Students become 'messengers of love'

Teenage contestants vie with proposals to eradicate poverty and AIDS in Africa

More than 200 middle school students from China and the United States are trying to help Africans facing poverty and AIDS through proposals they created at the Public Benefit International Challenge for Youth 2017.

The 46 teams, made up of 207 students from 61 schools, have proposed or carried out projects that call for donations, building facilities or providing online lectures, purifying drinking water and more in Africa.

High school student Liu Hanqiu and five classmates at Beijing National Day School have raised more than 30,000 yuan ($4,475) for preventing mother-to-child AIDS transmission to newborns in Ethiopia.

Their team, SEA (which stands for Save Ethiopia AIDS), was among the 10 teams in the finals competition on Aug 6 at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Surgery to prevent AIDS transmission when a mother gives birth costs around 670 yuan, so the donations mean that about 50 babies can be helped so they won't acquire AIDS from their infected mothers.

The team also plans to raise money to buy milk powder for the babies so they can be protected from the risk of becoming infected through their mothers' breast milk.

"It's a small number, but a good start. We are proud to contribute efforts to help Africans who suffer from poverty and AIDS, and we hope to do it in the long run," Liu says.

Sponsored by the China-Africa Business Council and the China Social Assistance Foundation, the Public Benefit International Challenge for Youth 2017 aimed to widen teenagers' international vision, encourage them to pay attention to international public benefits and participate in charities to improve their humanistic concern.

The proposals on the nine other teams in the finals were building a vaccine container that can keep AIDS vaccines at a safe temperature in Africa; creating an online curriculum for African students to help them learn more about the world; conducting seminars on study and sharing of experience; donating music classrooms to African schools; sending vegetable seeds and brochures; building soccer facilities for sports lovers; producing easily made water purifiers; raising Africans' awareness of AIDS by giving lectures and making videos; and buying water heaters for Africans to ensure they can drink clean water.

Wang Luoyun, a member of the winning team, which had proposed helping Africans build more soccer fields by hosting charity competitions and donations, lived in Uganda for three years.

Wang says the proposal was inspired by her childhood experience. When Wang was in Uganda, she saw children her age playing soccer with bare feet and using a ball made of plastic bags.

"African people are known for being huge fans of soccer around the world. We hope we can bring professional venues and equipment to African soccer lovers," Wang says.

The team SOWER won support for its idea from Aucma, which manufactures refrigeration equipment, and the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation to raise money to make and transport an Arktek - a container that can keep vaccines at a safe temperature for 35 days without electricity - to Ethiopia.

"I just like helping people," says Li Dongman, a member of SOWER. "I have been doing this since my mom encouraged me to be helping and loving when I was 8 years old."

She says her team has raised more than 20,000 yuan, which is enough for the first Arktek to be transported after Aucma lowered the price. "We'll take it as a good start and continue doing this," Li says.

Robert Lyon, a professor at New York University and one of the judges, says: "This project stands out not only because it helps Africa to build valuable infrastructure, but also because it allies well with China's Belt and Road Initiative."

Wang Xiaoyong, secretary-general of the China-Africa Business Council, says: "The young contestants are the messengers of love between China and Africa."

Wang says the the business council and the China Social Assistance Foundation will support the teenagers when they carry out their proposals, for example by putting them in contact with sponsors and partners and providing transportation and technical support.

Pan Mengqi contributed to this story.

yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/11/2017 page3)