Christmas Day, 2004, my niece, Lisa, died. Following the funeral the family gathered to discuss ways to keep Lisa’s memory alive. Thus was born LISA’S PRIDE, a group of HIV positive children who gather regularly at our house in Musoma, Tanzania just to play and be children. They also receive food supplements to improve their protein intake. Shabani was one of the first members of the group. He was two when he came into my life. He was paralyzed because of a spinal tap gone wrong and his mother was in despair because he is also HIV positive. Her husband had left her to raise four children alone. Shabani is four years old now. Not only has he recovered from the paralysis, but  he has also developed into Mr. Charm with the most winning smile! One day when he and his mother came to the house to pick up his eggs, honey and vitamins, he proclaimed that his name was no longer Shabani, but Matumaini. His mother confirmed that he had chosen this new name for himself and was insisting that the family call him Matumaini. What a challenge for me: a four-year old with a winning smile and a very uncertain future calls us to face the future in hope. In Swahili Matumaini, the name this little boy chose for himself, means HOPE.