Aid for AIDS Orphans

E3S: EVERY THREE SECONDS

2009-11-29T19:56:00.010-05:00

Every three seconds, someone in this world dies of extreme poverty....

Usually, it's a child and typically it's from a preventable disease. Research shows that for the first time in human history, we have everything we need to END extreme poverty and hunger across the globe.

This new documentary by Daniel Karslake Every Three Seconds asks us WHY we aren't ending the suffering if we are completely capable of doing it?

Unlike other films that spotlight the poor and hungry in undeveloped countries, Every Three Seconds will focus on why we, as human beings, are NOT ending hunger.
Every Three Seconds is a dynamic documentary film that examines poverty and hunger from a new perspective. The film explores how our own hunger for success, money and material goods ultimately prevents us from meeting the fundamental needs of all, from food and shelter to belonging and love.

This documentary combines the voices of leading experts and the stories of five individuals who have discovered that by giving, they are able to satisfy their personal hunger better than any material reward ever could.

Every Three Seconds is a movie that will challenge, inspire and empower you to create change.

Other info on their website includes fast facts and other information on the issue of extreme poverty and the UN Millennium Declaration.

DONATE

The filmmakers need your help to bring this groundbreaking film and its message to the screen. You can make a fully tax-deductible donation to the production so check out the website to donate and support this amazing work.

http://www.every3seconds.net/

Hiatus

2009-08-28T18:45:00.003-04:00

At the end of the semester I had to present my work on this blog to my class at NYU. My class was called Globalizing Social Activism and the Power of the Media. It was probably one of the only classes I have ever enjoyed taking (I never really liked school). According the syllabus, my class entailed the analysis of the influence of "information technology on capacities for activist networks to share knowledge, develop strategies, and expand their boundaries in the context of theories of social movements, global civil society and international relations." Pretty much, we explored how new technologies and social networking websites impacted social movements. For example, we looked at Twitter and the way it disseminated news before international news outlets. We studied instances in which witnesses at the scene of an event would tweet about the occurrence before any news source even knew about it.

So this is the part where I have to gloat and I apologize if I sound like an idiot. When I started this blog, it was very important to me that I do well. Not just for the good grade but also because I had always wanted to get my ideas heard but never had the courage or patience to begin. When it was my turn to show the class and my professor my hard work, I wasn't really sure if it would show. So, I was very surprised to find out my professor really liked my blog. He sent me the kindest email encouraging me to continue my work and told me that of the 60 or so students who have completed this project in the past, I was one of the best! I promised myself, there and then, that I would continue blogging once the semester was over.

I clearly broke the promise I made to myself. I haven't blogged since May and I am ashamed! So I will definitely not make such a bold statement again but I do intend on continuing, at least for now. I may not write every week but I think I can handle keeping it up! I'm pretty sure nobody reads this blog and that's completely fine with me. I think most bloggers probably write for themselves, really- at least at first. And so that's what I'll do. I will write and should one person read it-whether they stumble upon the blog or come to it on purpose-it will be worth it.

I write this blog to shine a spotlight on the children of this world who are all too often forgotten and pushed aside. There are too many HIV/AIDS victims in the shadows. I will continue trying to change this by talking about them and the people who are saving them.

777 Challenge

2009-05-24T03:42:00.003-04:00

Check out this article I wrote for DigiActive.org! It highlights the amazing Hope Runs Organization and their innovative campaign to raise money for AIDS orphans in East Africa. The 777 challenge is a campaign that involves a team that is currently preparing to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 weeks!!!! The money they raise in the process will go to Hope Runs and every cent will go to helping AIDS orphans receive a better future! In the article is an interview I did with the youngest 777 team member, Natasha Peters. Natasha is extremely inspiring and you should definitely check out her blog on her experiences as a team member. You can also find information on how to donate to her fundraising efforts!

For more info check out the Hope Runs website.

World AIDS Orphans Day

2009-05-04T12:51:00.002-04:00

This Thursday, May 7th is World AIDS Orphans Day, which is a grassroots campaign to draw attention to and advocate on behalf of the more than 15 million children orphaned by AIDS. Events are being held around the world to bring attention to the global plight of AIDS orphans. One such event, held in Albany, NY will be the Stand in the Gap Youth Gospel Concert. The concert will be organized by the Dangwa Inititative:

"The ripple effects of the HIV epidemic are countless, but the one that is of utmost concern to the Dangwa Initiative is the myth in which HIV positive men believe that if they have sex with a virgin they get cured of the deadly disease. Not only is it despicable, it is barbaric and criminal to say the least.
Dangwa Initiative is launching an awareness and resource increase campaign. We aim to raise $1.3 million to help AIDS orphan girls in rural Zimbabwe. At 1.3 million, Zimbabwe has the highest rates of AIDS orphans in the world. For only $5 you can help provide education to a rural Zimbabwean orphan girl. For most of our girls, school is the only safe haven they have."

