Now that I’m back from my week-long trip through Kenya, everyone wants to know, “How was it?” I find myself using words such as “amazing,” “life-changing,” “intense,” and “powerful.”

But really there’s no way to summarize the experience in a few words or in a tidy, little paragraph. My mental scrapbook from the trip is filled with a jumble of facts and figures, impressions and thoughts. When combined together, this tangled mess amounts to the most memorable and meaningful week of my life. On paper it looks like the random list below.

Here’s a look at a few things that stick out in my mind from the trip.

1. A four-wheel-drive ambulance costs $55,000, and in remote Africa, where the roads are unpaved, these are desperately needed. A doctor in western Kenya told me a story about a regular ambulance that sped down a muddy road to retrieve a woman who was hemorrhaging during childbirth. The ambulance got stuck, and 10 men came to the rescue and physically lifted the heavy load up and out of the mud.
The ambulance is symbolic of the many things Kenyans need to keep their population healthy and disease-free. Yes, they need ambulances but they also need generators so the electricity in their hospitals doesn’t go dead when a doctor is in the middle of a C-section.

2. More than 1,000 babies are born with HIV every day. There are dozens of heart-wrenching facts like this that depict the impact of infectious disease in places such as Africa. But no disease is scarier than HIV/AIDS. The good news is that there are many US-funded programs in place to stop HIV transmission from mother to child.

At a hospital in western Kenya, I met an HIV-positive mother named Doris. Her newborn baby, Joel, was negative because she took medication during her pregnancy to stop the transmission. These programs must continue to receive funding so we can meet the United Nations goal to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015.

3. Every hour, 200 people die of tuberculosis. This is another frightening fact. In the United States this highly contagious respiratory disease is practically history, but in poverty-stricken areas such as Kenya it’s still prevalent. This disease is difficult to fight because treatment requires taking antibiotics daily for six to nine months. But again, US-funded programs are effectively reducing the number of deaths.

In Kenya, former TB patients are volunteering to help newly infected ones. These volunteers visit TB patients daily to make sure they keep up with their treatment plans. This program run by unpaid employees costs little and saves thousands of lives.

4. Kenyan women are never lonely. Many Kenyan women lead tough lives. They might spend several hours a day lugging heavy jugs of water from the river to their homes. They sleep in tiny beds amongst piles of children. They might only eat one or two meals a day. But they are never, ever lonely.

They spend their days singing and dancing together, washing clothes together, watching their children together, standing in line for water together. They live in tight-knit communities that never allow each other to fall down. If a woman can’t feed her children, then the woman next door puts food for everyone on the table. They never face a Friday night on Facebook, looking up old boyfriends and reading about parties that they weren’t invited to. They always have a friend by their side.

5. Clean drinking water is a luxury. In the United States, we turn on the faucet and out spills crystal clear water. Yes, we have to pay for it, but the expense is nothing compared to what Beti, a 24-year-old single mom, goes through to get clean water.

Beti lives in Kibera, the second-largest slum in Africa. It’s a half-hour walk from her house to the waterspout. She usually makes her water runs at 4 a.m. so she only has to wait in line for two hours to fill her jug.

6. Girls all over the world have the same dreams. In Nairobi’s Kibera slum, I talked with several teenage girls who live with their families in little shacks where there’s no running water, no electricity, no toilets. These girls have the same hopes and dreams as those who live on the other side of the world.

Anne wants to be a pilot, and Beti a beautician. Anne likes to solve her friends’ problems and wants to go to university to become a psychologist. Thanks to a nonprofit group called Carolina for Kibera, these young women are applying for scholarships and actually following their dreams.

7. Women grow 80 percent of the food in Africa. When I first read this fact I found it staggering and unbelievable. After meeting Kenyan women face-to-face it makes sense. These women are the ones out in the fields picking the corn, sweet potatoes and millet. They’re making jewelry and quilts and other handicrafts and figuring out how to sell them in the United States. These women are driven to work hard so their families have food on the table and so their children can go to school.

In the Rift Valley, I met a woman named Mary who keeps milk cows in her backyard. She also has a small vegetable garden. “I tell my friends that they can do this too,” she said. “They don’t need their husbands. When I started this, my husband let me have my own bank account. He doesn’t ask me how I spend my money. I have saved for retirement. I can afford clothes so I can go out looking elegant.”

