AFTER HOURS
Death and friendship in Africa
by Wendy soderburg
Today staff writer
Meet John Hamilton, adviser and chief of staff to Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Daniel Neuman. A UCLA staff member for the past 23 years, Hamilton was so inspired by the work of an American doctor living in Malawi, Africa, that he helped start an organization to fund the doctor’s work in an area where 30% of the population has AIDS. Hamilton has been there three times. This past summer, he spent two months and 10 days working on a new AIDS clinic in Malawi.
Title: Assistant Provost, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor
and Provost
Second Career: Co-founder, Partners in Malawi
When Started: “About four years ago, I met a UCLA-trained doctor, Perry Jansen, and his wife, Brenda, and learned that they had moved their family to Malawi because they were concerned about the AIDS crisis in central Africa. Perry and Brenda suffered a loss in their family, and I also lost a very important person in my life, in my case, to AIDS. We often talked about how the losses in our lives directly inspired us to want to help others.”
Purpose: “Partners in Malawi (PIM) is a group of Southern Californians who want to help Perry expand his work. The founders of PIM also included real estate developer Mike Minder, his wife, Christy, and Kent Crawford, pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Santa Monica. We came together to try to get Perry a larger facility. We have done several successful benefits for Malawi, including a large benefit at the House of Blues (in collaboration with the city of West Hollywood).
The Clinic: “We found a state-of-the-art factory that was built to create IV fluids. Six years ago it opened for about 30 days, and then it was shut down because of problems with the product. It sat abandoned ever since. It had been robbed and ransacked, and it was a dump. But it was perfect for us. We committed to raise the money to buy it for a steal at $600,000.”
The Impact of AIDS: “The saddest thing to see is the loneliness and the falling apart of the family unit because parents have died. Now you have children who have no parents, or children taking care of sick parents. Malawi is a country that is really on the brink and does not have the infrastructure to come out of this without help. Yet, Malawians are the most wonderful people. They are so eager to be your friend and to help. With the few resources they have, it’s amazing.”
Progress: “ This summer we finalized renovations to the facility. The building is ready to go this month, and it looks beautiful. We hired nurses, counselors, cleaners and gardeners. The Malawian National AIDS Commission decided to fund a grant that will provide all operating costs, including salaries and utilities, for the first year. We have only finished what would be Stage 1 of this vision. It’s currently structured as a private clinic, but we will open a public clinic soon after the first of the year.”
Personal Cost: “For me, it’s been a sacrifice in terms of time, but it’s been completely enjoyable. I can’t imagine not doing this.”
For more information, go to www.partnersinmalawi.org. |
