2008 Woodie Awards
Youth scholarship competition for AIDS walk Africa 2008
Courtesy of Liam T. Dall
Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: News
Washington, D.C. - The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation today unveiled plans to offer youth scholarships to one if its most important fundraising and awareness-building events: AIDS Walk Africa. Taking place in Swaziland from June 30 to July 5, 2008, this unique event will provide participants with a glimpse of the foundation-funded programs that prevent transmission of HIV from mothers to babies and provide lifesaving treatment to children and families living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Youth involvement in the fight against pediatric HIV/AIDS is critical to the development of future philanthropic and humanitarian leadership to combat this devastating pandemic. In an effort to foster this passion, the Foundation will offer scholarships for walkers ages 18 to 25. Scholarships will cover round-trip airfare to Swaziland, lodging, all meals and in-country transportation, as well as the $15,000 fundraising minimum required of all walkers. Recipients will be chosen by a panel of judges based on an essay of 500 words or less asking: "What can you do as a young person to make a difference in the fight against pediatric AIDS?"
Along the route of the trek in Swaziland, walkers will follow expert guides on visits to Foundation clinics and hospitals, where they will meet scientists, medical personnel, and children and families living with HIV/AIDS. These interactions will foster increased understanding of the various challenges posed by the pandemic and provide walkers with the opportunity to build their own community with the people they meet along the way. Scholarship recipients will be asked to keep a log of this five-day journey, detailing and reflecting on their experiences. Following their participation in this exciting awareness-building event, recipients will also act as Foundation Youth Ambassadors for one year, sharing their unique stories and advocating at their schools and in their communities for children affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Globally, an estimated 33.2 million people are living with HIV, 2.5 million of whom are children. Swaziland is home to the most intense HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world, with an estimated one in three adults living with the virus in 2005. Among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics, HIV prevalence in 2006 was 39 percent nationally. These numbers continue to grow at an alarming rate.
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation works at more than 2,300 sites and in 18 countries around the world. It has supported the Ministry of Health in Swaziland since 2004 in its goal of eradicating pediatric AIDS. Currently working at 31 sites in the country, the Foundation works to give all families access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and care and treatment services.
To apply for the AIDS Walk Africa Youth Scholarship Competition, visit www.pedaids.org/AWAScholarship. Applications will be accepted from Jan. 16 to Feb. 29.
Youth involvement in the fight against pediatric HIV/AIDS is critical to the development of future philanthropic and humanitarian leadership to combat this devastating pandemic. In an effort to foster this passion, the Foundation will offer scholarships for walkers ages 18 to 25. Scholarships will cover round-trip airfare to Swaziland, lodging, all meals and in-country transportation, as well as the $15,000 fundraising minimum required of all walkers. Recipients will be chosen by a panel of judges based on an essay of 500 words or less asking: "What can you do as a young person to make a difference in the fight against pediatric AIDS?"
Along the route of the trek in Swaziland, walkers will follow expert guides on visits to Foundation clinics and hospitals, where they will meet scientists, medical personnel, and children and families living with HIV/AIDS. These interactions will foster increased understanding of the various challenges posed by the pandemic and provide walkers with the opportunity to build their own community with the people they meet along the way. Scholarship recipients will be asked to keep a log of this five-day journey, detailing and reflecting on their experiences. Following their participation in this exciting awareness-building event, recipients will also act as Foundation Youth Ambassadors for one year, sharing their unique stories and advocating at their schools and in their communities for children affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Globally, an estimated 33.2 million people are living with HIV, 2.5 million of whom are children. Swaziland is home to the most intense HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world, with an estimated one in three adults living with the virus in 2005. Among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics, HIV prevalence in 2006 was 39 percent nationally. These numbers continue to grow at an alarming rate.
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation works at more than 2,300 sites and in 18 countries around the world. It has supported the Ministry of Health in Swaziland since 2004 in its goal of eradicating pediatric AIDS. Currently working at 31 sites in the country, the Foundation works to give all families access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and care and treatment services.
To apply for the AIDS Walk Africa Youth Scholarship Competition, visit www.pedaids.org/AWAScholarship. Applications will be accepted from Jan. 16 to Feb. 29.
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