February 08 Issue - Employee Monthly Magazine

Remembering NOAH’s Ark

AIDS assistance for children a vessel of hope

Laboratory researcher Bette Korber of Theoretical Biology and Biophysics holds a hand-woven basket she received from children she met through the Ark program in South Africa. Photo by LeRoy Sanchez

They may not walk through the doors two by two, but the children who come to the Sithembile Ark center in Nhlangwini, South Africa, a small, rural village several hours’ drive from Durbin, come seeking a safe haven and a chance for a better quality of life—much like those who sought refuge from the great flood in the Biblical Noah’s ark.

For the many orphans and other youth left vulnerable by the AIDS pandemic in South Africa, programs like the Ark offer hope in what otherwise would be a bleak future.

The Ark program is the brainchild of Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity (NOAH), a not-for-profit organization started to help children in South Africa affected by the AIDS pandemic. More than just the physical structure that houses the program, an Ark is a community network of care that is focused on not allowing children to suffer because they are orphans or otherwise affected as a result of AIDS.

People from all walks of life help sponsor Arks, and among them is Bette Korber of Theoretical Biology and Biophysics (T-10). A pioneering researcher in the study of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and its genetic characteristics, Korber is keenly aware of the devastating impact HIV/AIDS has had on families in Africa, especially in South Africa. She notes that UNAIDS, the United Nations’ joint program to address HIV/AIDS, estimates there are more than a million AIDS orphans in South Africa alone.

And nearly 50 percent of expectant mothers in some of the pregnancy clinics in the most afflicted areas are HIV positive. Korber’s involvement with the Ark program began in 2004, shortly after she received an E.O. Lawrence Award, the Department of Energy's highest commendation for scientific achievement, for her basic theoretical research on the HIV virus. She also was honored for her contributions to the Los Alamos database, a resource for HIV research around the world. With the award came $50,000.

"When I received the award, my husband [James Theiler of Space and Remote Sensing (ISR-2)] and I talked about what we could do with the money. We decided it would be good to give something back," said Korber. "A colleague of mine who has worked extensively in South Africa, Dr. Bruce Walker, told me about NOAH, a program he thought was very inspiring. While doing my research on the HIV virus, I often used data from blood samples taken from expectant mothers who were volunteers, sampled in clinics in that area [KwaZulu Natal], so I decided to do something specifically to help their children. We decided giving to NOAH would be the right thing."

Started in 2000 by Gregory Ash, a South African plastic surgeon, NOAH has established more than 110 Arks in the Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal provinces of South Africa during the past seven years. With the support of more than 1,200 volunteers and local communities, the Arks now serve more than 33,000 children. "Arks provide a place for the children to go after school to get help with their studies, use computers, and have a warm meal. The Ark is where they have a support system," said Korber. Through the program children can remain in their family homes while learning skills that will help them improve their lives and the community in which they live.

In 2005, Korber traveled to South Africa to a scientific meeting and was able to attend the opening ceremony for the Ark she and some of her friends have funded.

"We arrived at the location of our Ark, and the entire village turned out to meet us. Everyone was there, including a Zulu regional prince, a gentleman they referred to as the Inkosi. The children were incredibly beautiful and lively, amazingly full of hope despite what they had each endured. There was traditional singing, dancing, and drumming, alternating with moving oratory. Each talk was repeated in Zulu and English," she said. "Visiting the Ark that we started was very gratifying. It was good to see that it offers a lot of hope for the children," said Korber. "I now have a few hundred little ones there [in Africa] to love, as well as my own two sons here. Helping those beautiful children, I think, was the grandest thing I’ve ever done," said Korber.

Korber and her family continue to offer hope to the children of South Africa through their ongoing support of the Ark in Nhlangwini. Her research into unlocking the mysteries of the HIV virus also continues. For more information about the NOAH program and Arks in South Africa, go online to http://www.noahorphans.org.za.

To make a tax-deductible donation to this charity and others addressing the effects of HIV/AIDS on children, go to www.starfishcharity.org or to the Pediatric AIDS Foundation at http://www.pedaids.org.

-Ed Vigil