For more on the event go to http://www.worldaidsorphans.org/content/calendar/detail/964/

For more on the Dangwa Initiative and the Virgins Do Not Cure AIDS campaign go to http://dangwa.org/index.php

REPACTED

2009-05-03T17:32:00.004-04:00

REPACTED (Rapid Effective Participatory Action in Community Theatre Education and Development) is an youth-for-youth organization based in Kenya. REPACTED was formed in 2001 by youth theater artists who wanted to improve their community by motivating young people to learn about the issues affecting them thus being able to make informed decisions. Their goal was also to involve them in community development. They use their theatrical skills and talents in participatory theatre methodologies, awareness campaigns and peer education and counseling. "REPACTED seeks to address a range of youth development issues directly associated with HIV/AIDS: sexuality, abstinence, negotiation skills, gender issues, relationships, reproductive health, safer sexual practices and methods of protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections."

REPACTED organizes events around Kenya that use different ways to reach young people. The organization gets technical assistance from a group of young professionals referred to as the "research and innovation committee." Their job is to come up with "innovative participatory and result oriented strategies to reach out the youth effectively and consistently with behavior change communication with an aim of influencing positive behavior among the youth." One of the events is the open mic competition:

"It is a simple concept, rappers compete against each other by drawing topics from a hat and composing a one minute rap on the spot (free style) on the topic they pick. The victor is determined by how many correct facts about the topic he/she can deliver within the time allocated to him/her. There were four main topics, STIs, HIV/AIDS, Stigma and Correct consistent use of condoms. There were seven preliminary rounds, each at different housing estates in the area. The level of competition was high and it improved significantly after the two day training on message development the participants underwent before the final event. The crowd at the venue was impressive and the community response, overwhelming. Consistency will ensure the event continues to grow both in reach, popularity and achievement."

With each project they do, REPACTED records the number of people reached. With the open mic competition, they stated that 3,314 boys and 3,377 girls were reached, which comes to a total of 6,691. This is just one event-imagine the possibilities!

Performers engaging the crowd at the open mic competition.

Photo from repacted.org

Though REPACTED is not an organization directly involved in helping AIDS orphans, I couldn't help but spotlight the extraordinary work they do with youth affected by AIDS. There is no doubt that because of REPACTED there are more young people out there being informed of AIDS. Who knows how many of them are being saved because they now have the answers to so many questions about the disease? Who knows how many future children are being saved from losing a parent to AIDS?

Nata Village Blog

2009-04-29T20:42:00.007-04:00

Nata, is a village in Botswana, the country with the second highest HIV infection rate in Africa. HIV/AIDS has left the village with more than 400 orphans. Nearly 50% of all the village's women are HIV positive. In 2006, Jon Rawlinson passed through the village by happenstance and encountered numerous stories of how HIV/AIDS had affected people in the community. He couldn't just walk away and decided to help the people of Nata in anyway he could.

An experienced website designer, Rawlinson volunteered his services to design the Nata Village Blog and administer it. The website is an answer to the lack of money coming into Nata. Many small villages in Africa don't receive any money from the millions of dollars donated to Africa every year and lack the resources to fundraise for financial support on their own. What is so special about this blog is not only that it gives a small village of 5,000 people a chance to raise money for their many HIV/AIDS victims but also that it gives these people an outlet:

"Beyond a fund raising tool, we also want our visitors to meet the people of Nata, learn their stories, and get an intimate look at how they live. We will feature people living with AIDS, youth groups, clinic staff, social workers and others. We hope to give the visitors to this website an inside look at an African village and see how people live on a day to day basis." - Nata Village Blog

Consequently, when donations from the website started coming in a board of trustees was formed to handle the funds and consequently, the Nata AIDS and Orphans Trust came into fruition. The trust has used every cent donated to fund projects to help those in the village affected by AIDS. In May 2008, using $10,000 dollars donated by two very generous readers, the board of trustees started construction on a youth activity center in the village.

Pictured above are twin boys and their sister wearing their new shoes. The twins had outgrown their old shoes (on the ground in front of them) as evidenced by the holes in the toes.(Photo from Nata village website)

Take a look and donate to an amazing cause!!!
http://natavillage.typepad.com/

BYkids

2009-04-26T14:54:00.006-04:00

I came across a great non-profit organization the other day called BYkids! The organization pairs together kids from around the world with seasoned filmmakers in order to create short documentaries. In turn, these documentaries which focus on a certain issue affecting that specific child, will help educate the global community on that crisis.

