May 8, 2014 | Female Empowerment, Health, HIV transmission, Kravis Prize, m2m, mothers2mothers
Mother’s Day is a golden opportunity not just to honor our own mothers, but many others, too. 2012 Kravis Prize recipient mothers2mothers has teamed up with an award-winning journalist and a philanthropic non-profit as part of their campaign, “Double Your Mommy,” which is tapping into this year’s holiday to maximize outreach to impoverished women around the world. At first glance, the “Double Your Mommy” page established by the 13-year-old organization, which is dedicated to reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, presents a variety of Mom-themed gifts like most department stores and boutiques. Look closer, though, and you’ll find a decided difference. Philanthropic organization Modropy, which has partnered with the American Cancer Society, Royal Family Kids, and several autism groups among many others, has created shirts, hoodies, and totes for m2m. Proceeds from the sales will go to support m2m’s programming and services. To learn more about Modropy, visit its homepage. According to m2m co-founder Robin Smalley, these proceeds will be doubled by an anonymous donor to increase the services that they can provide to m2m’s staff and Mentor Mothers working in sub-Saharan Africa. Journalist Jennifer Haupt, whose e-book Will You Be My Mother? The Quest to Answer ‘Yes’ looks at her experiences in genocide-torn Rwanda, is also donating sales from her memoir to m2m. These purchases — along with several other items offered on the “Double Your Mommy” page (including donations to support educational materials, nutritional assistance, cell phones, and more)— include a Mother’s Day card that will be mailed or emailed to each customer’s mother so that they’re aware of the impact of their gift on lives in another country.... read more
Apr 24, 2014 | HIV transmission, m2m
When Victoria Beckham, pop icon and fashion designer married to soccer great David Beckham, traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, in February to learn more about mother-to-child transmission of HIV, she spent time with the founder and several members of mothers2mothers, an organization that was awarded the Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership in 2012. Beckham’s journey is chronicled in Vogue Magazine, with accompanying pictures by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz. To see a short gallery of photos from Beckham’s journey, and her encounters with some of m2m’s Mentor Mothers, who help women receive the proper medical attention, visit the following link: http://www.vogue.com/vogue-daily/article/victoria-beckham-born-free-fight-against-hiv/#1 Beckham’s support of mothers2mothers is also spotlighted in the April 28 issue of People Magazine in the feature “40 Facts About Me” (see photo, above). Beckham’s list offers plenty of playful asides (“I believe in karma,” “If I had more time, I would read more…”), but her serious commitment to empowering women and helping the poor is highlighted in yellow at No. 13, where she identifies her involvement with both UNAIDS and mothers2mothers. In 2012, when m2m was honored with the Kravis Prize, the Prize Selection Committee cited the organization’s efforts under founder Mitch Besser “in nine countries and [for] continually working to expand their reach to women in new countries and move deeper into countries where they currently operate.” Besser, who is the brother of Richard Besser, chief medical correspondent for ABC News, also receives attention during a recent “Good Morning America” segment about pop musician Ryan Lewis’ mother Julie. For more about this ABC News segment, visit this post on the Kravis Prize Blog to learn more about Lewis, m2m’s work, and... read more
Apr 24, 2014 | Female Empowerment, Health, HIV transmission, Kravis Prize, m2m
Along with the travels of Victoria Beckham to South Africa and her efforts to raise awareness about mother-to-child HIV transmission and the work of mothers2mothers, another figure in the world of pop culture and entertainment is also shedding light on this crucial topic. Musician and producer Ryan Lewis (who has teamed up with Macklemore to produce several hit songs) shares a deeply personal story that teaches the lesson that HIV transmission doesn’t occur only in the Third World: It can happen anywhere. It has happened to his own family. A segment airing on ABC’s Good Morning America describes the circumstances of Lewis’ mother, Julie, who has been HIV positive since receiving a blood transfusion in the 1980s. At the time, she was given 3-5 years to live. That segment, which is followed by a roundtable GMA discussion, includes Richard Besser, ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor. Besser, whose brother Mitch is the founder of mothers2mothers, describes the work of m2m to George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts and the rest of the GMA cast. Watch video here:... read more
Apr 23, 2014 | BRAC, BRAC UK, BRAC USA, Civil Society, Fazle Abed, Kravis Prize
Who are the world’s 50 greatest leaders, according to Fortune Magazine? Along with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and actress-activist Angelina Jolie, Fazle Abed has been honored as one of the world’s “50 greatest leaders” by the magazine for turning the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) into a major force for social change in the non-profit, social sector. Abed was awarded the second annual Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership in 2007 for his visionary work with BRAC and its expansion from serving the poor in northeastern Bangladesh to helping more than 130 million around the world. Fortune Magazine identified the 77-year-old Abed, who was knighted in 2010, as an inspiring figure who is “making the world better.” “After Bangladesh fought a war to become independent,” Fortune magazine announces, “Abed, 77, established the Brac to aid the rural poor, including 10 million returning refugees.” Abed (pictured above), according to the magazine report, is the lone Bangladeshi to make the top 50 list. Abed ranks at #32 on the Fortune list. Other figures included in the top 50 list are Pope Francis, investor Warren Buffett, and former U.S. president Bill Clinton. RELATED: BBVA Award goes to Pratham Nonprofit management: Focus on “funamentals, not fads”: Kravis Prize-related article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review... read more
Mar 6, 2014 | CMC, Community Development, Education, Kravis Prize, Pratham
Knowledge that can radically change lives is a potent form of knowledge that cuts across categories and barriers — that’s been the key to Pratham’s success for more than 20 years, and it’s also the reason why the Mumbai-based organization and 2010 Kravis Prize recipient has been selected for a 2013 Frontiers of Knowledge Award from the BBVA Foundation. The BBVA Foundation, which serves as the charitable arm of the banking organizations Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, has announced the selection of eight 2013 laureates, including Pratham, which has been honored for “their originality, theoretical significance and ability to push back the frontiers of the known world.” The award includes a cash prize of €400,000 (approx. $570,000). While biologist Christopher Field was awarded for his work on climate change and British biochemist Adrian Bird for his discoveries in epigenetics, Pratham was honored for its educational work with disadvantaged children in the award category of “development cooperation.” “Pratham has expanded the scope of education in resource-constrained areas,” the BBVA jury announced in a prepared statement. “It has done so through two significant innovations: the creation of simple, accurate and reliable tools for communities to assess learning; and a process that uses scientific evidence to develop new cost-effective programs that drastically improve learning levels.” Though Pratham has been in operation in India since 1994, its profile outside the country remained relatively low until the awarding of the Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership in 2010. In the years since that award in recognition of the NGO’s work on improving literacy with programs such as Read India, Pratham has gone on to receive several more major international... read more
