The program, launched by Dude Angius, President of the Rotary Club of Los Altos in 1989, is a District 5170 program designed to educate others about AIDS, change attitudes and behavior concerning the disease, support those afflicted, and encourage Rotary's involvement in confronting the pandemic. The goal of our District’s AIDS Program is to engage Rotarians in the fight against HIV/AIDS through a
variety of programs and projects. The most current is Child AIDS Prevention (CAP), fighting to achieve AIDS-free births in Africa (more details below). HOW YOU CAN HELP
• LARAP SPEAKERS AVAILABLE are available to travel to clubs in our District and beyond to present a 30- minute PowerPoint program describing our District’s current AIDS prevention projects.
• DONATE ONLINE at www.rotaryaidsprogrject.org or mail check to: Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project, P.O. Contributions are accepted through our non-profit 501(c)(3) status. o We are now fundraising to meet the AIDS challenge in Tanzania and Nepal.
• ROTARY CLUBS CAN TRANSFER DISTRICT DESIGNATED FUNDS (DDF) help support this work and/or cash contributions, which are accepted through our non-profit 501(c)(3) status.
• For more information, visit the LARAP website www.rotaryaidsproject.org and click on “Child AIDS Prevention” and to become aware of the magnitude of the District’s Rotary AIDS Project. FACTS ABOUT HIV/AIDS
• 33% of babies born to HIV-infected mothers will become infected.
• 75% of those infected babies will die before the age of 5 unless treated.
• 95% of these babies would be HIV-free if both mother and child are treated.
• 122,000 children in sub-Saharan Africa became infected with HIV in 2015, mostly during childbirth or while mothers nurse them. CURRENT FOCUS of LOS ALTOS ROTARY AIDS PROJECT: Child AIDS
Prevention (CAP) – Working together to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa. Started under the leadership of Rich Casey, President of LARAP and AIDS Project District 5170 Chair, Los Altos Rotary’s Child AIDS Prevention (CAP) project is now led by Marlene Cowan. CAP encourages Rotarians, in the US and worldwide, and other organizations to work together to raise funds with the goal of eliminating Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS (PMTCT). CAP and partners focus on countries with the greatest need then provide education and training; counseling; HIV testing; and treatment. This endeavor has received three Rotary Foundation grants for training Liberian healthcare workers in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Trainees learn to counsel pregnant women how to prevent infection of their babies during birth and breastfeeding. To expand our reach and facilitate medical challenges, LARAP forged an important partnership with Save the Children, the leading international NGO focused on child and maternal health. We are now fundraising to meet the AIDS challenge in Tanzania and Nepal. PAST SERVICE PROJECTS
Since 1989, the Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project (LARAP) has carried out a variety of local and international service projects supporting Rotary’s goals for health, youth, and community service.
• The DVD of “The Los Altos Story”, featured as a keynote address at the Rotary International Convention in Orlando, Florida, has been distributed to every Rotary Club in America and is available free of charge at www.rotaryaidsproject.org.
• An African health clinic was remodeled for the security of AIDS patients in partnership with the Rotary Club of Sandown, South Africa.
• The book “HIV, Health and Your Community” was translated into seven languages and distributed internationally.
• Two community symposiums in 1994 and 2009 raised community awareness about HIV/AIDS for employers, educators, and the public.
• “The Rotarian” magazine of May 2012 featured CAP’s AIDS prevention efforts in partnership with the Rotary Club of Sinkor, Liberia. See “Special Deliveries” article.
• NPR radio’s “Here and Now” show of July 9, 2015 featured our LARAP community service efforts as “Rotary Club is Still Fighting AIDS 25 Years Later”.
