September 2006

In this issue:

• Message from the executive director
• Nonprofit tax milestone achieved
• Three organizations in Zimbabwe receive funds
• New medical program

Message from the director
On behalf of Brother Brother Sister Sister’s board of directors, board of advisors, volunteers and partner community-based organizations (CBOs) I thank you for your generosity. People like you have made a critical difference in the lives of many children. As the evolution of Brother Brother Sister Sister and changes in economic and political circumstances in Zimbabwe warrant, we will send periodic e-mail updates so you can stay informed of developments that affect AIDS orphans and Persons Living With AIDS (PLWAs) in Zimbabwe. (If you would rather not receive these e-mail newsletters, follow the link at the bottom to "unsubscribe.")

Latest news: This has been a year of deterioration and instability in the economy and political environment in Zimbabwe. The country’s annual inflation rate is more than 1000 percent. This adds to the already challenging tasks our parnters in Zimbabwe face each day to feed, clothe, shelter and educate children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Stable U.S. dollars are more vital than ever for these organizations to continue to do their good work. Fortunately, 2006 has been a year of growth and maturation for our organization, improving our ability to help the children who depend on us.

Sincerely,
Craig Wilkinson, executive director

IRS OKs Brother Brother
Sister Sister's nonprofit status
Brother Brother Sister Sister recently became a 501(c)(3) organization. In April the Internal Revenue Service ruled that Brother Brother Sister Sister fulfills all requirements to be exempt from federal income taxes as a private not-for-profit charitable organization. Our donors’ contributions are fully tax-deductible. More.

Kasirayi Hwete poses with an orphan outside of Loving Hand, the nonprofit oganization he founded to provide day care and home-based services.

Brother Brother Sister Sister
funds three organizations
Your donations are helping to provide funding to three community-based organizations in Zimbabwe. Brother Brother Sister Sister's monthly grants are helping to provide basic necessities, education and psychosocial support to AIDS orphans and other children severely affected by HIV/AIDS. Snapshots of the organizations providing these services:

• Lubancho House (Hwange, Zimbabwe) renders material, medical and psychosocial support to persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS through home-based care programs. They also train older children and adults to achieve self-reliance and practice community responsibility.
• Lukunguni Mission Clinic and Home Based Care (Jambezi rural area, about 100 miles south of Hwange) operates a health clinic open to all local residents.
• Loving Hand (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) provides services to children and adults infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. They provide supplementary feeding and day care to pre-school orphans and home-based care to the terminally ill.

Despite their shortage of resources, these organizations are professional and extraordinarily dedicated to caring for those affected by extreme poverty and illness. Because of a lack of infrastructure in the country and resources, they do not have Web sites. If you have questions about the organizations, we’ll be happy to answer them. Send us an e-mail!

What contributions provide
Brother Brother Sister Sister’s job can't be done without your help. It is amazing the good that just a few U.S. dollars can do in the lives of these orphans. Examples:

$15 – Breakfast and lunch for one child for a month
$35 – Medical care for one child for a year
$60 – School fees enable a child to attend school for a year
$75 – Provides a child clothes to wear to school for a year
$100 – Provides school supplies for 25 children for a year

Brother Brother Sister Sister’s job is to assist organizations in Zimbabwe to obtain the resources they need to help AIDS orphans and others affected or infected with HIV/AIDS. Brother Brother Sister Sister works to help these orphans as if they were the orphans of our own brothers or sisters.

Our mission is inspired by the words of Nobel Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He said: “I am not my brother’s keeper. I am my brother’s brother. I am not my sister’s keeper. I am my sister’s sister.”

New medical program
The medical director of Brother Brother Sister Sister, Dr. Lisa Ellis, has begun research to develop the first phase of our medical program. Ellis has consulted with Dr. Stephen Barnett, a member of the Organization’s board of advisors. Dr. Ellis is an infectious disease specialist with a clinical practice in Austin, Texas. Dr. Barnett is a pediatrician and a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. With epidemiological data recently received from Lukunguni Mission Clinic and in consultation with their medical personel, Dr. Ellis will complete the initial medical needs assessment for the clinic. Brother Brother Sister Sister’s medical program initially is being designed to treat childhood illnesses common in Zimbabwe. After improving the quality of care, we plan to expand to include treating HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections and eventually to work to provide effective treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Join us
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has overwhelmed local financial, social and health care resources. For many orphans, the hope for survival rests in our hands. Your contributions will be deeply appreciated.

Just ask us
Want to know more about Brother Brother Sister Sister, our relief efforts or the children we serve? Send us an e-mail.