Supporting reputable charities

Fri, Oct 24th 2014, 09:50 PM

The Bahamas AIDS Foundation is hosting the 21st annual Red Ribbon Ball on Saturday, November 22 in the Grand Ballroom of the Atlantis resort.
President of The Bahamas AIDS Foundation Camille Lady Barnett said recently that the foundation raised $80,000 last year and hopes for even more at this event.
"We need to raise more funds to support the work of the foundation, especially three of our most important and costly programs," she said.
The Bahamas has had the highest HIV adult prevalence rate in the region. Outreach to those suffering with the virus is important.
Lady Barnett pointed to the outreach program for adolescents infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. This program is holistic in nature and as such provides academic, psychosocial and financial support along with food, clothing, life skills, job training and preparation skills, computer access and peer support.
The annual cost per child for the outreach program is $2,000. The foundation currently works with 50 adolescents.
Another program is the purchase of medications. These are not the generic medicines currently provided free of charge by the Ministry of Health, but special medications that some patients need. They are costly, Lady Barnett noted.
The foundation has made a commitment to provide these medicines for four patients.
"That is all that we can presently afford to support," Lady Barnett said. "This program costs $24,000 a year."
The final program is "Combating HIV and AIDS through a culture of reading". This program is intended to sensitize primary school children to HIV/AIDS with age-appropriate storybooks. The books are donated annually to primary schools throughout The Bahamas, and in some cases, guest readers read the stories to the students.
Reputable charities such as the AIDS Foundation, the Ranfurly Homes for Children and the Salvation Army help the most needy in our community. Without their support, many would go hungry and without shelter. The AIDS Foundation was established in 1992 by the Zonta Club of Nassau. The Zonta Club was approached by Dr. Perry Gomez, then the director of the National AIDS Programme, with a view to establishing a non-governmental organization to assist in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Those who have enough to give should support the fundraisers held by organizations such as the AIDS Foundation. If you do not have the money to assist, consider volunteering or offering technical skills to help bring relief to those in need.
We should all be careful, however, with charitable giving. There are charlatans out there who create so-called "charities". These unscrupulous individuals give the impression that they are soliciting money for worthwhile causes. But, instead, the money is pocketed.
Make sure those you give to are credible and have backgrounds in service to the community. Also make sure that the charity has some tangible record of doing something for those in need that you can touch and see. Otherwise, your money may be going to fund the lifestyle of a fraudster who does nothing for the most vulnerable and desperate in our country.

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