"The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more."

Mommy, Daddy – the last time we spoke, you said “Have fun on the rest of your vacation.” Vacation, not internship. Haha! I realize that my flurry of posts deal more with surfing and motorcycles than with the work I’m doing. After all, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl…or something like that! So here goes, an entire post dedicated to work.

My internship is through AIESEC, the largest student-run organization in the world. AIESEC is an international platform for young people to discover and develop their leadership potential so as to make a positive impact on society. This is done primarily by facilitating a global exchange program. In 2003, AIESEC formed a partnership with the Standard Chartered Bank in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The partnership is founded on a peer-to-peer education program – a program designed by the youth for the youth. The goal of the program is to educate 300,000 youth globally on HIV/AIDS by the year 2010.

Growing up in Canada, HIV/AIDS has always seemed like a mythical disease that exists somewhere out there. It’s not until you get to ‘there’ that the disease begins to take on a personality – a face that cannot be ignored, a voice that cannot be silenced. 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV. 2 million people die each year from AIDS. Young people, under the age of 25, account for half of the new HIV infections worldwide. Progress, particularly in the developing world, cannot take place unless we stop the devastating sprawl of this deathly disease.

That’s where we come in. Together with 6 other interns, I deliver HIV/AIDS workshops to secondary schools and colleges around Malaysia. The workshops are about 2 hours long and are conducted to an audience of anywhere from 50-200 people.

It has been quite the experience. I think the thing that has surprised me most is how young the students appear. When we talk about how HIV is transmitted, it’s often the first time the kids have heard the word ‘sex’. And they are just a few years younger than me.

I will never forget the first workshop I delivered at a secondary school in Shah Alam. We were treated like royalty. The teachers could not stop thanking us for coming. The kids cheered when I said I was from Canada. I told them about our snowy winters and they were in utter disbelief. I have never seen a group of teenagers so eager to learn, so curious about the world, so full of life. It was most certainly a humbling experience.

In addition to conducting workshops, we organize events to promote the awareness of HIV/AIDS. Two weeks ago, we organized an HIV/AIDS Carnival, complete with a fashion show, dance performance and interactive games.

In my 6 weeks here, I have delivered 19 workshops and educated nearly 1600 students. To be able to see the impact I’m having each day, to be able to equip young students with the knowledge to make informed choices in life – it’s been an incredibly rewarding experience.

This post would not be complete without a special message to a special person…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ADIL!