-Amy Graff, BabyCenter

Today was a pretty amazing day here in Kenya. We met with Kenyan entrepreneurs this morning, and a representative from USAID, which is deeply invested in building Africa’s world presence as an exporter.

Then this afternoon, we spent time in Kibera, one of Nairobi’s most well-known kagigis, or slums. The two are linked in my mind, because I think it is the first that will eventually help lift the circumstances of the second.

I heard a Kenyan joke today, “We don’t have oil here in Kenya — our people are are main exports.” We all laughed, but the truth is, though Kenya has many great natural resources, the people are an amazing asset. I have yet to meet an ordinary person. The energy, creativity, and enthusiasm they’ve given us with on this trip simply astonish me. And I don’t think they’re putting on brilliance for the out-of-towners, you really can’t fake this level of extraordinary-ness.

There, I’ve created a new word.

What do people brimming with energy, creativity, and enthusiasm do best?

That’s right. They make things.

BEAUTIFUL things that quite enthralled the 10 of us at an impromptu shop after our meeting this morning. We all left adorned with Zulugrass, Katchy Collections, and MooCow items, both gifted by the business owners and then purchased in alarming volumes by the lot of us.

The founder of Katchy Collections, Anthony Mulli, spoke of his employee philosophy:

“When I hire someone to work for me, I tell them, ‘You had a dream before you came here. Whatever it is, don’t become content in this position and forget it. If you want to go to university, do that and then there will be a place for you here in the business side. I am here to help you reach your dreams, as well.’”

That’s what will put an end to the need for places like Kibera. People with drive and spirit to spare, encouraging others to tap into their core strengths.

We visited the home of Mercy while in Kibera. She and her daughter Nicole live in a small room that is beautifully kept, but where she needs to walk to fetch water every day, cook in a small corner of the room, and risk respiratory infections and worse from living in an area that is notoriously good at spreading contagions.

But that is not even close to all of Mercy’s story. She also takes in clients and braids hair, a skill she learned from watching her mother, who learned from her mother.

She also makes beautiful jewelry, a skill she learned from a friend who taught her after she expressed interest. It rivals any that I’ve seen in shops, and I bought a beaded ring that I already know is one of my new favorite things. In fact, we’re talking about Mercy having an Etsy shop — and if and when she does, I will be so sure to let you know.

There are many Mercys in Kenya, with skill, drive, and an entrepreneurial spirit — but how to create a structure that allows for their products to reach a global market? Africa is sometimes viewed as remote, and has not always been the first place a company would look to to source products.

That’s where the ORIGIN Africa Project comes into play.

Origin Africa was developed by US AID as a part of the COMPETE program, which is part of the African Growth and Opportunies Act (AGOA). COMPETE takes an integrated approach to addressing the issues of advancing trade and economic growth in East and Central Africa.

This approach is based on the premise that regional integration is the best way to grow regional markets, and simultaneously increase the competitiveness of African products in global markets.

In other words: Trade, not aid, developed from a collaborative standpoint.

All stakeholders –- from African farmers to US retailers -– develop, guide and promote African trade in apparel, cut flowers, specialty foods, home decor and fashion accessories. They also sponsor pretty stellar events, like July’s Africa Fashion Week New York.

But does it actually work to generate new trade opportunities?

Absolutely. It’s generated more than $50 million in exports to the US in just the last two years. Diversifying the African economy can build stability, which will be a game-changer on both an individual and a continental level.

Another Kenyan entrepreneur we met this morning is Katy Leakey. Her business was founded in 2002 by Katy and her husband, Philip Leakey. They live in the rural bush of the Rift Valley in Kenya, among the Maasai. Together, they created a product called Zulugrass, which is so much more than adornment — though they’re gorgeous.

Susan Leakey Wearing Zulugrass in Karen, Kenya

Their mobile work sites in the Rift Valley provide employment for over 1200 Massai women, depending on the time of year. More than 10,000 people are supported by the work generated from assembling Zulugrass.

Traditionally, Massai women do not earn an income, so there were initial cultural barriers to overcome when Zulugrass was developed. But the men of the tribe now prize the peace it brings — with the added income, their home lives grew more peaceful.

And as we know from the Africa’s Future is Female report, women re-invest 90 percent of their earnings right back into their households, elevating the status of many. The women use the income for everything from the basics of food, education fees and medical expenses, to improving their lifestyles such as buying their own herds of goats, purchasing land and starting their own businesses. Communities become more stable financially and politically. Small service businesses begin to flourish as there was money to spend locally.

