What can college students from the U.S. and Africa do to fight HIV/AIDS?
Plenty.
And they will take a major step in that effort during the “Future Leaders Summit on HIV/AIDS” to be held January 22-24 at Polytechnic of Namibia in Windhoek.
Student delegates from Elon University in North Carolina will join students from the Polytechnic of Namibia and the University of Namibia for a unique summit that will serve as a springboard for proposing solutions to the HIV/AIDS crisis. More than 20 percent of Namibia’s population is infected with HIV.
The Elon group will arrive in Namibia Jan. 5 and will visit various communities, work with local organizations fighting the HIV/AIDS problem and meet with local citizens.
Major sponsorship for the summit has come from the American Cultural Center of the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek.
Namibian Prime Minister Nahas Angula is scheduled to deliver a keynote address during the conference. The opening session will include remarks from Tjama Tjivikua, rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia, and Lazarus Hangula, vice chancellor of the University of Namibia. Delegates will also hear presentations from other leaders, including Stanley Harsha of the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek.
Other summit participants will represent the U.S. Peace Corps, Johns Hopkins University/Health Communication Partnership, the Namibian Clinicians Society, OneWorld.net and other non-governmental organizations. Experts will discuss the medical aspects of AIDS and the issues facing those living with AIDS during presentations and panel discussions.
Summit delegates have already done significant work in preparation for the summit, writing position papers and proposing solutions that will be shared with politicians, relief organizations and non-governmental organizations.
In addition, the summit will feature plenary speakers and student presentations on various topics related to HIV/AIDS, including several presentations by Tom Arcaro, director of Project Pericles at Elon and other members of the Elon delegation. The Elon students will also create a Web site to publish all materials generated by the summit.
Work will continue after the summit, with one Namibian student delegate being chosen to visit the Elon campus in spring 2006 to follow through on the recommendations that will be made during the meeting.
The summit is being sponsored by several organizations, including Family Health International, Project Pericles at Elon University, and the American Cultural Center of the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek. For more information about the summit, visit http://org.elon.edu/summit/.
-30-