UW-Madison's Project 40/40 plans to raise awareness on campus of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, and aims to provide relief to its victims.
Six UW-Madison Project 40/40 student members joined hundreds of other students in the initiative while attending a Clinton Foundation conference hosted by Bill Clinton March 14-16 in New Orleans.
The conference covered four major areas for global improvement, including global health, human rights, poverty relief and energy and climate change among the students from various areas of the country.
Project 40/40 began in October 2007 on campus after its founders, UW-Madison sophomores Anna Day and Sara Jerving, heard a speech from Stephen Lewis, a former United Nations envoy. Lewis said $180 from each student per year could provide immensely needed relief for 40,000 HIV/AIDS-afflicted Ugandans. He inspired the two founders to pair students of UW-Madison with Ugandans in need of HIV/AIDS relief.
Our goal is to pair the 40,000-person student body at UW with the people who are still in need of antiretroviral treatment in Uganda and to raise the money needed to fund that ARV treatment through the UW population and the surrounding community as well,"" said Emily Swanson, a communications intern of Project 40/40.
The group seeks to promote awareness through activities such as fraternity and sorority philanthropy events.
""We're definitely expanding and reaching out to every section of the university,"" said Alana Keusch, a UW-Madison student and attendee of the New Orleans conference.
Although the Clinton Foundation conference acted as a refresher for Project 40/40, students gained an immense amount from the experience.
""It was really refreshing to be in an environment where people are that actively motivated and that committed to taking these steps for, really justice, not charity,"" Day said.
Group members said Project 40/40 has already shown promising strides.
""We weren't alone here in Madison. There's a lot of people from not only the UW but around the world who are looking to make a difference,"" said Tim Melgard, UW-Madison sophomore and conference attendee.
The group will host a video conference Tuesday with Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs at 7 p.m. in the Educational Sciences building.