Many educated, talented and skilled African designers and entrepreneurs are quickly and indelibly creating change in their countries. The next employee Anthony hires and mentors could be Mercy, and she and her daughter could perhaps save enough to leave Kibera and pursue her other dreams — to open her own salon named after her daughter and eventually see her daughter in medical school.

Mercy

Daily Action: Today we’re meeting with entrepreneurs in Karen, Kenya who are leading in building their communities’ economies and providing opportunities to others. Check out ONE’s report “Africa’s Future is Female” to learn more about how women are leading a revolution on the continent. Then, using hashtag #ONEMoms, tell @ONECampaign one thing that surprised you. Or leave a comment on our Facebook page.

-Lindsay Maines, Rock and Roll Mama

Doris is a tall, thin woman with sweet, smiling eyes and skin the color of dark, rich chocolate. When I meet her at the Siaya Clinical Research Center in western Kenya, she’s sitting peacefully outside in a plastic deck chair cradling a baby whose thighs are dimpled and cheeks chubby. She’s 27 years old, and she’s HIV positive.

But what about her child? Is her 3-month-old son, Joel, also positive? That’s the first question that comes into my mind.

The answer is no, thanks to several studies aimed at fighting disease that are underway at this remarkable hospital situated in an area of the country where disease is especially prevalent. While the HIV rate throughout Kenya is 6 percent, it’s 15 percent here in the Nyanza Province.

When Doris arrived at the clinic pregnant and HIV positive, doctors entered her into a research program that allowed her to receive free medication, specifically ARVs, that decreases transmission of HIV from mother to child.

“It’s a joy to see a baby come out negative from a positive mother,” says Lilian Odhiambo, a nurse at Siaya. “Cases like this show that there’s hope.”
Before HIV positive mothers were given ARVs, the transmission rate was 25 to 40. Now that rate is 1.8 percent.

This isn’t the only good news coming out of this research station that’s collaboration between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). Researchers have rolled out a malaria vaccine trial, passed out insecticide-treated nets, provided pregnant women with prenatal care, and last year they introduced the pneumococcal vaccine. These programs and studies are funded by PEPFAR, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other organizations.

The most dramatic part of my visit occurred in the pediatric ward where babies and children infected with malaria lay lifeless like rag dolls on cots. When I saw a skinny boy sprawled across a mattress, with his frightened mother holding onto his hand, I broke into tears. His skinny legs and Bermuda shorts reminded me of my own son.

I rushed over to Martina Oneko, a pediatric neurologist working at the clinic, and asked, “Is that boy going to live?”

“Yes,” she said with a smile. “We now have good medication for children with malaria. There’s a malaria drug that costs only 40 shilling, and we can afford to give it to children. The previous drug cost 600 shilling.”

Since 2008 the death rate for kids with malaria dropped from 10 to 4 percent.

Siaya is proof that programs aimed at fighting disease in Africa are effectively saving lives. Join the It Only Takes One Mom campaign to let U.S. lawmakers know that it’s worth continuing to fund these programs.

-Amy Graff, BabyCenter

After 24 hours of travel, we arrived in Nairobi late Sunday evening, and made a beeline for our beds to get some rest before hitting the ground running bright and early on Monday morning. We made our way back to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 7 a.m. to take an early domestic flight to Kisumu, Kenya’s third largest city, on the shores of Lake Victoria. Though I didn’t know this before, Kisumu and its surrounding Nyanza province is Ground Zero when it comes to infectious diseases: HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, among others, are endemic in the aria, and the highest prevalence in Kenya is found in this region. It also happens to be one of the poorest regions in the country.

We were here specifically to witness the work that the United States Center for Disease Control is doing in collaboration with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (also known as KEMRI), the scientific research arm of Kenya’s Ministry of Health. On this particular day, we split up into groups of two, to shadow HIV home health care workers: KEMRI’s representatives who travel throughout the region, testing families for HIV, and counseling them on how to reduce the spread of the disease. Because many of the families in the region live in relatively remote rural areas, it can be different (and somewhat discouraging) to travel the long distances on foot to get to the clinics to determine their status — and so instead, KEMRI and the CDC come to them.

