Student Leaders in International Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
2009 SLIM 5K/10K a Success
On April 4, 2009, SLIM and Kenya Pediatric HIV Project hosted the SLIM 5k/10k in South Park, Bethel Park, PA. With close to 600 registered runners, the race was one of the largest in Pittsburgh this year. SLIM would like to thank all those who registered for the race. We would also like to thank KPHP for their support, and all of our sponsors who contributed their products and services: Fleet Feet Pittsburgh, John McGinnis & Co, Massage Envy, Venture Outdoors, Kards Unlimited, Powerbar, and Saucony. We would also like to thank the South Park administrative office and police department for their cooperation and assistance.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Any students who did not receive T-shirts at the race can pick them up on Tuesday, April 14th, 2009, from 11am-5pm in Towers Lobby. Thank you for your patience.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Any students who did not receive T-shirts at the race can pick them up on Tuesday, April 14th, 2009, from 11am-5pm in Towers Lobby. Thank you for your patience.
New Officers Spring 2009
Officers for the Spring 2009 Semester:
Vice-President: Christina Rak - cbr3@pitt.edu
Secretary: Clif McKee - see.klyph.go@gmail.com
Business Director: Miranda Velikoff - mmv14@pitt.edu
Events/Fundraising: Mujidat Saaka - mas317@pitt.edu
The new e-board is busy planning for the SLIM 5k/10k Run/Walk, which is being hosted by SLIM and the Kenyan Pediatric HIV Project (KPHP) on April 4, 2009. SLIM is also continuing its fund-raising efforts for the MPALUTI CBO Network. Please check out the SLIM blog to provide input on planning for events, and to find out the latest about SLIM.
Mara Banda Comes to Pitt
SLIM will be hosting a speaker from Malawi this month. The speaker, Mara Banda, is a director of one of the community-based organizations (CBOs) we work with in Malawi: Paradiso House Home-Based Care.
Paradiso collaborates with a number of international groups and Ms. Banda has spoken at several international health conferences, including the 27th International AIDS Conference, held this past August in Mexico City.
Find out more about the event.
Mara Banda video from the Face to Face AIDS Project.
2nd Annual Project Malawi Trip
From May 8-June 8, 2008, five SLIM members traveled to Malawi, continuing the work that began in the Summer of 2007, when the MPALUTI CBO Network was established, linking together five community-based organizations (Mwana Wa Nzako, Mchenga, Paradiso, Luzi and Tilerane). While in Malawi, SLIM spent time in communities served by the CBOs, meeting with directors, committees, volunteers and community members.
In these meetings, SLIM discussed progress made since the MPALUTI CBO Network was established and went over plans for sustainable income-generating and development projects with the MPALUTI Network. While open communication and collaboration between the CBOs has provided some support for the network, the CBOs require financial assistance to increase their capacity to help the communities. Specifically, funding for the CBOs' projects would go a long way towards augmenting their ability to improve the quality of life of their constituents. These projects would help sustain and expand CBO activities, while strengthening their basic services (care for bed-ridden HIV/AIDS victims, nursery services for orphans and vulnerable children and HIV/AIDS prevention and education).
Our organization also met with individuals and groups working in the humanitarian, development, and health sectors in and around Lilongwe, including: Peace Corps volunteers and administrators, doctors and hospital workers involved with the UNC Project at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, the Lilongwe City Center Rotary Club, the Lilongwe Lions Club, and doctors and workers at UCLA-supported Partners in Hope Hospital. SLIM was able to share ideas and information pertaining to development and health issues in Malawi and the world at large.
The academic portion of the trip included group discussions informed by a literature review of numerous books and articles. Three weeks of reading and discussing issues in international health, development and global disparities furnished a context within which everyday living in Malawi--in the face of extreme poverty, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and efforts to remedy these problems--is situated.
The second Project Malawi trip set the stage for more to be done in the future. SLIM believes the efforts of the CBOs are essential for the development of their respective communities and our organization will continue working to secure support for the MPALUTI Network.
In collaboration with the MPALUTI Network, SLIM created the Project Malawi July 2008 Report. The report details income-generating and development projects proposed by the MPALUTI Network, and includes rationales and budgets for the projects, as well as oversight plans.
In these meetings, SLIM discussed progress made since the MPALUTI CBO Network was established and went over plans for sustainable income-generating and development projects with the MPALUTI Network. While open communication and collaboration between the CBOs has provided some support for the network, the CBOs require financial assistance to increase their capacity to help the communities. Specifically, funding for the CBOs' projects would go a long way towards augmenting their ability to improve the quality of life of their constituents. These projects would help sustain and expand CBO activities, while strengthening their basic services (care for bed-ridden HIV/AIDS victims, nursery services for orphans and vulnerable children and HIV/AIDS prevention and education).
Our organization also met with individuals and groups working in the humanitarian, development, and health sectors in and around Lilongwe, including: Peace Corps volunteers and administrators, doctors and hospital workers involved with the UNC Project at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, the Lilongwe City Center Rotary Club, the Lilongwe Lions Club, and doctors and workers at UCLA-supported Partners in Hope Hospital. SLIM was able to share ideas and information pertaining to development and health issues in Malawi and the world at large.
The academic portion of the trip included group discussions informed by a literature review of numerous books and articles. Three weeks of reading and discussing issues in international health, development and global disparities furnished a context within which everyday living in Malawi--in the face of extreme poverty, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and efforts to remedy these problems--is situated.
The second Project Malawi trip set the stage for more to be done in the future. SLIM believes the efforts of the CBOs are essential for the development of their respective communities and our organization will continue working to secure support for the MPALUTI Network.
In collaboration with the MPALUTI Network, SLIM created the Project Malawi July 2008 Report. The report details income-generating and development projects proposed by the MPALUTI Network, and includes rationales and budgets for the projects, as well as oversight plans.