Dinner and Auction to Support HIV-affected Children in South Africa
April 12, 2013 – For Immediate Release
Reston, VA – On the evening of April 27th Reston will be the site of an event that aims to help young people half way around the globe. Global Camps Africa (GCA), a locally run, internationally active non-profit provides young people in South Africa a chance to spend two weeks connecting, learning, laughing, and camping all in hopes of combatting the spread of HIV/AIDS. This year’s Celebrate Sizanani event (named for the camp in South Africa) will include dinner, South African wine, and live and silent auctions the prizes of which include: four nights in a two-bedroom suite at the Trump Hotel, Waikiki; two round-trip tickets from Washington (Dulles) to Johannesburg; and a Jim Brown autographed NFL football.
The Founder and President of GCA, Philip Lilienthal, will be hosting Celebrate Sizanani 2013 along with several prominent local and international guests. Honorary Chairs of the event are: Robert Simon, the founder of Reston, VA; former US Senator Harris Wofford; and Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool and Ms. Rosieda Shabodien, the South African Ambassador to the US and his wife.
The proceeds of the event will allow Global Camps Africa to continue sending HIV/AIDS affected kids to Camp Sizanani where they learn life skills, awareness and HIV-prevention through an American-style camping experience. “The South African children are ready to have powerful and productive lives. We see this three times a year as 140 new campers come to us without hope and leave after 8 days at camp, with a vision for powerful and meaningful lives. What a joy it is to have camp make such a great contribution to their lives,” says Mr. Lilienthal. The program also provides a biweekly follow-up program called Youth Clubs that meet in several locations around Soweto, where most of the campers live.
Kabelo Malefane, the South African Director of Camp Sizanani, will speak at the event about his experience growing up in South Africa and about how being a part of Camp Sizanani has changed his life. Kabelo has the most interaction with the campers, developing strong connections and seeing the real benefits of Camp Sizanani for the youth of South Africa. He says, “Growing up, I couldn't imagine what camp was. There were no opportunities for me and my friends to get out of our environment. When I learned about camp, I was curious. I was able to start by working in the after-camp Youth Clubs as a counselor. Then I went to be a counselor at camp and it has never stopped. We all feel privileged to be able to assist campers from our townships on how to make their lives worth something.”
EVENT INFORMATION:
Date: April 27th, 2013
Time: 6:00-9:00 PM
Location: Oracle Headquarters (1900 Oracle Way, Reston, VA 20190).
To purchase tickets visit: http://bit.ly/ISV30k or call 703-437-0808
For further information, please contact Emily Crowder (Emily@globalcampsafrica.org)
Global Camps Africa changes the lives of South Africa’s vulnerable children and
youth by providing HIV/AIDS prevention education and training through
high-impact residential camp and day camp experiences and continuing education.
Thousands of vulnerable South African children participate in camp and Kids
Clubs activities each year through generous contributions from donors from
around the globe. Learn more about Global Camps Africa at www.GlobalCampsAfrica.org
SPECIAL EVENT: Celebrate Camp Sizanani 2013
Please join the Board of Directors of Global Camps Africa for a festive evening to celebrate and support Camp Sizanani.
Honorary Chairmen of the event include:
ROBERT SIMON, Founder of Reston, Virginia
THE HONORABLE HARRIS WOFFORD, Former US Senator
H.E. AMBASSADOR EBRAHIM RASOOL & MS. ROSIEDA SHABODIEN, South African Ambassador to the US and his wife
SATURDAY, APRIL 27TH
from 6:00 until 9:00 PM
at ORACLE HEADQUARTERS
1900 Oracle Way
Reston, Virginia 20190
Dinner and South African wine will be served.
Proceeds from live and silent auctions will benefit the children of Camp Sizanani.
SPONSORED BY:
Welcome Barbara Krimgold to Our Board
Barbara
Ms. Krimgold has worked in health policy and international health and economic development for many years, including stints with the United States Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and The Center for Advancing. She is a graduate of Harvard College and won a National Defense Education Act postgraduate fellowship at Harvard’s Graduate Center for Middle Eastern Studies. She has lived and worked in France, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Gaza Strip, Egypt, and Ghana. Since 2001, Barbara has served as director of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s postdoctoral Kellogg Health Scholars Program and of the Multidisciplinary-Disparities track for that program. She also directs the doctoral Kellogg Fellows in Health Policy Research Program. She lives in McClean, Virginia, with her husband Fred, and has five grown daughters.
Lindy's Story
My name is Lindy and I am 17 years old. I live at Sparrow, a children’s home in Johannesburg. I have lived at Sparrow for six years. I live in a “cluster”, with 11 other girls and our house mother. Sparrow has become my home, and my family. I love cooking – my favorite things to cook are soup and chicken. I also love singing and dancing. Sometimes it’s hard for me to get time to myself, so when I want to be alone I go to the chapel and play the piano.
I am in grade 10. My favorite subjects in school are English, history, and life orientation.
My life has not been easy. My mother was HIV-positive, and she died when I was very young. I lived in several foster homes before I came to Sparrow. I have suffered from depression, and last year I spent three months in a mental health hospital called Tara. I am very happy I went there because I am much better now.
When I grow up, I would like to become a lawyer and help children who have been abused. I myself have been emotionally abused, physically abused, and sexually abused. That’s why I want to be a lawyer, because I know what it feels like. But I think that if I could get through that, then a lot of other kids and teenagers like me can get through it.
How did I get through it? I smiled every day. I wouldn’t just let myself down because of what other people did to me. I had to be strong. When things are hard, I think of my mother. And I say to myself: She didn’t make it to where she wanted to be. So let me get to where I want to be, and just carry on.
In my life, I have learned that you should love everyone NOW, because you never know when someone will disappear from your life.
Last year I visited Camp Sizanani for a day with some other people from Sparrow. Phil, the man at Camp Sizanani, told me that I would be able to come next time and be a camper here. Later, when I was invited to come to camp, I was so happy. I was surprised that Phil actually did what he said he would do. He taught me that sometimes you really can trust people. Sometimes you have to trust.
I have had so much fun here at camp. My favorite activities are theatre and life skills. In life skills I learned that when you have a disease, you are no different from any other person. You can still be the person you want to be, even if you have HIV. HIV is not the end. Camp has also taught me that you have to have courage and gumption in your life.
GCA Works with International Association of Applied Psychology and the United Nations
Over the last several months, Global Camps Africa's President and Founder, Phil Lilienthal, has worked closely with representatives of the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP) to the United Nations. Our shared goal is to partner with South Africa's Department of Social Development to create an effective camp program aimed at the youth of the country that can be implemented and maintained by the government ministry there. A snapshot of this effort was captured in a recent article in the July/October 2012 edition of the IAAP bulletin (pages 71-74). Link: http://www.iaapsy.org/uploads/file/newsletters/July2012.pdf