Diane Blattner, Co- Founder and President

In June, 2004, Diane traveled with Bill, her husband and two of their five children to Nigeria to volunteer at Faith Alive Hospital. A graduate of Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and University of Maryland, it has been a life long goal to practice nursing in a third world country. Her background in hospice and public health nursing provides skills to assess the human tragedy of the AIDS epidemic. Through counseling HIV/AIDS patients at the hospital, home visits, and working in an orphanage, the tragic impact on the family of an AIDS patient in Nigeria became the catalyst for a personal response to needs unmet by large government funded projects such as PEPFAR. She was also inspired by Dr. Chris Ischei who helped her appreciate the spiritual opportunity these patients give to those who come to serve at Faith Alive. For the past four years Diane has shared her experiences and given others in the United States an opportunity to help too.

Hope for West Africa Foundation was founded for individuals in the United States to legally participate in funding approved projects which address the medical, social, educational and nutritional needs of the patients and families affected by AIDS. The foundation cares about the donor and the recipient because through this giving relationship both are deeply spiritually blessed. Diane believes that all who visit this site are specially called to be involved and she looks forward to meeting you through this work.

Diane is married to Dr. William A. Blattner, Associate Director of the Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland and Founder of the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria. He is the Director of the Action Project through PEPFAR which is currently treating over 50,000 patients with HIV/AIDS. They are parents of five children and two Ethiopian foster children and three grandchildren. Since her first of many trips to Nigeria, four of her five children have now traveled and volunteered. Diane accompanies her husband to Nigeria and conducts site visits to African non profit organizations (partners) to evaluate foundation funded projects and assess future needs.