The website's home page sums up what they do:

"We continually tell the story of our lives in order to make sense of the lives we are living. The world is filled with these stories, and kids around the world know this instinctively. What if we set them loose, give them a video camera and a little expert guidence and ask them to tell us the stories that only they can tell? Magic will be revealed."

For the latest film, filmed in Mozambique, the crisis chosen was that of AIDS orphans. Chris Zalla (2007 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner) and Neal Baer (Executive Producer of Law & Order: SVU) taught 16-year-old Alcides Soares, who lost both parents to AIDS (one of 500,000 in Mozambique), how to work a camera and film his life.

Check out the trailer:

The film will be premiered at a benefit screening for the organization in New York on May 16th! If you'd like to buy tickets go to http://www.bykids.org/screening-2009.php

I Want to be a Pilot

2009-04-12T04:28:00.007-04:00

So many times we look at the bigger picture that is the millions of AIDS orphans. Perhaps, if we take a look at just one child- one child whose parents were taken from him much too soon. Then, maybe we can understand. That is what Mexican filmmaker Diego Quemada-Diez did when he directed 'I Want to be a Pilot,' a short film in which he highlighted the struggles of a 12 year-old Kenyan AIDS orphan. Like many of his peers in the slums of Nairobi, Omondi's parents died of AIDS before their time. Omondi talks about how he wants to be a pilot in a poem featured on the film's website. Here's an excerpt:

I want to be a pilot
to fly very high,
far away from the ghetto
to a place
where kids have parents
that don't die of HIV
everyday

You can even watch the film on the website!
http://www.iwantobeapilot.com/

(C) www.iwantobeapilot.com

Nyaka AIDS Orphans School

2009-04-12T03:21:00.005-04:00

This AMAZING school in Uganda where 2.2 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. The school works to provide AIDS orphans with quality, free education and extra-curricular activities. Currently 307 orphans are attending Nyaka's 2 schools.

What this school is doing is truly inspiring. In a country where there is a huge lack of government-subsidized education, Nyaka is working extremely hard to help Uganda's children overcome the financial barriers to gain an education.

What's also special about Nyaka is their Grannies Program. Working with the founder of the project, the Stephen Lewis Foundation, Nyaka helps grandmothers who are taking care of their orphaned grandchildren.

"In the midst of this devastation, grandmothers have emerged as the true heroes of the AIDS crisis in Africa. These courageous women bury their own children and defy all the odds to become parents all over again in their 50s, 60s, and 70s - all with little or no support."

Check out their website to learn more about ways you can help,
such as donations, volunteer and internship opportunities!
http://www.nyakaschool.org/

(C)2007 Mt. Washington II Entertainment, LLC

The Firelight Foundation

2009-04-12T02:46:00.010-04:00

I found a great organization called the Firelight Foundation whose mission is to support AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa.

"Firelight strives to increase the resources available to grassroots organizations that are strengthening the capacity of families and communities to care for children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS."

The foundation hold events such as the recent "No Small Issue Symposium" that was held at Stanford University on April 2nd and 3rd.

Children from Firelight Foundation grantee-partner KwaWazee Granny Project in Nshamba, Muleba, Tanzania (Photo credit: Firelight Foundation)

Check it out:
http://www.firelightfoundation.org/

PBS NewsHour

2009-04-12T02:26:00.006-04:00

Check out this PBS NewsHour piece on AIDS orphans:

All content belongs to PBS

We Are Together

2009-04-12T02:15:00.006-04:00

I found out about this great documentary that came out in 2007 called 'We Are Together.' It's about the Agape orphanage in South Africa and the children who sing in the choir there. The film follows the choir throughout three years as they prepare to participate in a series of concerts to be held in London.

The website says:

"Life has not been easy for 12-year-old Slindile, her siblings and her friends at the Agape Orphanage in South Africa, where most of the children have lost their parents to AIDS. But they are still kids and teenagers, bashful around boys, squabbling with each other. And when they lift their voices in song, something extraordinary happens. As the kids at Agape orphanage continue to train for what they hope will be their big break, Slindile and her siblings are hit with more hard news - their oldest brother Sifiso, who has been sick for months, has AIDS. With unforgettable kids, soaring music and a plot full of surprises, We Are Together arrives as a stirring and uplifting theatrical documentary."

The movie looks great and the DVD is available now-all profits go to helping children in SA!

http://us.wearetogether.org/

Important Statistics

2009-04-12T01:15:00.010-04:00

Here are vital statistics one must look at in order to understand the urgency of the situation affecting sub-Saharan Africa, specially South Africa. As you can see, South Africa is ranked 1st in the world in children orphaned by AIDS.

For more statistics check out: http://www.avert.org/aidsorphans.htm