Laura Bush Welcomes HIV-Positive Mothers to the White House

On Monday in Washington, first lady Laura Bush welcomed a group of HIV-positive South African mothers to the White House. The women, whom Mrs. Bush invited after meeting them in South Africa last year, are part of the Mothers' Program, a private organization that benefits from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. "As a mother, I know it must seem like the end of the world to learn that you have HIV or AIDS, and to think that your baby might be born with HIV, too," Mrs. Bush said. "We would like to say to Mrs. Bush, keep up the work that you're doing with HIV/AIDS," said Babalwa Mbono of Cape Town. "We're including Mrs. Bush," Mbono said as she introduced members of the group. "Mrs. Bush is our grandmother." In addition, Mrs. Bush announced a new partnership involving the U.S. government, drug companies, and international organizations to develop more effective pediatric HIV/AIDS treatments. U.S. officials said the groups are sharing information and plan to develop a budget after their first meeting, on April 19.

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