In an effort to increase AIDS awareness and also raise funds for patients in Uganda, four different Hopkins student organizations collaborated to host a SLAM AIDS benefit dinner this past Saturday night.
Although the banquet was initially delayed because of rain, around 90 students and parents came to the Glass Pavilion at Levering Hall to hear from several guest speakers, including the Ugandan ambassador to the United States.
The student groups worked together to put on the event, where speakers expressed the need to take action in bringing medication to Africa.
Sophomore June Tibaleka, director of Students Saving Lives With AIDS Medication (SLAM AIDS) spoke of her experience with AIDS.
"AIDS is not just a four letter word. I've seen people live and die with AIDS. I've seen families torn. I've seen generations change. For me to be able to have a chance to give parents back their children, and children back their parents, it's an honor," she said.
Tibaleka's father and aunt both succumbed to the disease; her father, a physician, acquired it by accidentally pricking himself with an infected needle, while her aunt acquired it via a blood transfusion.
Co-President of the Hopkins Organization for Pre-Health Education (HOPE) junior Gloria Oyeniyi, formerly a resident of Nigeria, said, "AIDS is a serious epidemic. ... Here, we have medication and an opportunity to seek medical attention. There, they have no voice, no such opportunities. It is our responsibility to be their voice."
Sophomore Leah Harvey, co-president of Student Global Aids Awareness Campaign (SGAC), also stressed the urgent need for more people to become involved in the fight against AIDS.
She said, "Many students come here to train themselves to change the world, but that doesn't necessarily start after graduation. In cases such as the fight against AIDS, it is necessary to participate here and now."
"Every penny from this dinner helps someone that can't afford AIDS medication," said junior Tosan Ehanire, president of African Student Association (ASA).
"Students on campus are starting to become desensitized to organizations raising money, but they should realize that these organizations are trying really hard to help someone worse off than they are," she added.
The Ugandan ambassador, Her Excellency Edith Ssempala, spoke passionately about the spread of HIV in Uganda due to, in a large part, a general lack of knowledge about the disease.
She went on to say that Uganda is becoming a global leader in the fight against HIV because of President Yoweri Museveni's strong leadership.
National policy changes and a commitment to educating the population about the dangers of and preventability of HIV/AIDS have been a few key components of the struggle against AIDS in Uganda.
Ssempala also placed great importance on having compassion for those who have been afflicted with HIV/AIDS.
She said that, often, the greatest consequences are faced by family members and young children, not the patients themselves.
She said, "With medication, patients with HIV/AIDS can live another 10 to 20 years. This extra 10 to 20 years can shape their childrens' lives."
She asked the audience, "Is it not better to be an orphan at 20 than to be an orphan at five?"
Although many students attended the banquet to contribute to SLAM AIDS, many students also came just to find out more about the AIDS epidemic.
Sophomore Cherice Petit said, "I just wanted to learn more about HIV/AIDS and why it is so bad in Africa and not any other Third World country."
Sophomore Marsha Lachaud said, "AIDS is a worldwide problem, and just being here, finding out more about AIDS and hearing people's personal experiences with AIDS really helps us open our eyes and allows us to have a better understanding of the condition."
The event was coordinated by SLAM AIDS with the help of student groups HOPE, ASA and SGAC.
These student groups are also working with a local clinic in Uganda that is responsible for distributing the AIDS medication.
HOPE is the undergraduate chapter of the Student National Medical Assocation (SNMA).
The SNMA is a national organization dedicated to supporting the advancement of underrepres-ented minorities in the medical field.
The Hopkins chapter offers many resources for medical students such as MCAT preparation and internship opportunities.
SGAC is a national campaign which works on fighting poverty and the HIV epidemic across the world. Members of the JHU chapter v olunteer at HERO (Health Education Resource Organization), Baltimore's largest HIV/AIDS clinic.
The group has also recently started working with the Baltimore ONE campaign in support of a congressional bill that would allow the U.S. to help decrease third-world debt as well as increase AIDS funding.
ASA is a charity organization that celebrates African culture and heritage.
Currently, ASA is working on a refugee project with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and helping refugees from war-torn African countries integrate themselves into American society.
