CAP AIDS Local Hero: Danielle Howe

The continuing struggle to resist, survive and overcome HIV & AIDS in Africa has local heroes in Canada. Meet Danielle Howe, the remarkable originator of CAP AIDS' SUADS campaign.

In August 2006, Danielle was watching the TV coverage of the 16th International AIDS Conference taking place in Toronto when the impact of HIV & AIDS in Africa touched her. Danielle was shocked to learn that 40 children died of AIDS each hour while, in South Africa, 800 people died of AIDS every day.

Danielle was still in grade eleven at Ancaster High School in Ancaster, Ontario. She thought of the roughly 1.400 kids at the school and how, at that rate, they would all be wiped out in just two days. 

Danielle decided that she and other young Canadians needed to “shut up for a full 24 hours and do something” about HIV & AIDS in Africa. She contacted the Geneva, Switzerland-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to discuss her fundraising idea. The agency recommended CAP AIDS.

Danielle approached CAP AIDS and, together, we launched the campaign in 2007.

In 2007 and 2008, high school students from across Canada raised over $40 000 to support CAP AIDS’ grassroots, community-based HIV/AIDS initiatives in Africa. CAP AIDS matched the funds 2 to 1, bringing the total to over $120 000.

CAP AIDS used the funds to support project benefitting AIDS orphans, AIDS care givers and HIV & AIDS educators in Ethiopia and Uganda.

Danielle now attends Dalhousie University. She is the official SUADS 09 Ambassador and jointly coordinates SUADS 2009 with CAP AIDS.

Here is a March 17, 2008 Hamilton Spectator article on Danielle. 

Visit Danielle's SUADS 09 Blog

Be a local hero in the ongoing struggle to resist, survive and overcome HIV/AIDS in Africa:

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