Children in Need Club shows 'Tiny Tears' documentary on campus to spark conversation about the atrocities of AIDS
Amelia Wolf
Issue date: 12/8/09 Section: News
To celebrate World AIDS Day, December 1, 2009, the Children in Need Club held a film screening of "Tiny Tears" and had a guest lecturer, Rev. Dr. Mankekolo Mahlangu-Ngcobo, come to campus to spread the word that HIV and AIDS do not only affect adults, but children as well.
This semester, the Children in Need Club met weekly and discussed events that could be held on campus for World AIDS day to stress the fact that AIDS is not only harmful to adults but "it's devastating to the lives of children too," as stated by Monica Bauer, a senior at Loyola who helped to coordinate the campus events for World AIDS day. "Collin Powel once called HIV our world's greatest weapon of mass destruction and that statement is just so true. "
"Tiny Tears," a documentary film about children infected with or affected by HIV and AIDS throughout the world, was shown on Tuesday night with over 170 students in attendance. The film specifically focuses on children in Thailand, Uganda, Brazil, and the United States.
"It was such a privilege to have this film screening on our campus, being that the film has only been shown 17 times before," Bauer stated. Robert Corna, director of "Tiny Tears," also joined Loyola for the event. Bauer said, "I think many of us, in the audience, couldn't help but feel inspired by Robert and his commitment to telling the stories that need to be told."
Michele Steinmetz, a junior at Loyola who attended the screening, said that she had never realized how much of an impact AIDS and HIV can have on children. "I was aware that it did have an impact but I didn't know the specifics or the depth of the effects, until now."
The week continued with a lecture by Mankekolo, a native of South Africa, Founder and Pastor of Kalafong A.M.E. Mission Church in Baltimore, and HIV/AIDS activist.
"Now, in 2009, the face of HIV has changed from the gay community to women of color," Mankekolo stated. "Infections have increased rapidly among women."
This semester, the Children in Need Club met weekly and discussed events that could be held on campus for World AIDS day to stress the fact that AIDS is not only harmful to adults but "it's devastating to the lives of children too," as stated by Monica Bauer, a senior at Loyola who helped to coordinate the campus events for World AIDS day. "Collin Powel once called HIV our world's greatest weapon of mass destruction and that statement is just so true. "
"Tiny Tears," a documentary film about children infected with or affected by HIV and AIDS throughout the world, was shown on Tuesday night with over 170 students in attendance. The film specifically focuses on children in Thailand, Uganda, Brazil, and the United States.
"It was such a privilege to have this film screening on our campus, being that the film has only been shown 17 times before," Bauer stated. Robert Corna, director of "Tiny Tears," also joined Loyola for the event. Bauer said, "I think many of us, in the audience, couldn't help but feel inspired by Robert and his commitment to telling the stories that need to be told."
Michele Steinmetz, a junior at Loyola who attended the screening, said that she had never realized how much of an impact AIDS and HIV can have on children. "I was aware that it did have an impact but I didn't know the specifics or the depth of the effects, until now."
The week continued with a lecture by Mankekolo, a native of South Africa, Founder and Pastor of Kalafong A.M.E. Mission Church in Baltimore, and HIV/AIDS activist.
"Now, in 2009, the face of HIV has changed from the gay community to women of color," Mankekolo stated. "Infections have increased rapidly among women."
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