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"Run leads way to AIDS awareness"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(15/10/06)
HAD he known exactly what the run at the Esplanade in Penang was all about,
S. Pannir Selvam would have taken all his family members with him.
As it was, he went by himself, only to find that the run was being held to
create awareness about HIV/AIDS amongst Malaysians, starting with Dell
employees.
“I really regret not taking my family members.
“This is one way to educate and sensitise them on AIDS and related issues,”
said the 30-year-old material handler at Dell.
After completing the 5km-run, Pannir felt alone. Wherever he looked, his
colleagues were accompanied by their respective family members.
“Next year, I will bring my team. I do not want my family to be left out in
the AIDS awareness campaign,” he said.
The Dell Champion Road Run/ Walk was held on Sept 23 in aid of the Malaysian
AIDS Foundation (MAF). About 1,200 Dell employees and their family members
participated in the event.
Dell raised RM80,000 from the run that was flagged off by Penang Chief
Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon. The company collected RM10 from each
participant, and topped up the collection with RM10 per head.
The funds were channelled to the MAF Paediatric Aid Scheme, which provides
aid to children infected with HIV and for those who do not have HIV but have
at least one parent who is HIV positive or at least one parent who has died
of AIDS.
Pannir admitted that, like most Malaysians, he was initially not bothered
about HIV/AIDS issues because it did not affect any of his family members.
“I was shocked to learn that there are hundreds of children who are HIV
positive and who need transport allowance to go to clinics for treatment,
but the MAF could only cater to the needs of 200 because of limited funds,”
said the father of one child.
MAF chairman Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman commended Dell for organising a
family-oriented programme to create awareness on HIV/AIDS.
“Dell has set a good example for other corporate bodies to emulate.
“Through such programmes, we can deliver the right message to the right
audience,” she said, adding that corporate bodies were very supportive of
fund raising campaigns organised by the foundation.
Prof Dr Adeeba, who is also the president of Malaysian AIDS Council, said
there were about 70,000 registered HIV/AIDS patients in the country.
“But the actual number of cases could be more than 200,000,” she said,
adding that of the figure, about 700 were children.
Dr Koh appealed to other corporate bodies to support MAF programmes.
Dell’s test assembly operator Puteri Izah Sobri, 23, said HIV/ AIDS issues
had never caught her attention until she joined Dell.
“HIV/AIDS is regarded as a taboo subject in the community,” she said.
“I always thought that we can escape from the disease if we adopt a healthy
lifestyle. But I never thought about the innocent children whose lives are
affected by HIV/AIDS,” said Puteri Izah who was among the 650 manufacturing
staff participating in the run.
Dell Business Operations Department director Russell Stedman said Dell was
the first company he had worked with that was committed to HIV/AIDS
awareness campaigns.
“Through HIV/AIDS awareness programmes and activities, we can share our
knowledge, and each of us has the responsibility to spread the message.
“I can see the programmes have gained support from the staff. We can clearly
see in the number of staff who turned up to make this event a success,” said
the 37-year-old New Zealander who has worked here for seven years.
“I brought my entire family to this charity run. Even my mother-in-law was
there,” he said.
Dell Asia Pacific vice president Simon Wong said the event was similar to
the one organised by Dell Bangalore in India.
“Dell Bangalore has been organising the walk for three consecutive years
beginning 2003 in aid of Freedom Foundation, an NGO that supports children
who are HIV positive.
“It is also part of Dell's commitment to take the lead in educating its
employees and communities about the fact and myths of HIV/AIDS,” he said.
Wong said he plans to extend the event to include corporate partners in
future.
“It is in line with Dell's vision since it became part of the Global
Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS in early 2004,” he said, adding that HIV/AIDS
was a preventable disease that had impacted millions of people around the
world.
“Our team is planning programmes on ways to create public awareness.
“We need a road map, and we need to look at the available funding and
direction from there,” he said.
The journey to create awareness among the masses is a long one, but Dell has
taken its employees beyond the first step.
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