Projects Bulletin 8

Issue 8 August 2010

PROJECTS BULLETIN NARF

IFMSA

was founded in May 1951 and is run by medical students, for medical students, on a non-profit basis. IFMSA is officially recognised as a nongovernmental organisation within the United Nations’ system and has official relations with the World Health Organisation. It is the international forum for medical students, and one of the largest student organisations in the world.

Imprint Editor in Chief Jesus Mateos del Nozal, Spain Editors Iwona Kalinowska, Poland Iza Ene, Romania Design/Layout Alexander Werni, Austria Proofreading Jonny Currie, United Kingdom

The mission of IFMSA

Publisher

is to offer future physicians a comprehensive introduction to global health issues. Through our programs and opportunities, we develop culturally sensitive students of medicine, intent on influencing the transnational inequalities that shape the health of our planet.

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations General Secretariat: IFMSA c/o WMA B.P. 63 01212 Ferney-Voltaire, France Phone: +33 450 404 759 Fax: +33 450 405 937 Email: gs@ifmsa.org Homepage: www.ifmsa.org

Contacts

publications@ifmsa.org Printed in Canada.

Introduction

by Projects Support Division Director projects@ifmsa.org

Dear IFMSA Members!

Here is the new Project’s Bulletin. The IFMSA Magazine, first published in August Meeting 2006, will be focusing on projects.

The structure is similar to the last edition, including an overview of projects’ regulation and promotion, information from official IFMSA projects including their contact details and finally IFMSA projects awards, including the candidates for the Rex Crossley Award: the best IFMSA project present at the August Meeting 2010.

Furthermore, there is now a new section entitled ‘Project Regional Activities’, mainly consisting of project fair and project presentations from different regional meetings (PAMSA; EMR and EuRegMe). I am extremely happy with each and every one of them and I would encourage you all to continue their activity and promote widely at all levels.

Thanks to Durba, Andrea, Fio, Manel, Andrea, Iwona, Iza, Alex and Jonny.

Jesus Mateos del Nozal IFMSA Project Support Division Director 2009-10

Contents IFMSA Official Project Regulation and Promotion

4

Regional Project Activities

5

IFMSA Official Projects

6

Initiative Projects

6

Transnational Projects

6

Endorsed Projects

11

Project Awards Info

12

Project Awards MM10

12

REX CROSSLEY Award Competition AM10

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Regulation and Promotion

IFMSA Official Project Regulation and Promotion Within the IFMSA, the term “projects” refers to activities in any field of interest of medical students, in concordance with the IFMSA principles, aims and policy statements. This includes projects, events, workshops, surveys, networks and campaigns.

IFMSA projects are entitled to the following: —— obtaining priority promotion within the IFMSA network and our partner organizations, —— being able to display project information on the IFMSA website and the official projects database, —— receiving recommendation letters from the Executive Board, —— being supported in grant application and fundraising, —— having 1-2 places secured for project representation at each General Assembly (depending on the category).

Finally, transnational and initiatives projects have the opportunity if they so wish to use the IFMSA banking system.

In relation to project promotion I will explain the activities that take place during each General Assembly: the Project Fair and Project Presentations where the IFMSA official projects, and projects running in NMOs, have an opportunity to present and promote themselves.

The Project Fair is an event where project representatives can bring posters, leaflets, brochures, stickers and other promotional materials about their activities.

The Project Presentations are three sessions where some projects have the chance to present their project to delegates of the General Assembly.

The IFMSA has three categories for projects. The list of all IFMSA official Projects is in the last page of this bulletin, and in http://www.ifmsa.net/public/ projectselect.php —— IFMSA Endorsed Projects are organized by a single National Member Organization, or a partner organization.

—— IFMSA Transnational Projects are organized by more than one National Member Organization, or in collaboration between at least one NMO and another organization.

—— IFMSA Initiatives are projects or series of projects centrally co-coordinated under the responsibility of the IFMSA Executive Board who elect the project coordinator.

The process to gain IFMSA recognition is regulated by the bylaws (point 10.5.1); for endorsed projects the candidature must be sent to the Executive Board at any time of the year, for transnational and initiative projects the deadline is 1st December for March Meeting, and 1st May for August Meeting respectively. After that process the Project Proposal Reviewing Committee reviews the proposals, and advises the General Assembly that makes the final decision.

The process to maintain IFMSA recognition is based on two half-year reports by the 1st of December, and 1st of May, update the project information on the IFMSA projects website and to comply with the constitution and bylaws of the Federation.

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IFMSA PROJECTS BULLETIN

Regional Project Activities EMR Regional Meeting, European Regional Bahrain Meeting, Malta

PAMSA Project presentation was held on January 7th, 11:00-12:00 hours.

