A 2 week trip to Cape Town South Africa to enlighten 23 college students on the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its effect on a non-Western society. We will do various service including building a medical database for an orphanage and helping a youth group create educational skits to share with their peers.The Washington University Campus YMCA is organizing a two week service trip to Cape Town, South Africa scheduled for the end of May. The focus of the trip is to work on community service projects dealing with youth, health, and HIV/AIDS awareness programs, as well as fostering relationships with the YMCA and YMCA members in Cape Town. Through immersion, service, and education we, a group of 23 college students and one faculty member, plan to enlighten ourselves on the impact that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has had on a non-Western culture.

This will be an amazing opportunity to witness the aftermath of apartheid, to study contemporary South African culture, and to talk with college-age kids about growing up in a country heavily afflicted with the AIDS pandemic. Additionally, by visiting their country and dedicating time to live among them, this group will help prove Washington University students truly do respect and care about helping the South African people; we are not all faceless dollar bills.

However, as all trips go, there are costs involved. Airline tickets, renting vans, food, lodging, etc, all comprise the approximate $3500 each individual has to pay. That’s an overall cost of over $80,000. We have planned a lot of fundraising events, such as signing up to work at St. Louis Blues hockey games, but we need all the support we can get! If you can make any donation to our trip expenses we would really appreciate it!