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"Changing the world"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(05/03/07)
AMERICAN nursing student Joy Hardt probably didn’t know she was destined to
do great things when she was younger. Now, she has started an orphanage in
Ghana for 27 children who have lost their parents to AIDS.
The orphanage provides water, meals, mosquito nets, toys, towels, school
uniforms and shoes for these children, and also organises activities for
them.
Impressed? What about the story of Elvis Morris Donkoh, who runs his own
youth-led NGO in Ghana that trains youths to provide and promote voluntary
counselling and testing services in rural districts.
These two, along with several others, are recipients of the Staying Alive
Award, MTV Network’s Staying Alive Foundation initiative that works to
protect young people from the threat of HIV/AIDS.
The awards are small grants that support youth initiatives related to the
prevention or caring of people with AIDS as well as those whose lives are
affected by the disease.
Vice chairman of MTV Networks Bill Roedy, considers these young people as
heroes in their communities.
“These young people go out into the streets everyday to engage and mobilise
others in this fight. They spend countless hours serving on the front lines
of this battle. They are the closest to the epidemic,” he said during a
conference call in conjunction with the Spray To Change campaign.
Bill then cited a few examples of admirable young people who have received
grants under the foundation.
“All the way over to China, Hang Can, a young volunteer provides HIV
prevention counselling to young people and her peers. In Venezuela, Jose
Rafael Guillen uses theatre groups to teach his peers about the impact of
HIV and AIDS.”
Early this year, 15 young people received the grant, and three youth-led
organisations in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe and Latin America were
given grants to carry out their projects.
Individuals like Elvis and Joy have developed their own network of youths
who work and live in societies plagued with this disease – for example Elvis
works with sex workers, promoting and making condoms available in red light
districts, as well as providing care and treatment for those afflicted.
In Nigeria, a grant was awarded to youth organisation Journalists Against
AIDS Nigeria, where 40 emerging youth leaders will produce media and
communication messages on the subject, and receive training on basic health
journalism skills, reporting, online writing, newsletter production and
message development.
Staying Alive was launched in 1998, aimed at changing the worlds’ perception
and the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS.
The campaign empowers young people to be more knowledgeable about the issue
and protect themselves from infection.
Through documentaries, public service announcements, youth forums and web
content, Staying Alive has won an Emmy Award for its effort at spreading the
crucial message about AIDS.
Due to its success rate, the campaign was then taken up by MTV Networks
International to form the Staying Alive Foundation, which raises funds
primarily to support the Staying Alive Awards.
Twice a year, the foundation presents the awards to individuals and
organisations to recognise projects in schools, clubs, youth centres and
higher learning institutes that support the cause to fight the spread of
HIV/AIDS.
Since it was established in January 2005, the Foundation has given out 47
awards totalling nearly US$200,000 (RM701,169) to young people in 21
countries.
Want to do something to change the world? Find out how you can help by
logging on to www.staying-alive.org.
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