Making a difference, in a different way...

Hi everyone... i must say that i am quite impressed with the enthusiasm of AIESEC members in the US, with regards to the issue of HIV/AIDS.

Just to introduce myself, i'm Saratu Umar... currently MCVP ER @ in South Africa, and team leader of the AIESEC Genesis HIV/AIDS LN.

There's talk about HIV/AIDS in Africa, and everyone seems to focus their attention on the continent... Truth is, it's not just an African problem, and i find it sometimes amusing when people ask me "why are your people dying of AIDS"... for me, that is a VERY ignorant and naive statement. Research shows that Europe and Central Asia are at the centre of the fastest growing epidemic in the World. One would assume that it's right to start tackling the issue in other parts of the World before it becomes a complicated problem like it is for us here...I hate to be cynical, but let's look at the issue in a more holistic manner.

As @ people and youth, we should remember that it's not just about sending trainees to Africa to assist... thousands of other organisations that are direct impact are working on the issue here. In South Africa alone. there are about 6,000 organisations around HIV/AIDS... Does AIESEC want to be just another one? Or do we want to do more than that? How much learning around the issue to we have to affect others? How do we make a difference as a global organisation, how do we get our members to understand the gravity of the virus?