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November 18, 2005
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Media Contact: |
Mike AndreiJustine Tutuska |
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Students in Daemen Aiding Youth For Life Chapter Plan December '05/January '06
Trip to Tanzania Promoting HIV Awareness and Prevention Education
Climb Up Mt. Kilimanjaro Also Planned
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Next month, students in the Daemen College chapter of Aiding Youth for Life (AYL) will travel to the African nation of Tanzania, to promote HIV awareness and the importance of preventative education in battling the HIV/AIDS virus, which has hit the African continent harder than any other region of the world. More than 17 million Africans have died from AIDS, and another 25 million are infected with the HIV virus -- approximately 1.9 million of whom are children.
Daemen College is the site of Western New York's only chapter of Aiding Youth for Life, a non-profit organization, based out of Toronto, dedicated to addressing and raising awareness of HIV and AIDS worldwide. Currently, specific attention and projects are directed toward the African continent, where the prevalence of AIDS is highest. Additional information on AYL can be found on the group's web site, www.ayl.ca . The original organization, in Toronto, is founded and directed by Ali Kanji, a Canadian student in his sixth year of Daemen's Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. This will be the fourth trip AYL is making to Tanzania, promoting HIV awareness, and providing prevention education to youth, ages 12-24 - the age group identified by UNAIDS as representing 60% of the world's population living with AIDS. During their trip, planned for December 20 - January 19, the Daemen students will be providing HIV prevention education in secondary schools in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. "We are also hoping to create an art mural with an HIV prevention message for one of these schools," added Daemen Director of Health Care Studies Justine Tutuska, who will accompany six Daemen students to Tanzania. "In addition, our physical therapy students will be delivering their presentations to Aga Kahn Medical Hospital in Dar Es Salaam." "We will, also, be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro while we are there to create a further sense of awareness. Our theme this year, 'Ascension' ties in well with the Mt Kili climb," she added. Tutuska also noted that the Daemen students will be participating in World AIDS Day. "We are sponsoring a World AIDS Day event, to promote HIV awareness and general health and wellness. This event will be held on December 1st, and will entail climbing a stairwell in Dun Scotus Hall on the Daemen campus. Each landing represents one of the stops on the way to Uhuru, the highest peak of Mt Kilimanjaro. Climbers will be asked to earn pledges, either flat pledges, or 25 cents per flight of stairs climbed, with all proceeds going to AYL." The cost of the Tanzania trip will be about $2500-$3000 per student, all of which will come from funds raised, with the balance to be made up by each student. In addition, the students need to purchase health insurance, and are responsible for a list of vaccinations and medications for yellow fever, malaria, typhoid, and other diseases which are prevalent in the region of Africa where they will be traveling. Tutuska said interested members of the Western New York community can help. "We are asking any interested local businesses to display a basket of ribbons -- provided by AYL -- and allow patrons to make donations for these ribbons, or make a business donation to help offset student travel costs. These can be obtained by calling 839-8556." She added, "This is an international learning opportunity for our students, but it is also a very real health crisis. Every day in Africa, HIV/AIDS kills 6,300 people, and 8,500 people are infected with the HIV virus. There is an opportunity for our students to help, and in the process provide them with a sense of responsibility as global citizens." |