UNIVERSITY COALITIONS for GLOBAL HEALTH

An update on PEPFAR from Hayley over at the Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC). ~Stephanie

Hi UCGHers!

As you know, it’s crunch time on the PEPFAR reauthorization, which means lots of work at the mercy of the political process. We now know that, after another delay, the PEPFAR vote in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs should be the week of February 25th. Unfortunately, we’ve also heard that certain House members are prepared to fight the critical improvements in the bill!

We’re worried about burning you all out; we’re feeling a little overloaded ourselves, but it’s PEPFAR or bust! And we’ve already made a big difference.

Please take the extra time to organize a call-in day next week - we’ll be reminding members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the improvements are too important to lose! We’ll send out an updated call-in script and list of targets at the beginning of next week.

If you have any questions about the saga that is PEPFAR reauthorization, let us know!

Many thanks,
Hayley & the SGAC Steering Committee

Youth AIDS Day, February 26 2008

WHAT: Join students all over the U.S. by taking action to increase funding for global HIV/AIDS as part of Youth AIDS Day 2008.As you may know, Congress is considering legislation that would re-authorize the President’s Global AIDS Initiative. As I’ve written before, this is an opportunity to scale up the US response to AIDS and to reform policies like the failed abstinence only earmark.

* Increase funding levels to at least $50 billion
* End the required abstinence-only-til-marriage earmark
* Provide the training and support for urgently needed new healthcare workers
* Integrate women’s health and social services programs
* Address the structural inequalities that leave women vulnerable to HIV/AIDS
* Eliminate the HIV/AIDS travel ban that prohibits people with HIV from entering the United
States

WHEN: February 26th 2008

WHO: This event is being sponsored by a coalition of student organizations including: University Coalitions for Global Health (UCGH); Physicians for
Human Rights (PHR); Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC); Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) ; Americans Medical Student Association (AMSA)

WHY: Of the 2.5 million new HIV infections each year, forty percent are among
people ages 15-24. Myriad social and economic factors increase young people’s vulnerability to infection, and children and adolescents in many places are uniquely affected by the pandemic as they lose a generation of parents, teachers, and doctors. In some regions, youth are ill-equipped to protect themselves, for lack of knowledge about the modes of transmission. Yet young leaders are taking action, effectively changing behaviors, and shaping a better future. On February 26, student organizations all over the US will be taking action on funding for global HIV/AIDS as part of Youth AIDS Day.

Last year’s theme was Our Future, Our Crisis: Universal Access by 2010. Students challenged the political obstacles in the way of achieving this goal and providing treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS in the Global South. They held dozens of actions across the country, including demonstrations and events, to demand immediate change to address inequalities of access. Youth AIDS Day 2008 will see students pushing their political leaders to reauthorize an improved PEPFAR and to allocate the necessary resources- at least $50 billion- for it to effectively continue to fight AIDS around the world.

Global Health Week of Action, March 24-28*

The annual Global Health Week of Action is set for March 24-28th.* We will distribute a Week of Action Organizing Guide with resources for how to plan your events and actions, educational resources, and issue specific action kits. The guide will be posted on our website and distributed to students by March 1st.

*If these dates do not work because of exam or spring break conflicts, please choose the “best” set of dates for your school. We suggest the 1-2 weeks immediately after spring break as the “best” set of dates.

Prepare for the most mind-blowing, earth-shattering, life-altering conference in human history. The Student Campaign for Child Survival and the Student Global AIDS Campaign are teaming up to bring you the second annual National Youth and Student Conference on AIDS, Trade and Child Survival. It’s March 29-31 in Washington, DC, at Georgetown University and will have workshops, speakers, and a national lobby day. For more information, visit us at www.globaljusticenow.org/conference or email hayley.hathaway@fightglobalaids.org

Hope to see you all there!

Hey All—Check out a word from our partners at SPW! If you’re looking to volunteer abroad then they’re your people!

Students Partnership Worldwide (SPW) was a founding member of UCGH, and currently works as part of the professional development working group. SPW was established in London in 1985, and has developed a respected international reputation for its youth-led health and environmental education programs, with endorsements from the World Bank, UNESCO, WHO and UNAIDS.

SPW harnesses the energy and enthusiasm of trained volunteers (aged 18-28) to run targeted, peer-led education programs to empower young people in rural communities in Africa and Asia. Nearly 1000 volunteers a year participate in SPW programs: over 85% of the participants are African or Asian, while the other 15% are recruited from North America, Europe and Australia. This diversity brings an enormous range of skills and experience to each program, as well as an enjoyable opportunity for meaningful cultural exchange.

Following 3-6 weeks of intensive training, international volunteers are placed in pairs or small groups with national and local volunteers within rural communities in Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, India or Nepal. These teams live and work together full time for 5-12 months. SPW volunteers use a range of formal and informal methods (school lessons, extracurricular activities, community seminars, youth resource centers, and community-wide festivals) to teach about issues such as sanitation, nutrition, organic farming techniques, HIV/AIDS, and child rights. To promote sustainability, the focus of each project is decided on through collaboration between the volunteers and local community members and leaders.

Want to learn more? Join our next FREE Information Session conference call! The information session will last about an hour and will give you a chance to hear more about our programs, our application process, and why SPW is unique among international volunteer opportunities. Just shoot an email to info@spw-usa.org to register for the free call. For more information, please see our website www.spw-usa.org

Hi All—Again I have some bad news, our PEPFAR update will have to wait. Mark up in the House has been postponed due to the death of the great Representative Tom Lantos. The new hopeful date will be sometime around Feb 25th. Until then, here’s some information about one of our members, Americans for Informed Democracy. Check them out. they’re pretty cool!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization that brings the world home through programming on more than 1,000 U.S. university campuses and in more than 10 countries. AID fulfills its mission by coordinating town hall meetings on America’s role in the world, hosting leadership retreats, and publishing opinion pieces and reports on issues of global importance.

AID is one of the fastest growing student networks in the world, filling a niche that combines an interest in foreign policy with youth activism. In just four years, the organization has grown to more than 1,000 universities in over 25 countries, attracting diverse student audiences, as well as prominent NGO partners and local, national and international media attention.

When AID began four years ago, most youth-led groups were devoted to specific global causes, but there was no organization connecting young people across various issues dedicated to establishing a principled and collaborative international role for the U.S.
Filling this void, AID brings together more than 15,000 young people who connect with the public and participate in various global campaigns. And AID gets beyond the usual partisan divisions by focusing on global issues that are somewhat less politicized and divisive — like global poverty, health, the environment, and cross-cultural understanding.

AID is also using new technologies to bring the world together. In one year, AID student leaders conducted videoconferences with peers in more than 60 countries to discuss how the U.S. can work collaboratively with other countries to solve global challenges.