My travel companion for the day, Amy Graff, and I were quickly paired with two health care counselors who were consummate professionals: Sam, and jovial and passionate young man with a great smile, and Grace, his more reserved, no-nonsense counterpart. After they briefed us on what we were about to experience, we set out:

As we were walking, I fell in step with Sam, who was carrying a large plastic container filled with testing equipment on his shoulder. We talked a bit about how he became interested in home health care testing.

“Do you like your job?” I asked.

“Oh, yes, definitely.”

“What’s the best part?”

“Managing other counselors.”

“Really? How many do you manage?”

“Eight. I love it. I love helping them give a great service to our clients, you know? I hope one day that I can run a program like this in other parts of Kenya.”

We continued talking and walking, before at last arriving to a small structure made of mud walls and an intricately thatched roof. “This is the family,” Sam said.

He introduced us to a father, his wife, and their two small children, before they invited us inside to their home.

Once we got situated, Sam made more formal introductions of Amy and me. He explained to us that the family knew that we would be visiting their home today, and consented to us both watching Sam and Grace demonstrate how the test is conducted, and allowing us to write about our experiences online. He also assured us that the family actually already knew their status having been tested about a month earlier, but were willing to undergo the test again so we could see exactly how the procedure was done. Since the family spoke very little English, Grace was there to conduct the testing and counseling session, and Sam was to act as translator for the benefit of Amy and me.

So then, Grace got to work.

The test itself consists of a pin prick on the finger, where a small amount of blood is collected, and placed on two test strips (two, that is, for double-checking purposes). The test itself takes only about 15 minutes to complete, and is similar to a pregnancy test: if one line appears on the strip, the test is negative. If two lines appear, the test is positive.

In situations such as this one, where the mother is positive, the home counselors conduct further tests on the children, with consent of the parents.

(An aside: these two kids are the bravest kids I have ever seen in my entire life. Remember, now — they’d already been tested before. But did they cringe when they saw Grace coming at them with the needle again? No sirree, they just offered up their fingers like pros. The only whimpering noise that came from the room was from me, as I watched it happen.)

Here’s the best part: once the family knew their status, they were counseled on ways to protect themselves (for example, as in the case of this family, ensuring that they took precautions to ensure that the HIV+ partner didn’t infect the HIV- one). The parents were given condoms, showed how to use them (using wooden models), and the HIV+ members of the family were given referrals to a clinic where they can receive medications free from the Ministry of Health. Since 2008, this home health program has recruited and treained 150 counselors who continue to go door-to-door to provide this type of counseling, testing and household education. In addition, through this program, USAID provides a care package, which includes a jerry can for collecting water in a nearby river, a straining cloth to strain the collected water and drops to purify it, and mosquito nets to help prevent malaria (a huge risk, since the suppressed immune system of someone who is HIV+ makes malaria that much more dangerous). To date, 130,000 people have been counseled and tested, and their is an 85% acceptance rate for the services. In addition, 50% of those testing positive have sought care and treatment.

I’m happy to report that since this family learned their status, they have taken Sam and Grace’s counsel to heart, and have already begun to receive treatment. It was amazing and wonderful to witness how, by going and giving this simple test to this family, they were now fully informed and able to take the necessary steps to ensure that they all — each member — was able to continue living full, productive lives.
After Grace had finished her work, the father wanted to take us on a tour of his property, showing us the patch where he grows vegetables to feed his family, and taking us for the 10 minute hike to show us the river where his family collects the water they use for drinking and their washing. As we walked, I caught up with Grace and complimented her on her professionalism.

“You’re wonderful, Grace,” I said.

“Thanks,” she replied thoughtfully.

“Do you enjoy your job?” I asked.

At this, her face broke into a wide smile. “I really do,” she said emphatically. “I mean, why wouldn’t I? I’m a life-changer!”

Grace, honey, you certainly are.

-Karen Walrond, Chookooloonks

Photos courtesy of http://www.chookooloonks.com/blog/2011/7/25/kenya-day-one-on-health-home-visits-being-a-life-changer.html

After more than 20 hours of flight time and a full day of travel time, we have made it Nairobi, Kenya. All of us here on the ground are exhausted, but excited about the upcoming week. We can’t wait to share it all with you.

This trip is the first step in the development of what we hope will be long-term relationships with thousands of American moms who have the power to help save millions of lives through simple actions they can take in between the carpools, day jobs, homework help and other activities in their daily lives.

