I came across this cartoon this weekend and once again found myself reading about the recent statements made by the Pope concerning abstinence and fidelity as a measure to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. I find it amusing that people are so surprised that this is the message from the Vatican church. It is not a new attitude or sentiment that the Catholic church formulates concerning the HIV/AIDS pandemic. However, I do find the title of this caricature; 'the Pope tours Africa', very amusing. I find this amusing because it is not only the Pope or the Catholic church that 'tours Africa' on a mission with their own self-interested messages, but also leaders and international figures. For example, George W. Bush, while President of the United States executed a foreign aid policy concerning HIV/AIDS funding on 'conditionality'. By this I mean conditions that must be met in order to receive financial aid, such as promoting the Bush policy of abstinence as the vaccine for HIV/AIDS. This is the unfortunate truth behind international aid and foreign policies. Most of the time these foreign policies are backed by self interests and any sort of plan of action in regards to aid has to be in some degree rewarding. This is why many times there are nations dying of extreme poverty, hunger and disease and not a finger is lifted but once war and economics come into play many state actors become interested and involved. Sunday, March 22, 2009
A cartoon with an AIDS reality check!
I came across this cartoon this weekend and once again found myself reading about the recent statements made by the Pope concerning abstinence and fidelity as a measure to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. I find it amusing that people are so surprised that this is the message from the Vatican church. It is not a new attitude or sentiment that the Catholic church formulates concerning the HIV/AIDS pandemic. However, I do find the title of this caricature; 'the Pope tours Africa', very amusing. I find this amusing because it is not only the Pope or the Catholic church that 'tours Africa' on a mission with their own self-interested messages, but also leaders and international figures. For example, George W. Bush, while President of the United States executed a foreign aid policy concerning HIV/AIDS funding on 'conditionality'. By this I mean conditions that must be met in order to receive financial aid, such as promoting the Bush policy of abstinence as the vaccine for HIV/AIDS. This is the unfortunate truth behind international aid and foreign policies. Most of the time these foreign policies are backed by self interests and any sort of plan of action in regards to aid has to be in some degree rewarding. This is why many times there are nations dying of extreme poverty, hunger and disease and not a finger is lifted but once war and economics come into play many state actors become interested and involved. 
Friday, March 20, 2009
HIV/AIDS around the world...
This is an interesting way of dislaying HIV/AIDS statistics around the world. These kind of visual displays work well when creating awareness amongst youth.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”-John Quincy Adams
When I first started getting involved with World University Service Canada I had no idea the impact that this organization would have on the rest of my life. Yes, this is a great Canadian non governmental organization that makes tremendous contributions to the international world of development. However, this is not the reason it has extremely changed my life and made me the activist I am today. Being a part of an organization of students that share the same values and goals in terms of humanitarianism is one of the most empowering experiences that a University student can have. The moment I became part of the WUSC local committee, I began to see the value in developing leadership skills and team building environments. When I first became a WUSC member the committee consisted of a general members group of approximately 10 people. After my first year of being highly involved, I started to recognize the need to develop this team and build an executive committee and also maintain a strong general members list of students. That is exactly what I set out to do and exactly what I ensured to accomplish. I truly believe in the power of young leaders influencing others to become advocates for human development and changing the world we live in. Presently, I am graduating and leaving the WUSC local committee after three amazing years, but proud to leave an executive team of 10 university students behind who will continue to inspire others and build great leaders for human development.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Le Pouvoir des Femmes Pour Combattre le SIDA
"Il faut redoubler d'efforts face aux taux élevés d'infection des femmes" - Michael Fleshman
L'ampleur et la complexité de la crise du VIH/sida en Afrique ont enfin suscité une prise de conscience des vulnérabilités et besoins des femmes africaines. Malgre tout, le fait que le taux d'infection chez les femmes continue à grimper a l'échelle mondiale nous rappelle à la triste réalité : des mesures urgentes doivent être prises en Afrique, car le problème dépasse de loin les frontières du continent.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Le SIDA/VIH affecte toutes les cultures...A French Perspective.
