[CivilSoc] Quilt of Hope for Ukrainian victims of HIV/AIDS

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Quilt of Hope for Ukrainian victims of HIV/AIDS
http://www.brama.com/news/press/030402hivaidsquilt.html
Ukraine currently has the highest growth rate of HIV in Europe, with an
estimated 400,000 known cases according to a fact sheet distributed by the
the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center (UECC) in Philadelphia. Orysia
Hewka, Executive Director of the UECC is doing something about it.
The public is invited to attend the national forum on the HIV/AIDS situation
in Ukraine and Ukrainian orphans which will take place on Saturday May 3rd
at the UECC. Organizers hope to bring greater awareness to the Ukrainian
community about this critical issue facing Ukraine today. A Ukrainian quilt
for AIDS project called "Rushnyk Nadiji" (Ritual Cloth of Hope) is part of
the awareness campaign, along with a scheduled appearance at a press
conference on Sunday, May 4th, of HIV/AIDS spokesperson Justine Pasek, Miss
Universe 2002/3.
A staggering 19% of the Ukrainian youth population is infected with HIV,
widely attributed to a high rate of intravenous drug use. The goals of the
forum and quilt project are to initiate a fundraising drive for several
targeted areas:
- printed bi-lingual information materials for Ukraine
- pharmaceuticals for young mothers who risk passing the disease to fetuses
during pregnancy
- HIV swab test kits
- scholarship to Kyiv-Mohyla Academy slated specifically for orphans--a high
risk group.
Learn more about the May forum on the UECC website.
http://www.ukrainiancenterphila.org/