The ONE Moms initiative is about adding thousands of voices to those already letting their elected officials know they support these life-saving programs. We will go to clinics, visit homes with community health workers, check in with a school and meet with women farmers. And through the daily postings of our bloggers, millions of other American moms can share the experience and learn what they can do to help these Kenyan moms give brighter futures to their children, their cities, their villages and their country.

We will provide daily actions that you back home can take to let others know the importance of these programs. These actions will be made available to you on our blog, and the ONE Moms landing page.

When we get back, we will continue to involve moms in campaigns to press political leaders to prioritize the critical goals of ensuring that by 2015 no child is born with HIV, that more small farmers in the world’s poorest places learn more productive ways to farm, and that the poorest children in the world have access to childhood vaccines.

Thank you all again for your wonderful support throughout the campaign! We couldn’t have made it this far without you, and you are so inspiring to each and every one of us.

From July 23 to 30, ONE will be taking 10 mom bloggers to Kenya to experience issues that women living in extreme poverty face every day. These moms will be experiencing the issues of extreme poverty as told through the lens of a mother in Africa –- from shadowing health care workers to meeting with female farmers to visiting one of Africa’s largest urban slums. As a result, we hope they bring that awareness back home and share their lessons with other moms in their community.

Here are the 10 lucky mom bloggers traveling to Kenya:

Karen Walrond, Chookooloonks @Chookooloonks
Amy Graff, BabyCenter/Momformation @babycenter
Jennifer James, The Mom Bloggers Club @mombloggersclub
Cooper Munroe, The Motherhood @coopermunroe
Emily McKhann, The Motherhood @emilymckhann
Lindsay Maines, Rock and Roll Mama @rockandrollmama
Jyl Pattee, Mom It Forward @momitforward
Rachel Fox, Coming Alive @rachelonefox
Shayne Moore, Global Soccer Mom @globalsoccermom
Elisa Morgan, FullFill @fullfillmag

We’d love for you to follow along their amazing journey — and that’s why we created ONE Week, a series of emails, blog posts and actions to keep you updated and involved with the moms’ activities on the ground. Sign up to receive their daily updates on our ONE Moms page now: http://www.one.org/us/actnow/moms/.

By signing up for our updates, over the next few weeks you will receive their daily trip agenda, have an opportunity to hear from a ONE expert on key issues the moms will be learning about and much more. The bloggers will be chronicling the trip on their own blogs and the ONE Blog, too — so keep an eye out for their photos, interviews and stories in the coming days.

Although the moms have not left for Kenya yet, they’re online and ready to take your questions or hear from you right now. Use the hashtag #ONEmoms and direct a tweet to a ONE mom blogger from the list above. And don’t forget to follow along while they’re in Kenya, too.

Together we can shine a spotlight on the successes and challenges that accompany the fight to end extreme poverty and preventable disease around the world. Use your voice on behalf of the world’s poorest and be part of ONE Week. It only takes ONE mom.

Five years ago, I dedicated my professional life to advancing the research and development of an AIDS vaccine when I began working at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative’s (IAVI) Human Immunology Laboratory in London. No virus has ever posed a greater scientific challenge to mankind than HIV, and we must solve the puzzle because an effective AIDS vaccine remains our best hope to end this devastating pandemic that has claimed and affected millions of lives.

My work in London is both challenging and exciting, but it was not until a visit to Kilifi, Kenya, in 2009 -– where I watched as a mother held onto the hand of her child knowing that nothing could be done to save her life -– that I truly saw the face of the pandemic.

HIV affects people worldwide, regardless of race, sex, age or sexual preference; more than 33 million people are currently living with the virus.

Today, on World AIDS Vaccine Day, I am reminded of fourteen years ago when US President Bill Clinton stated, “Only a truly effective, preventive HIV vaccine can limit and eventually eliminate the threat of AIDS.” That statement remains as true today as it was then. For more than two decades, some of the world’s best scientists have worked toward a vaccine, but it has only been recently that these efforts have begun to offer an answer.

An efficacy vaccine trial in Thailand in 2009, a joint effort between the Thai and US governments, provided the first demonstration in humans that a vaccine can prevent HIV infection. We are also making major strides on several fronts considered crucial for designing a safe and effective HIV vaccine, including identifying new antibodies that neutralize a broad range of HIV variants, as well as exciting progress on identifying vectors, or delivery vehicles for vaccines, that are safe and long-lasting.

