My name is Shradha Gaikwad. I am a 17-year old student, just beginning Grade 12 this September. I have recently learned a great deal about AIDS and knew I had to do something. This summer I had the great opportunity of volunteering at the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto. Prior to this conference, I had heard about AIDS..I knew that there was no cure for it and I knew millions were suffering from it. But I had no clue about the extent of devastation that this disease causes.

At this conference, I met some of the strongest, most hard-working and selfless people on the planet. People who are living with AIDS, fighting against it day and night...people who are working hard searching for a cure..people who are creating awareness...advocating for human rights...it was overwhelming and immensely inspiring.

All my life I have lived in abundance..it's always been a life of excess. I've always had a roof over my head, food and water available whenever I need it, clothes, education, family, friends..it can only be described as a life of bliss. Then at the conference I discovered the struggles that AIDS victims have to put up with. Stigma & Discrimination, poverty, homelessness, no access to treatment...are all fuelling the epidemic and claiming lives at an astonishing rate. I learned so much about this epidemic at this conference that it truly disturbed me. I couldn't sleep at night after I saw the faces of children who had been orphaned because of this disease. I knew I had to do something. So I decided to begin a club at my high school called Students Against Global Aids to create awareness and raise funds. This club has several chapters at many different universities across Ontario, Canada.