Press Association Profiles British HIV/AIDS Advocates Who Plan To Build Clinics In Africa

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 03 Mar 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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The Press Association on Thursday profiled two British HIV/AIDS advocates who plan to drive from London to South Africa to help build HIV clinics and raise money for the One to One Children's Fund. Jon Beswick, a London architect, and Charlie Curtis, a strategy consultant for the firm Capgemini, said they plan to build waiting rooms for the fund's clinics in an effort to curb the spread of tuberculosis among HIV-positive children. The fund works with more than 100 health clinics in 21 African countries, the Press Association reports. Beswick and Curtis will travel in a specially modified Land Rover and plan to sell advertising space on the outside of the vehicle to raise money for building materials and wages for local people to build the shelters, with any extra funding donated to One to One. They hope to raise about 10,000 British pounds -- or about $14,272 -- and plan to travel through 40 African countries for about six to nine months, according to the Press Association.

Beswick said that he is "really excited by this challenge" and that he hopes to "make a real difference to children affected by HIV." He added that he and Curtis "will have to take on every role in the construction project," which will be "a massive learning curve." Curtis said that he is "really keen to do something to help children affected by HIV in Africa" and that he "want[s] to make a direct impact on the places I'm visiting, not just donate money" (Monk, Press Association, 2/26).

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