S/r Genet Yaynu Chief Executive Officer of Gandhi Memorial hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia presented Dr. Anteneh Roba, founding President of the International Fund for Africa, a Certificate of Appreciation, who accepted the certificate on behalf of the Fund for its effort to improve health care for infants and newborns at Gandhi Memorial Hospital on April 26, 2010.

I would like to share some of the pictures from the donation ceremony held at Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on April 26,2010.

To say, "It was one of the most memorable moments of my life," is an understatement. The kind of love and affection I received from the hospital staff starting from the hospital guard up to and including the CEO of the hospital, which includes everybody in the hospital, was unbelievable. There is no way of describing what happened that beautiful day. A day that reminded me of why I love Ethiopia so much and also reminded me of the Ethiopia that I knew growing up. It reminded of a people that are kind, generous, giving, humble and grateful for every little act of kindness bestowed on them.

International Fund for Africa gave a very limited amount of equipment to stop the needless death of newborns, who die after being born, while being transported to the only other facility that could handle newborns. Upward of 30 to 80% of the babies would die, most of them from just being too cold. Imagine a mother losing a baby because he or she froze to death. For 55 years the largest maternity hospital in Ethiopia did not have a neonatal or pediatric unit. A mere incubator would eliminate 90% of the deaths. How much would it cost? A few bottles of whiskey and a nice dinner of steak at the Sheraton Addis or Sheraton Washington for a few people?

While visiting the new unit a baby was just born. They had one incubator with two babies in them, one as sick as the next one, but this new baby had a core temperature of 33 degrees Celsius, another 3 degrees and the baby goes into a deep coma and dies. What a dilemma to be faced with. Take out one of the two sick ones and stick the newly born baby in or let the one just born die. That is what Ethiopian doctors and nurses are faced with. Yesterday they received five incubators among other things. The one incubator they have had since the unit was opened in November of 2009 has saved over two hundred babies. Imagine what five incubators will do. For this act of kindness I was serenaded by 4- to 5-year old children born at the hospital, singing welcome Dr Anteneh, while guiding me to where I was supposed to be seated, I was given a full complement of traditional Ethiopian clothing that I was kindly asked to wear, which I did. Then accompanied by children with candles back to where the guests were waiting who gave me a standing ovation. I was also given two certificates of appreciation, one for the IFA and one for my efforts. I was asked to give a speech with Ethiopian TV filming, I was so overwhelmed I could not speak, my hands were shaking so violently I could not control them.

The kind of kindness they showed me, their deep gratitude for the meager help we provided was both extremely gratifying and saddening.

I will never forget that eventful day. I learned a huge lesson that day. I learned despite all the evil and indifference in the world there is a lot of goodness and a lot of good people also. However small (my) our contribution maybe we must continue to do what we have been chosen by the universe to do.