World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is held yearly on December 1 and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day; the first one was held in 1988. More than 90,000 people are currently living with HIV in the US and globally an estimated 33.3 million people have HIV. More than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007 have died from the virus, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history. Members of the Morristown Alumnae Chapter take the opportunity on World AIDS Day to educate and empower the public and encourage them to learn the facts about HIV as well as put their knowledge into action.

Mary Help of The Sick Mission Hospital (Formerly Thika Memorial Hospital)

Nothing is more precious than the gift of life. And, there is nothing more miraculous than the birthing of a child, bringing new life into being. Prenatal care and safe birth deliveries are practices often taken for granted in America. Yet, adequate prenatal and maternity care is seldom experienced by women in our ancestral homeland of Africa.

Realizing this critical health issue, in 1955, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. began making plans and laying the groundwork to establish a maternity hospital in the east African country of Kenya. The plans for a facility came to fruition in the early 1960s when Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. made a major donation to help finance the construction of the Thika Maternity Hospital in Thika, Kenya, which is now named Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital. The first hospital to open after Kenya gained its independence, Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital continues to be operated by the missionary sisters of the Holy Rosary.

In 1985 members of the Sorority visited the hospital and saw first-hand, an increased population and infant mortality rate in and around Thika. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. responded by donating over $20,000 in 1985 which was used to establish two additional maternity wards and an administrative office.

Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital has grown to 120 beds. It provides affordable prenatal and postnatal care, nutritional education, child immunization, and family planning. The hospital gives prenatal care, including lab work, blood tests, and examinations to more than 200 women daily. The facility also has a special care nursery for babies after delivery. The hospital also serves as an educational institution for nurses and midwives. Over 66 students are trained each year.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. urges all sorors and friends of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. to embrace our global community of Thika, Kenya with financial contributions to:

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
P O Box 418194
Boston, MA 02241-8194

To receive a federal income tax deduction for donations to the Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital send to:

The Delta Research Educational Foundation
1703 New Hampshire Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Elementary School (Chérette, Haiti)

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., in collaboration with Water in Education International opened the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Elementary School, The Cynthia M.A. Butler-McIntyre Campus in Chérette, Haiti June 15, 2013. The Water and Education International Student Collaboration for Haiti Outreach Opportunities for Learning (WEI SCHOOL) Project was established to provide an adequate school facility to include clean water for school children in Haiti. It is the first of many initiatives to alleviate some of the challenges in obtaining a quality education in Haiti. The remote village of Chérette is located 96 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince.

Delta House (Mbabane, Swaziland)

Dedicated in 2002, the Delta House is a home for children who became orphans due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It is located in what is now known as Vashti Village, in Mbabane, Swaziland along with two similar structures. Built to accommodate twelve children and a housemother, the home was made possible with funds contributed by Delta sorors at the 45th and 46th National Conventions held in Chicago (2000) and Atlanta (2002). Situated in a picturesque valley, an expansive vegetable garden flourishes behind the Delta House where residents (most of whom are adolescents) grow some of their own food. The village is still a work in progress with an office complex, conference center, church and apartments envisioned for the future.