Je crois sincèrement que les nations du monde devraient joindre leurs efforts pour combattre le virus du SIDA. Tout dépendant de la culture, certaines personnes peuvent avoir une interprétation totalement différente de ce terrible virus, malgré tout, ce virus reste le même. Il est primordial de savoir qu’il serait plus facile de combattre ce virus si seulement nous trouvons un consensus international à ce qui a trait à l’éducation et le traitement de cette maladie. Il faut comprendre que cette maladie est une épidémie globale et qu’il est notre devoir de porter secours aux africains et asiatiques si touchés par cette abominable maladie. Ici en Amérique du Nord, tout comme en Europe, nous avons les médicaments et l’éducation nécessaire pour pouvoir leurs venir en aide. Il est indispensable que tous prennent conscience de l’état d’urgence que cette maladie provoque sur l’humanité. De plus, Il est complètement absurde de voir qu’il y a plus d’argent verser à la recherche sur le viagra que sur le VIH. Il est grand temps que la population mondiale fait fasse à la réalité et ma mission est d’informer tous et chacun sur la brutale misère que le SIDA apporte sur mes frères et sœurs de chaque continents. Amour, éducation et compassion sauverons notre planète de cette redoutable maladie.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
June 2007 was the beginning of an experience that was ultimately life changing. As a student advocate on campus I have always done much of public engagement through local media outlets. However, being selected for the international seminar in the Burkina Faso gave me the opportunity to explore media in a whole new light. By this I mean, I have always done interviews concerning WUSC as NGO or our local committee activities and executive committee, but this time the interviews were questions that were personal about a very personal experience. This was a very challenging situation for me considering I had always been confident in my media relations skills before returning from West Africa. It was extremely difficult when such simple questions would boggle my mind because they consisted of such complex answers. In retrospect I feel that most of the interviews that were published on my 6 weeks in Burkina Faso lacked the substance of what really was a life altering experience.I have attached a link to an article that was published prior to the seminar and one post seminar experience. Below I have also pasted a small idea of what you may find through the provided links.
Crystal Almeida24 years oldStudent and president of the University of Windsor WUSC local committeeOriginally from Chatham; she now lives in Windsor,Ontario
Crystal Almeida embarked on a journey that changed her life in summer, 2007. After attending Uniterra seminars in Burkina Faso and Ghana, she was chosen to take part in a research assignment on HIV/AIDS in Koudougou, Burkina Faso. She spent six weeks living with a Burkinan family of eight and worked for a local HIV/AIDS organization, the ADIP/S, to research a lack of participation in support groups.“This experience has completely altered my life as a student advocate and my professional development,” says Almeida “The five weeks I spent in this village allowed me to comprehend the severity of this pandemic but most importantly it allowed me to meet the women fighting everyday against a disease that is claiming not only their villages, friends and family but also their dignified lives.” In 2007, Almeida’s local WUSC committee, in cooperation with Uniterra, led a World AIDS Day awareness event followed by a second annual gala dinner. The committee also raised money through Bike for AIDS; most of the funds raised were sent to the WUSC chapter in Burkina Faso. Almeida also played a key role in the ratification of Windsor University's commitment to the Millennium Development Goals.“I realized that the experiences in my life have made me a stronger individual with the ability and motivation to help and guide others who face the burden of inequalities in this world,” says Almeida. She is finishing her 4th year in Political Science at the University of Windsor.
Back to Portrait of 8 women >>
Crystal Almeida embarked on a journey that changed her life in summer, 2007. After attending Uniterra seminars in Burkina Faso and Ghana, she was chosen to take part in a research assignment on HIV/AIDS in Koudougou, Burkina Faso. She spent six weeks living with a Burkinan family of eight and worked for a local HIV/AIDS organization, the ADIP/S, to research a lack of participation in support groups.“This experience has completely altered my life as a student advocate and my professional development,” says Almeida “The five weeks I spent in this village allowed me to comprehend the severity of this pandemic but most importantly it allowed me to meet the women fighting everyday against a disease that is claiming not only their villages, friends and family but also their dignified lives.” In 2007, Almeida’s local WUSC committee, in cooperation with Uniterra, led a World AIDS Day awareness event followed by a second annual gala dinner. The committee also raised money through Bike for AIDS; most of the funds raised were sent to the WUSC chapter in Burkina Faso. Almeida also played a key role in the ratification of Windsor University's commitment to the Millennium Development Goals.“I realized that the experiences in my life have made me a stronger individual with the ability and motivation to help and guide others who face the burden of inequalities in this world,” says Almeida. She is finishing her 4th year in Political Science at the University of Windsor.
Back to Portrait of 8 women >>
Benefit Burkina Faso - WUSC Windsor's 3rd Annual HIV/AIDS Gala
WUSC Windsor's 3rd Annual Benefit Burkina HIV/AIDS Gala Friday, Feburary 27th, 2008. This event was to raise awareness and funds for the HIV/AIDS pandemic and also a celebration of our international partnership with Burkina Faso in the fight against AIDS.
This was our third annual Benefit Burkina Faso Event that highlights our international partnership with the local committee in Burkina Faso. The keynote speaker at the event was former UN Canadian Ambassador, Mr. Stephen Lewis who will spoke about his experiences in Africa. Any donations raised from this event are handed to the local committee of Burkina Faso for HIV/AIDS prevention and education. With great pleasure I am pleased to announce that this event was a great success. We were able to engage 250 people and raise an extraordinary amount funds for this important cause.
Attached are some articles that were published by the University of Windsor and other online websites that I used to get the word out.
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