I am really excited I was accepted into SIC's program in Tanzania. SIC aims to increase HIV awareness and prevention and does so through the work of student/post-grad volunteers education rural villages. Teams of 2 volunteers will live in each village for 8-12 weeks and prepare lesson plans and HIV testing. This is the nonprofit site: sichange.org
There are 1.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. 70.5 percent are 25 to 49 years old, and 15 percent are 15-24 years. With the high poverty level in Tanzania, coupled with a challenging infrastructure, the quality of care and awareness of HIV/AIDS needs to be improved.
I plan to be part of the solution. With my time in this program, I will be in prime position to help the people learn more about the virus and associated diseases. I believe education will be the key factor in this struggle with HIV/AIDS. I will be in Tanzania May 18-July 30.
I will be taking a leave of absence from my position as a research technician assistnat at the University of Washington to venture on this project. The costs and fees amount to a bit over $5000 which covers room/board and education/testing materials. If you find that you would like to support or sponsor me on this trip, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for your generosity. Whether it be $5 or $500, no gift would be too small.
A note on this blog: if you don't care about getting a receipt for tax deduction than you can click DONATE. If you do want a receipt for a deduction, you can donate at my fundraising site for SIChange. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/veronica-nguyen/students-for-international-change
And we'll get you a tax receipt! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at veronica144@gmail.com
Many thanks for your support -- and please don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too! :)
Support for International Change:
Our Mission
To limit the impact of HIV/AIDS in underserved communities and to train future leaders in global health and development.Our Vision
SIC believes that the HIV/AIDS crisis creates both an imperative to act and an opportunity to learn. We envision a world where HIV/AIDS no longer limits length or quality of life or reduces the social or economic development of communities, and where young people learn the skills to address the health crises of future generations.
Our Approach
SIC was founded in August 2002 with the dual goals of limiting the impact of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania and training future leaders for global health and development. In the rural communities where we work, poor infrastructure and widespread poverty limit access to HIV testing and prevention services, and leave people living with HIV socially and physically isolated from care. Public clinics provide VCT and antiretroviral medications in urban centers, but lack of information, stigma and the costs of transportation all represent barriers to access and leave these services beyond the reach of Tanzania’s rural majority. As a result, HIV transmission continues, few people are tested in the villages and many of those living with AIDS die without accessing treatment.In response to this crisis, SIC currently works in rural villages in northern Tanzania, offering a comprehensive set of community based services to combat HIV/AIDS. SIC supports a Community Health Worker (CHW) Program, a Peer Educators (PE) Program in secondary schools, community-based health awareness campaigns, and mobile Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT). With a few pilot programs, in conjunction with the district hospitals, we support mobile ARV clinics.
In addition to these community level interventions, SIC offers structured service-learning programs for international and Tanzanian volunteers. During our eight and twelve week programs, volunteers add capacity to our work, primarily by serving as teachers in our awareness campaigns. Hundreds of student volunteers have passed through our programs since 2003. Many have gone on to graduate or professional training in related fields, to found other organizations, or to other leadership positions in global health and development.