Another advance we are working on brings me back to Kenya. For the last two years, I have worked with the Kenya AIDS Vaccine Initiative (KAVI), based at the University of Nairobi, to help set up new methods for testing whether a vaccine induces anti-HIV responses at the specific mucosal surfaces where the virus is contracted. This work involves a high level of scientific expertise and sensitivity to the community -– both of which my Kenyan colleagues at KAVI have accomplished with seeming ease.

The innovation, drive and professionalism of the staff at KAVI and the volunteers they work with has been inspirational to me, and gives me more confidence than ever that all of us together –- scientists, volunteers, advocates, community leaders and policymakers -– can make a world without AIDS a reality.

Philip Bergin is a research scientist at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), a global not-for-profit, public-private partnership. IAVI’s mission is to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world.

The only difference between us is opportunity. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) offers a fortunate ticket. AGOA was enacted in 2000 as the first piece of trade legislation focused on increasing and enhancing trade between the US and countries in sub-Saharan Africa. AGOA permits duty-free, quota-free export of more than 6000 products from eligible countries to the US.

Global Apparel in Kenya is one such company capitalizing on this vital US legislation. They have landed major accounts with Wal-Mart, Target and the Men’s Warehouse and has provided jobs to more than 1,000 workers to create up to 8,000 garments per day. I had a chance to tour their factory, so take a look at some of the work they do:

We left Nairobi today and flew out west to Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya, on the shores of Lake Victoria. After a 50 or 60km drive (that felt like 500 or 600km because of the road quality), we reached the US Army Medical Research Unit/Kenya Medical Research Institute/Walter Reed Project. This joint effort is a 41-year collaboration between the United States Army and the Kenyan government to do research on the treatment and diagnosis of tropical diseases like malaria.

That’s the top line, bureaucratic description of the project. The reality is far more interesting and important.

It is the place where the rubber meets the road, however unpaved it might be. What was so amazing to me was how, 50 km up a road so potholed that we often drove more smoothly on the dirt shoulder — these rural residents were participating in malaria vaccine trials that are as professional, as well run and organized as anything our children could participate in back in the States.

As mosquitoes in developing countries develop resistance to each new malaria drug, an effective vaccine is critical to strike a deadly blow to the disease that’s killing millions of children under the age of five worldwide.

In exchange for participating in this undertaking and other research on tropical diseases, the local residents get access to full scale health care at the hospital, literally across the street from the project. From an American perspective, not only is this a real example of American funding providing real world, real time help to people who need it, but equally important, the local residents know who it is coming from. From the USAID-logoed truck parked in the courtyard to the US Army Lt. colonel on site to run the project, this is American outreach at its best.

After several other stops, we teamed up with a group of home visit HIV testers who are working on a CDC project that amazed me both in terms of its scope and efficiency. (As a parallel, I want to remind everyone that the US government spends hundreds of millions every 10 years to conduct the census. ) Here in rural Kenya, the CDC project has trained highly skilled home HIV testers. Traveling by truck, bicycle and on foot, they go door-to-door to incredibly remote areas providing residents with real time HIV testing and counseling.

Along with two others, I accompanied one of the home visit testers today. After driving to a small village, we walked on foot through several hundred yards of pasture and rough grazing land. We came upon the remains of small thatched hut. I say “remains” because it had clearly fallen down and was now only a roof about two feet off the ground, supported by the collapsed remains of the original mud and stick walls.

While staring at what I thought was simply a ruin, I heard a voice from inside and a middle-aged woman crawled through the small opening that remained, emerging with a warm smile and torn plastic sheeting for her guests to sit on. After brief introductions, the testing process got underway, starting with very formal consent procedures followed by multiple redundant testing that is fully processed in about 15 minutes. When the testing was complete, we stood off to the side under a shade tree to respect her privacy while the results were processed. Within minutes I began to hear laughter and saw handshakes telling me that the woman’s test results were negative.

I cannot begin to explain how far off the grid this woman lives or the primitive conditions she endures. No water, no electricity, no transportation. Just basic subsistence agriculture to feed and sustain herself under fallen sticks and mud. And yet, she is getting real time 21st century HIV testing and counseling — all thanks to the CDC on behalf of Americans.

ONE’s work advocates for support for these programs is paying dividends that exceed a simple dollar-to-dollar exchange. They are helping to make the case — moral, economic, security — that this engagement is critically in the core interests of the United States.

-Alex Vogel, former chief counsel to Sen. Frist and the NRSC