The Summer Begins: A Recap of the Year and Future Plans

It's finally summer! After what has been a whirlwind of a year, I'm able to look back on my progress (with a degree in hand!) and look forward to new challenges and opportunities.

To recap: ... last April I applied to travel as a volunteer intern with Western Heads East (WHE). WHE was established in 2004 as a collaborative effort between several different UWO staff/faculty groups after Bob Gough (Director of Housing) was inspired by a lecture presented by Stephen Lewis, who spoke to Western staff about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. WHE's mission statement (To engage in a community response by mounting a campus-wide educational and fundraising campaign to send delegates to directly assist with the African HIV/AIDS crisis and to provide a sustainable learning and research opportunity) highlights its focus on sending people, not money, to a community in need in order to establish a sustainable project that helps those afflicted with the disease.

WHE sends student interns to Mwanza, Tanzania, to help manage a probiotic yogurt production initiative. Probiotics, as defined by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), are "live microorganisms administered in adequate amounts which confer a beneficial health effect on the host." The probiotic yogurt is produced and distributed by a group of local women in Mwanza (the "yogurt mamas") and it is believed to have a wide range of health benefits, including improving the immune system, preventing mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus, and reducing disease-related symptoms.

In April 2006, I was accepted to travel as a WHE volunteer intern from the beginning of August (2007) until Christmastime of this year. This past year has been full of preparations and fundraising as I got my head wrapped around travelling to Tanzania. I served as the Fundraising Coordinator for the WHE Campus Fundraising & Awareness Committee - very lucky to be able to work with such a passionate and motivated group of individuals. By the end of the year, we fundraised a total of approximately $10,000 through various events:

A rave card from our fall "Support A Cow" campaign.

The campaign kickoff on the Concrete Beach! (above and below)

Yoga for Yogurt - a benefit event held during the Support a Cow campaign at the Moksha Yoga studio in London. In response to the success achieved by the first event, Yoga for Yogurt II was held in March.

Manning the WHE booth at the World AIDS Day Vigil in the UCC on December 1st (above).

Manning the WHE booth during our screening of "RENT" at The Spoke (below).

WHE's first charity pub night was held in March 2007 at the Barking Frog... a wonderful evening of support and celebration!

This year has also provided me and the rest of the WHE team with a number of opportunities to network with foreign scientists and dignitaries who are interested in or are involved with the project. From working lunches with scientists from Danone France, cocktail parties thrown by local London fundraisers/activists, awards luncheons (celebrating WHE being awarded the Scotiabank-AUCC Award of Excellence in Internationalization) attended by the Tanzanian High Commissioner Ombeni Sefure, a follow up visit to Western by the Mayor of Mwanza and other Tanzanian government officials, to my personal "high point" of the year - meeting Mr. Stephen Lewis in person before hearing him speak at the Under An African Sky: Songs of Hope and Heroes benefit event at the JLC... my involvement with WHE has opened doors to countless opportunities for learning from others and personal development, and I am confident that this trend will continue during my time overseas.

A working lunch with Danone France scientists in the fall of 2006.

On World AIDS Day, Western hosted the Mayor of Mwanza and several Tanzanian dignitaries to discuss the project.

Some of the WHE team at the kickoff party for "Under an African Sky" in November 2006.

The summer interns and I learning to make probiotic yogurt in Dr. Hekmat's nutrition lab at Brescia.

In April of this year, WHE welcomed a second student intern who will be my travel partner for the fall timslot. Alison Chen is a phenomenally motivated and positive individual who I have been lucky enough to be good friends with during my time at Western - I can't wait to experience this international adventure with her!

Now that the summer months are upon us, I will be shifting into high gear to prepare for our departure in early August. With vaccinations/passport/visa details either taken care of or in the works, I'm working hard on fundraising the remaining portion of the $8000 that I will need for my 5 month stay in Africa. On June 9th, I will be hosting "Tanzania On Tap", a benefit event at The Wheat King Bar and Grill in Newmarket, Ontario. The event will feature live entertainment (courtesy of The Rileys), raffles and an opportunity to support a great cause! Tickets are being pre-sold for $10, please contact me to reserve a spot on the guest list.

If you can't make it to the event but still want to contribute to the cause, please consider submitting an online donation through Western's secure "Giving" website. WHE can be selected as the recipient of donations by choosing "Special Groups: HFS - Western Heads East" on the donation form. Thanks in advance for your support!

PS - 'blogging' is a new experience for me... and the perfectionist in me is hating that I can't get my head around proper formatting... hopefully I'll learn fast!!