Objective 6: Fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Crystal Almeida
24 years old
Student and president of the University of Windsor WUSC local committee
Originally from Chatham; she now lives in Windsor,Ontario
Crystal Almeida embarked on a journey that changed her life in summer, 2007. After attending Uniterra seminars in Burkina Faso and Ghana, she was chosen to take part in a research assignment on HIV/AIDS in Koudougou, Burkina Faso. She spent six weeks living with a Burkinan family of eight and worked for a local HIV/AIDS organization, the ADIP/S, to research a lack of participation in support groups.
“This experience has completely altered my life as a student advocate and my professional development,” says Almeida “The five weeks I spent in this village allowed me to comprehend the severity of this pandemic but
most importantly it allowed me to meet the women fighting everyday against a disease that is claiming not only their villages, friends and family but also their dignified lives.”
In 2007, Almeida’s local WUSC committee, in cooperation with Uniterra, led a World AIDS Day awareness event followed by a second annual gala dinner. The committee also raised money through Bike for AIDS; most of the funds raised were sent to the WUSC chapter in Burkina Faso. Almeida also played a key role in the ratification of Windsor University's commitment to the Millennium Development Goals.
“I realized that the experiences in my life have made me a stronger individual with the ability and motivation to help and guide others who face the burden of inequalities in this world,” says Almeida.
She is finishing her 4th year in Political Science at the University of Windsor.