SCHARP 'Bite' benefits African orphans

Statistical center employees bring their passion to the plate with annual potluck in support of AIDS orphans in rural Malawi

Photo by Stephanie Cartier From left, Wendy Brown, Hsiu-Ying Huang and Donna Robinett, clinical research nurses, explore the ethnic-food flavors of SCHARP's Bite of 1616. The potluck included a PowerPoint presentation on the impacts SCHARP employee fund-raisers have made in Malawi.

What can individuals do to improve life for children orphaned by AIDS in Africa? Four years ago, employees from the Center's Statistical Center for HIV and AIDS Research and Prevention asked the question and discovered starting small is better than not at all. Through grass-roots events such as raffles and potlucks, SCHARP employees are working to prevent more than 80 orphans outside of Lilongwe, Malawi, from becoming statistics.

Since the group's fund-raising efforts are 100 percent volunteer-based, there are no overhead costs. Donations to events, such as last week's Bite of 1616 ethnic-food potluck, are sent straight to the Dzama community. To date, the SCHARP team has raised more then $7,000 to accomplish the following:

• purchase 80 wool blankets and second-hand clothing;
• lease land and provide seeds to grow food;
• build two pit latrines to help stave off rampant diarrheal diseases; and
• hire 35 workers from four neighboring villages to hand-forge bricks for a new school.

Construction of the school is now complete. Proceeds from the Bite of 1616 will purchase blackboards, doors, bookshelves, books and pens for the school and help fix the village's water drainage system.

Photo Courtesy of SCHARP To date, SCHARP employees have given these children, ages 3 to 8 years old, wool blankets, clothing, a school building and basic school supplies.

To learn more about SCHARP's community project, send an e-mail to sc.community@scharp.org.

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