Weekly Elixir - Week of April 30, 2007

Trek of a lifetime

What are other clubs and other Rotarians doing in our world?

Ambassadorial Scholars walk 1,250 miles to fight AIDS in Africa -- By Vukoni Lupa-Lasaga, Rotary International

A group of six students at a South African university, four of them Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars, made strides against HIV/AIDS in December.

After several months of training, the team from the University of the Witwatersrand hiked for 20 days to raise almost US$10,000 for the fight against AIDS. The trek also increased public awareness of the devastating effects of the disease.

Passing through stunningly beautiful landscapes and, in places, hair-raising cliffs and dangerous, jellyfish-infested beaches, the students walked 1,250 miles in a relay from Johannesburg to Cape Town.

“It was an experience of a lifetime and something we shall all remember for the rest of our lives,” says Kelly Lewis, an Ambassadorial Scholar from Wheeler, New York, USA.

Despite facing unexpected challenges, the students found inspiration in the many good Samaritans, including Rotarians, who welcomed them at every stop, provided free medical treatment for their physical injuries, and donated money to their cause.
The team also included Keegan Kautzky and Ikumi Maekawa, Ambassadorial Scholars from Perry, Iowa, USA, and Ena-shi, Japan, as well as students Ruan Koorts, from Pretoria, South Africa, and Jacob Maboja, from Nairobi, Kenya.

Just last month, the hike inspired further action. Brittany Jungck, a University of Northern Iowa employee who knows Kautzky from high school, organized an event on 1 February to raise money and awareness about Africa’s HIV/AIDS crisis.
“It’s all about collaborating with people who are concerned,” notes Jungck. “If we can get 10, 20, or 100 more people aware of the issue, surely something would be done about it.”

Upon learning of her effort, a student group sold roses on Valentine’s Day in support of AIDS orphans, and a socially conscious local poet planned a poetry reading with a global HIV/AIDS theme.

All funds raised from the hike and the University of Northern Iowa events will support the projects of Rotarians for Fighting AIDS, a Rotarian Action Group that’s implementing community-led responses for AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in seven African countries.

Read more in the RI Newsroom.