Thursday, November 13th, 2008

OMA: HIV/Aids Orphan in Uganda and their Approach to Improvement of Living

As part of TDLC’s programs on the HIV/AIDS problem and orphans, a videoconference session entitled Orphan Meets Artist/Artist Meets Orphan was held on November 13, 2008.
Two speakers participated in the session, Mr. Sato from NGO ASHINAGA Uganda, who joined by videoconference, and also Ms. Nabukenya Ritah, an HIV/AIDS orphan and now a student at Waseda University, where she obtained a scholarship from the Japanese non-profit organization Ashinaga Ikueikai.
During the videoconference, speakers reported on the current real-life circumstances of HIV/AIDS orphans in Uganda
The session provided a rare opportunity for an orphan to speak in Japanese about the experience as an HIV/AIDS orphan.
The Tohoku University of Art and Design and Kyoto University of Art and Design both participated in the video session and took numerous questions.
One of the more probing questions came from a student who asked what art can do to improve orphans’lives. One came away from the session with the impression that the Orphan Meets Artist/Artist Meets Orphan had a meaningful impact for the participants.