Bike for Aids
By Benoît Pelletier
There are a number of small measures„Ÿnone of which cost a great deal„Ÿthat nevertheless can make a big contribution to the fight against AIDS in Africa. For example, to counter the lack of means to transport people in rural areas suffering from AIDS to treatment centres, Malawians have adopted the bicycle ambulance. Assembled locally, this consists of a lightweight trailer attached to a bicycle. It enables caregivers to reach isolated villages and, if necessary, transport the more seriously ill patients to places where they can receive the appropriate medical assistance.
In order to supply educators and caregivers with enough bicycles that are in good condition, the Canada-Africa Partnership on Aids initiated the Bike for Aids program. Run by the WUSC in association with Uniterra, this program invites high-school and university students to think of imaginative ways to raise funds for purchasing and sending bicycles to Africa. 
All sorts of fund-raising activities„Ÿfrom selling pastries or bracelets to holding benefit concerts„Ÿhave been organized in universities and other academic institutions throughout Canada to raise awareness among the student and wider community about the current situation in Africa, while at the same time providing them with a way to make a concrete contribution to Africans’ battle against AIDS.
Among all of these equally important activities, however, one promises to particularly attract the attention of the media and, we hope, the whole of the Canadian public. Two students from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Kylie Hicklenton and Jason Shim, have decided to bicycle from one Canadian coast to another in order to raise $50,000, enough to purchase and assemble more than 150 bicycle ambulances. Kylie and Jason are not elite athletes; rather, they, like many of their fellow students, have been concerned about the scourge that has hit Africa and want to make a contribution, however modest, to building a better and more just world. They’ll take a break from their journey to stop in Toronto and take part in the XVI International AIDS Conference.
To find out more about Bike for AIDS:
www.wusc.ca
www.capaids.org
To follow Kylie and jason.s adventures and support their cause: