a result of AIDS. Nkosi's Haven is the dream of Nkosi Johnson, a young AIDS activist and hero of the AIDS movement who passed away on International Children's Day on June 1, 2001. Separated from his own mother because of AIDS, Nkosi wanted to prevent other children from suffering the pain he had endured. He wanted to create a place where mothers with HIV/AIDS and their children could live and be cared for without discrimination or prejudice. KCA is thrilled to support the women and children of Nkosi's Haven, Founder Gail Johnson, and the indomitable spirit of Nkosi Johnson, whose dream lives on through the lives they save.