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Courtesy of Aiding Youth For Life |
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AIDING YOUTH FOR LIFE
About Us 
Aiding Youth for Life is a youth-run Canadian NPO, whose aim is to
provide HIV/AIDS awareness to youth (ages 12-24) worldwide, while
advocating youth empowerment as a sustainable means of disease prevention.
The organization was founded and is operated by youth dedicated to the
fight against HIV while empowering other youth to find effective local
solutions to ultimately stop the spread of the virus. With the help of
local communities, AYL is teaching people to protect themselves against
HIV/AIDS on an international scale.
AYL 2003 Report Watch AiLibrary Video Presentation (3 min.) Watch AiAuthor Video Presentation (14 min.) Programs Aiding Youth for Life's educational HIV vaccine gives youth the knowledge and confidence they need to avoid exposure to HIV. Every year, interns with the organization travel to East Africa armed with life saving information for youth living in what is commonly regarded as the epicenter of the disease. Over the course of a 7 week program in 2003, 10 interns with Aiding Youth for Life:
• Distributed 2900 surveys, which assessed student knowledge before their presence. • Hosted 11 separate sessions and forums to discuss the social stigmas related to living with HIV/AIDS. • Spent over 600 hours training students to teach others the basic facts of HIV/AIDS. • Established four new chapters of AYL, to continue efforts after AYL members leave. Vision To develop a fully self-sustaining youth empowerment syndicate, where youth all over the world have access to the information they need to become leaders. In order to accomplish this, we are dedicated to generating community awareness and support through fundraising efforts. Here is how financial support is helping us achieve our goal:
• Campaign budget comparisons reveal the 2003 internship budget was 2.02 times as large as the 2002 budget, showing an increase in financial efficiency of 18% between AYL's first and second years of operation. • From start to finish, 4645 man-hours were spent on the planning and implementation of the 2003 Internship. • With a total budget of $36,714 (CDN), each man-hour cost AYL $7.90 CDN, and we hope to improve our efficiency with our future efforts. The next year of project implementation will include geographical growth, coupled with strengthening our already-established programs and cooperation between international groups of students. Did You Know 
• Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 29.4% of the over-42 million people infected with HIV worldwide - that is approximately ? of the world's HIV population. • 10 million of those infected in Sub-Saharan Africa are youth between the ages of 15-24 (UNAIDS, 2002). • Approximately 1 person in 8 is HIV positive (WHO, 2002) in Tanzania, with youth being at highest risk. • HIV/AIDS disproportionately impact youth: half of all new infections occur in youth between the ages of 15-24 (UNICEF) (6000 youth are affected each day). • In countries with generalized epidemics in Africa, up to 80% of women aged 15-24 have been shown to lack sufficient knowledge about HIV/AIDS (UNICEF). • The World Health Organization has recently ascertained that HIV/AIDS is the 4th leading cause of death on the planet. • Forty million people are currently living with this disease, 60% of these people range between the ages of 12-24. Part of the Solution As of yet, there is no cure for AIDS, but providing an educational vaccine to those highly susceptible is an effective method of preventing the spread of the disease. In order to best facilitate a sustainable solution to the AIDS pandemic, we are establishing chapters of our organization in target areas around the world. These include North America, Africa and Central/South Asia. Each individual chapter will coordinate HIV/AIDS awareness efforts in their local communities, empowering youth to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. To sustain the team's efforts in the long-term, AYL is establishing mutually beneficial associations between its chapters and local NGOs. With the assistance and help of our communities and the communities in which we work, AYL is teaching people to protect themselves and to make a difference on an international scale. Recognizing that education and knowledge are central to preventing the transmission of HIV, AYL operates an awareness campaign which provides, at its core, an "educational vaccine" to the disease. Although recent advances in medical science have created new and effective treatments to extend life and ease suffering, we have yet to create a vaccine or find a cure for HIV. Therefore, prevention remains our most powerful weapon in the battle against the growing epidemic. Our Goals AYL's strategies include both short-term and long-term sustainable disease-spreading interventions. Short-term Strategies 1. ANNUAL SUMMER INTERNSHIP Every summer, AYL sends teams of North America's finest University students on a two-month internship to East Africa, to coordinate an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, targeted at youth aged 12-24. In 2002, AYL sent 5 students to Tanzania.In 2003, 11 students from across North America followed up the first team's work. 2. LONGITUDINAL SURVEY One of AYL's responses to the spread of HIV is to use a longitudinal behavioral survey to gauge the level of knowledge among youth held about the disease. The survey is being administered to the same population of youth, 5 times, in order to quantify the level of impact our program has on youth. From this information, tailored and sustainable intervention strategies are created, refined and practiced. Long-term Strategies 1. INTERNATIONAL STUDENT UNION As of September 2003, AYL's international student union is comprised of 7 youth-run, student organizations between secondary and post-secondary schools in East Africa and North America, representing over 700 individual members. Student-run chapters give domestic students the empowering opportunity to directly be part of our prevention efforts. Our current chapters, in order to strengthen our inter- and intra- community ties, are building synergistic relationships with other HIV-oriented student clubs and unions. 2. STAGGERED INTERNSHIPS In the summer of 2003, with the help of the Canadian Society for International Health's (CSIH) International Health Youth Internships program, AYL was able to send its first fulltime intern to Tanzania, East Africa. Danielle Macdonald, representing AYL in Tanzania as our Youth Advisory Group Facilitator, arrived in July 2003 and is working with HealthScope Tanzania as part of ISHI. It is a renowned community-based HIV Awareness Media Campaign.In the fall of 2003, two additional young professionals traveled to East Africa to fill the roles of Chapter Coordinator and Financial Controller. Our Chapter Coordinator, Aly-Khan Lalani, is also working with the Aga Khan Hospital (DSM) while in East Africa. His duties include:
• Assembling a 1-year, month-by-month breakdown of events for all chapters. • Reporting to AYL Central on a weekly basis. Documentation emphasis should be on quantifiable variables including man-hours spent per project. • Hosting 1 major event in Dares Salaam before December 31st 2003. Suggested event is a Leadership Conference, held between November 14-16 2003. • Hosting 1 major event in AYL's area of operation before March 1st 2004. • Establishing at least 1 new AYL chapter of AYL in both Dar es Salaam, and Lindi/Mtwara. Use of Donations • Coordination of fundraising events between all chapters. • Completion of incorporation and registration between Canada, Tanzania & Kenya. • Submit (in full) applications for funding to at least 5 identified East African funding organizations. • Management of all funds in country. Includes project-based funding. • Yearly budget. • Running cost-benefit analyses for new projects. • Financial resource allocation. • Audits & taxes. • Accounting of raised funds. • Organizational documentation and tracking. Purchasing. • Proceeds of donations raised from the Gala Fund Raising. |