Project Smiles Successfully Touches Children Touched by AIDS
By Melissa Goodnight
With a starting budget of only JA$9,000, Project Smiles has raised more than 2 million Jamaican dollars in donations for children affected by HIV/AIDS and their families. The charity and awareness campaign was sponsored by Jamaica AIDS Support and The Centre for HIV/AIDS Research, Education and Services at University Hospital.
Propelled by the extensive media coverage, Project Smiles owes much of its success to the generous support of The Gleaner Company and Television Jamaica's "Smile Jamaica" morning show. TVJ's endorsement proved pivotal to the successful outcome of the project as their donation site alone brought in $390,000 in collected items. Consequently, the public along with corporate and private sponsors donated 8,000 things including school supplies, food items, toys, clothes and toiletries.
This charity drive's aim was to collect desperately needed items for Orphans and other Children made Vulnerable by HIV/AIDS (OVCs) and their families, as well as raise money for the Project Smiles OVC Fund. The fund is to benefit children in the most desperate or emergency situations, allocating money to things like medication, shelter, food, etc. By the end of the project, an additional $120,000 had been collected in the fund, which remains open year long for donation (NCB account # 35-1011947).
This project preempted UNICEF's announcement of a national plan to aid the growing numbers of OVCs in Jamaica. A study done by Hope Ramsay and Mark Loudon found that 10, 000 Jamaican children 90-18 years lost a mother, father or both parents to HIV/AIDS. In addition, they estimate the number of children to be orphaned by AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic at approximately 3,500. While many of these children will not become HIV-positive themselves, they will have to deal with the hardships of their parents' illness and the trauma of watching them die. In fact, children often act as the primary care taker to their ailing parent as income generation, household chores and even basic daily functioning becomes impossible for the parent to manage.
On the subject of OVCs, Dr. Robert Carr, Director of Jamaica AIDS Support recently wrote: "In our work, we have often found that children have to fend for themselves. They suffer from discrimination at school and in their communities because their caregiver is HIV-positive, and, too often, are forced by circumstance to become the caretaker of their ailing parent. These children grapple with burdens no child should have to bear. Theirs is a lonely and desperate struggle."
It is against the backdrop of this reality that Project Smiles was created to alleviate some of the financial burden placed on these children and families. Currently, the project is assisting over 250 children affected by HIV/AIDS and their primary family members. Many of them will receive continued support from the project. These clients will come to one of the three JAS locations or to CHARES to collect weekly packages of food, toiletries, school supplies and even toys. Additionally, some moneys from the OVC Fund have already assisted children in getting urgently needed medication.
Despite an excess of clothes donations, JAS has had only minor trouble distributing the items to children in need. The project brought in many toys and school supplies, but failed to generate the amount food and medication necessary to support the clients. One member of the Support Services Department stated: "Especially during the holiday season, most people don't want to believe that children need biscuits and cough medication over toys, so toys is what we receive. Regardless, we are grateful for everything that is given to help our clients".
With the amount of success Project Smiles has generated, Jamaica AIDS Support asserts that it will be an annual fundraiser to assist Orphans and other Children made Vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. As importantly, JAS and CHARES will be accepting donations year-round at their locations as well as monetary contributions to the Project Smiles OVC Fund (NCB account # 35-1011947). "Hopefully this Project has made the public aware that these children exist and are struggling and that their needs go beyond Christmas and the New Year". For more information on how you can assist Jamaica AIDS Support or get involved with Project Smiles, please call JAS head office at 978-2345.
[Melissa Goodnight is a United States. Peace Corps Volunteer working in the Targeted Interventions and Public Education Departments at the Jamaica AIDS Support]
By Melissa Goodnight
With a starting budget of only JA$9,000, Project Smiles has raised more than 2 million Jamaican dollars in donations for children affected by HIV/AIDS and their families. The charity and awareness campaign was sponsored by Jamaica AIDS Support and The Centre for HIV/AIDS Research, Education and Services at University Hospital.
Propelled by the extensive media coverage, Project Smiles owes much of its success to the generous support of The Gleaner Company and Television Jamaica's "Smile Jamaica" morning show. TVJ's endorsement proved pivotal to the successful outcome of the project as their donation site alone brought in $390,000 in collected items. Consequently, the public along with corporate and private sponsors donated 8,000 things including school supplies, food items, toys, clothes and toiletries.
This charity drive's aim was to collect desperately needed items for Orphans and other Children made Vulnerable by HIV/AIDS (OVCs) and their families, as well as raise money for the Project Smiles OVC Fund. The fund is to benefit children in the most desperate or emergency situations, allocating money to things like medication, shelter, food, etc. By the end of the project, an additional $120,000 had been collected in the fund, which remains open year long for donation (NCB account # 35-1011947).
This project preempted UNICEF's announcement of a national plan to aid the growing numbers of OVCs in Jamaica. A study done by Hope Ramsay and Mark Loudon found that 10, 000 Jamaican children 90-18 years lost a mother, father or both parents to HIV/AIDS. In addition, they estimate the number of children to be orphaned by AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic at approximately 3,500. While many of these children will not become HIV-positive themselves, they will have to deal with the hardships of their parents' illness and the trauma of watching them die. In fact, children often act as the primary care taker to their ailing parent as income generation, household chores and even basic daily functioning becomes impossible for the parent to manage.
On the subject of OVCs, Dr. Robert Carr, Director of Jamaica AIDS Support recently wrote: "In our work, we have often found that children have to fend for themselves. They suffer from discrimination at school and in their communities because their caregiver is HIV-positive, and, too often, are forced by circumstance to become the caretaker of their ailing parent. These children grapple with burdens no child should have to bear. Theirs is a lonely and desperate struggle."
It is against the backdrop of this reality that Project Smiles was created to alleviate some of the financial burden placed on these children and families. Currently, the project is assisting over 250 children affected by HIV/AIDS and their primary family members. Many of them will receive continued support from the project. These clients will come to one of the three JAS locations or to CHARES to collect weekly packages of food, toiletries, school supplies and even toys. Additionally, some moneys from the OVC Fund have already assisted children in getting urgently needed medication.
Despite an excess of clothes donations, JAS has had only minor trouble distributing the items to children in need. The project brought in many toys and school supplies, but failed to generate the amount food and medication necessary to support the clients. One member of the Support Services Department stated: "Especially during the holiday season, most people don't want to believe that children need biscuits and cough medication over toys, so toys is what we receive. Regardless, we are grateful for everything that is given to help our clients".
With the amount of success Project Smiles has generated, Jamaica AIDS Support asserts that it will be an annual fundraiser to assist Orphans and other Children made Vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. As importantly, JAS and CHARES will be accepting donations year-round at their locations as well as monetary contributions to the Project Smiles OVC Fund (NCB account # 35-1011947). "Hopefully this Project has made the public aware that these children exist and are struggling and that their needs go beyond Christmas and the New Year". For more information on how you can assist Jamaica AIDS Support or get involved with Project Smiles, please call JAS head office at 978-2345.
[Melissa Goodnight is a United States. Peace Corps Volunteer working in the Targeted Interventions and Public Education Departments at the Jamaica AIDS Support]
Copyright © Jamaica AIDS Support 2002
