Students from BYU–Hawaii’s chapter of ONE want to be agents of change for the global community in raising public awareness for one of the world’s largest epidemics, HIV/AIDS.
Taking place a few days after the World Health Organization’s “World AIDS Day,” student members of ONE gathered on Dec. 3 in the McKay Foyer for an open-mic discussion. According to members of the campus ONE chapter, HIV/AIDS has affected millions of people worldwide.
“From what I’ve learned, [AIDS] causes people a lot of pain and a lot of suffering, and that in and of itself is a problem,” said Gerald Ericksen, a junior from Utah, studying international cultural studies and Spanish. Ericksen was one of dozens who attended the event to show support for the efforts of ONE.
Scientists believe HIV first infected humans when the Simian immunodeficiency virus was transmitted to people as they came in contact with infected corpses of chimpanzees, according to the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). Since the 1800s, HIV has gradually spread into other parts of the world.
ASM says the sickness has been present in the United States since the 1970s. Over time, HIV can transform into AIDS, meaning acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This condition shortens life spans significantly. According to official statements on www.AIDS.gov, efforts are still under way to find a cure for the disease.
Rebecca Vigoren, a senior from Washington majoring in ICS, serves as president of the BYUH ONE student chapter. Vigoren said she has a contagious enthusiasm for resolving socioeconomic inequalities in the world, as well as hindering the spread of AIDS.
Vigoren said, “We don’t do any on-the-ground work. We believe in policy change. We believe in doing campaigns that create awareness, education, and, fundamentally, the policies at the state level.”
Vigoren explained how she was aware of ONE before her humanitarian trip to Africa, and upon her return, she became involved with the organization spearheading it as the new president.
Students were invited to write letters directly to President Obama encouraging his administration to increase foreign aid in the form of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR.) The foreign aid plan was created during George W. Bush’s presidency, according to pepfar.gov.
Of the 193 countries belonging to the United Nations, aid from the United States constitutes one-third of the global fund against AIDS, Vigoren said. “PEPFAR is a part of that spending, and we are urging our president to keep this spending as a part of his fiscal plan for the year 2017. America is at the forefront. We are the leaders. If we take out our spending, [other nations] are going to take out theirs. We need to be the example that shows this is important.”
Theresa Hwang, a senior from Taiwan majoring in ICS, said, “I’m a member of this club. I just feel it’s really meaningful, and it’s really helpful.”
As students wrote letters to Washington, ate cookies, gave donations, and played music, there was a strong sense of solidarity from a group of people coming together. Vigoren concluded, “It’s just amazing how far we’ve come.”
Members of ONE believe their generation can ultimately defeat HIV/AIDS.