Johannesburg, 16 September 2008—Former SA cricket chief Dr Ali Bacher has been appointed chairman and non-executive director of Right to Care, a not-for-profit NGO specialising in HIV disease management, with a current annual budget over R240-million.

Right to Care is funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Since its registration in 2001, Right to Care has ramped up its activities to support government, private and community treatment facilities, and aims to build partner’s capacity to deliver safe, effective and affordable antiretroviral therapy.

In accepting the chairmanship, Dr Bacher said, “South Africa has been very good to me and my family. Ours is a country facing huge challenges with regard to HIV and AIDS, and I am honoured to accept this appointment as it represents an opportunity for me to make a small contribution in the fight against the pandemic.”

Dr Bacher, a medical doctor and graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand, was the first managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (now Cricket South Africa) before his appointment as Executive Director of the highly acclaimed 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa.

He replaces outgoing Right to Care Chairman Dr Brian Brink, who is acknowledged for guiding Anglo American’s response to the pandemic, both in the workplace and in the communities associated with the company.

Dr Brink retains his position on the Right to Care board as a non-executive director, along with Dr Gustaaf Wolvaardt, the founding Executive Director of the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD), a private institution of higher education dedicated to improving health in Africa through education, research, and capacity development.

Right to Care’s executive directors are Dr Ian Sanne, who founded Right to Care in 2001 and is its Managing Director, Chief Operations Officer Kurt Firnhaber, and Dr Thembisile Xulu, Clinical Director.

In welcoming Dr Bacher’s appointment, Dr Sanne said, “We are honoured that Ali has agreed to bring his considerable stature to the organisation. At the same time the executive directors wish to thank Brian Brink for his immense contribution, particularly in the area of corporate governance.”

It is expected that the Right to Care board will be further strengthened by appointment of Josina Machel, as a non-executive director. She is the daughter of former Mozambique first lady Graca Machel, the wife of Nelson Mandela.

Josina Machel is the Institutional Capacity Building Project Coordinator (Parliaments and Political Parties) of the Governance and AIDS Programme, Idasa. A graduate of the University of Cape Town, she holds an MSc in Sociology (Gender) from the London School of Economics and Political Science UK. In 2002, she founded the first organisation dedicated to fighting HIV & AIDS in the workplace in Mozambique.

PEPFAR was established in 2003 by President George Bush. The $15-billion fund was set up to address the global HIV & AIDS epidemic in selected countries around the world. In July 2008, the second phase of the PEPFAR grant, to the value of $48-billion, was authorised by President Bush. More information on the fund can be found at www.pepfar.gov.

PEPFAR, together with a  partnership with the South African government to support their National Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care Management Treatment and Support Plan, has enabled Right to Care to provide ARV treatment to over 40 000 individuals, among other steps to combat the epidemic.