Team Afrika - talk the talk, then walk the walk - Truth Circle 10/2, AIDS Walk 10/3

Good People -

We are really excited about the two events coming up this wknd. Thanks to everyone for the great show of support for the effort, and for the brave souls who have signed up for the AIDS walk. We received several queries esp about the Truth Circle at Safari DC - Here's more background info to help prepare for the two wknd events :

1. Videos about Dr. Mandefro's work on YouTube: "All of Us"

7 min version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82qlQXX3GRU&feature=PlayList&p=7AC2572F5D1196D8&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=16

2 min version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YokxFK9J5f8

2. Few intro words from Dr. Merhret Mandefro:

"Health literacy as a whole is incredibly important for HIV prevention efforts.Health literacy is a significant prerequisite to the effectiveness of how people make health-related decisions in the context of their everyday life – at home, at the physician’s office, the workplace, the market place, the health care system, on the internet as well as within their communities and spheres of political and professional influences. Different concepts of health and illness, literacy levels, audience-specific barriers, cultural differences and several other factors all influence people’s ability to understand, process, speak, and act upon health related information.Thinking globally about health literacy goes hand in hand with acting locally. The Truth Circle is a way to act locally.

The Truth Circle is a local effort to address these factors through the most common activity of all -- just talking about it. The foundational assumption of the Truth Circle is that improving communications is a pathway to achieve health and social behavior results and ultimately improve public health outcomes as it relates to HIV. Special focuses will include implications and communication strategies within the context of interpersonal communication as well as vulnerable and immigrant populations."

3. Additonal comments we posted last week at the K-forum: www.kforumonline.com

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details once more:

Friday Oct 2nd, 6:30 to 8pm
Truth Circle, Safari DC, 4306 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20011-7122

Saturday Oct 3rd, 8 to 10AM
AIDS Walk Washington, Freedom Plaza, Washington DC
www.aidswalkwashington.org

Shughuli watu, na watu ndio sisi (swahili: an event is about people, and we are "the" people)

Karibuni Sana!

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Frank Minja & Asteria Hyera
Co-Captains Team Afrika

Team Afrika - a small experiment in solidarity - Oct 3rd

Good People -

AIDS Walk Washington DC is Saturday Oct 3rd. Please Save the date!

We are looking for 25 or so heads to join Team Afrika, this Labor day wknd:

www.aidswalkwashington.org

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This year we are not looking to raise thousands of dollars as we have in the past (www.teamafrika.org), though every little bit helps the Whitman Walker Clinic - which provides excellent HIV care in the Washington DC area. Please do give what you can afford, times are even harder for HIV patients.

In the next few weeks, we will explore some of the 'drama' that keeps people of African descent at the forefront of the HIV epidemic, worldwide. From Washington DC to Jo'burg to Kingston to London to Kinshasa to Accra to Paris to Dakar to Atlanta, and beyond. Cud dis be white man juju on African people ?

Also, on friday Oct 2nd (the night before the walk) we hope to host a 'First Fridays' event with a "truth circle" as the main theme. We are fortunate and excited to have onboard our sister Dr Mehret Mandefro, one of the founders of www.truthaids.org to lead the discussion. This should be real good people, stay tuned for details.

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We are looking for 25 or so heads to join Team Afrika, this Labor day wknd:

www.aidswalkwashington.org

--

Frank Minja & Asteria Hyera

Co-Captains Team Afrika