It was suggested that it could be presented in Spanish and the power point in English so it would help Spanish and non Spanish speaker to participate and attend the activity. 13 projects were presented from different NMOs including: IFMSA-Bolivia, IFMSA-Brazil, IFMSA-Chile, IFMSA-Mexico, IFMSA-Peru & APEMH. The best project elected was “IFMSA-Bolivia’s SAR (Salvage/ Assistance/Rescue) Brigade”.

The Project fair was held after the project presentation between 12:0013:00 hours. There were 21 projects presented from the countries mentioned above, plus IFMSA-Quebec’s.

The best project stand was awarded to IFMSA-Bolivia’s E+D project (Emergencies & Disasters).

During the 6th eastern Mediterranean regional meeting in Manama Bahrain, we had the first Regional Project Fair and Project Presentation of IFMSA. Many EMRians shared their greatest and most successful ideas and achievements with the participants during a Project Fair session hold on January 3rd, 12:00 to 13:00. The projects were from Lebanon, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan.

The Project presentation was on January 4th; 16:30 to 18:00 in a lecture hall. Every project coordinator had 5 minutes for the presentation and the participants filled in evaluation forms to give them their feedback and inputs.

Then we had the election by the NMO presidents of “The Best EMR Project 2009/2010 “which is: GO Green (LeMSIC Lebanon) and its coordinator received a prize and an IFMSA certificate, moreover all the EMR NMOs approved to join it make it a regional project.

During Thursday 8th of April from 15:00 to 17:00 it was held a Project Fair. There were 34 applicants including projects from SCOPH, SCORA, SCOME, SCORP and SCORE. We also had CESVI, an Italian NGO. It was a good opportunity for sharing projects and as an outcome from this activity. The official project proposal for IFMSA recognition I received from projects present there were: Sembrando Esperanza, Breaking the silence and Sudan Tropical Exchange.

This Projects Bulletin is an IFMSA publication © Portions of this Projects Bulletin may be reproduced for non political, and non profit purposes mentioning the source provided.

Notice: Every care has been taken in the preparation of these articles. Nevertheless, errors cannot always be avoided. IFMSA cannot accept any responsibility for any liability. The opinions expressed in this Projects Bulletin are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IFMSA.

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Regional Activities

PAMSA Regional Meeting, Chile

IFMSA Official Projects

Official Projects

INITIATIVE PROJECTS (2) Think Global Nick Watts thinkglobal@ifmsa.org Think Global aims for all future healthcare professionals to have an understanding of global health. The project works with all students involved in the IFMSA and provides them with opportunities to learn about global health in the context of their clinical and extracurricular activities. These opportunities include global health workshops and theme events at IFMSA General Assembly and regional meetings. Students attending this training are encouraged to organize global health events in their own countries.

Tobacco Initiative Project Christos Chronis tip@ifmsa.org Created with the aim of uniting medical students worldwide against the tobacco menace, aiding and strengthening efforts to raise awareness and fight against tobacco’s social and health effects, and conduct of the tobacco industry itself. The activities during on May 31st at the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) are the biggest event throughout the year in Tobacco Control. The NMOs develop their own campaign according to the needs and opportunities of their country.

TRANSNATIONAL PROJECTS (36) ACTION Project Taiko Nakazawa action.project@gmail.com A one-week training, organized every year in a Asian country. The main aims of ACTION (Asian Collaborative Training on Infectious Disease, Outbreaks, Natural Disaster and Refugee Management) Project are to increase and develop healthcare students’ awareness of infectious diseases and role of healthcare professions in Infectious Diseases Relief and to build human resources – trained and motivated doctors, who can work to relieve people who are influenced by infectious diseases.

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Anti TB Campaign Huzeifa Gabir huzeifa_medsin@yahoo.com The aim is to raise awareness on tuberculosis, and establish an international strategy among the medical students worldwide to respond to the return of the disease, and to motivate the IFMSA members to become involved in the global initiative adopted against Tuberculosis. The IFMSA Anti-Tuberculosis Campaign is a tool for IFMSA to coordinate numerous initiatives that already exist on TB and promote the organization of new ones within its National Members Organizations.

Awareness Strategies for Pollution from Industries (ASPIS) Maria Kalampogia maria_kalam@yahoo.gr Theodora Athanasopoulou athan.theodora@yahoo.com The aims are to inform and raise awareness of decision makers on environmental issues. With the participation of medical students of different countries in all the stages of the project, ASPIS has aimed to inform the young health professionals about current health-related environmental issues, bring up fruitful and productive thinking through seminars, round tables and discussions about the future of the implication of human activity on health and activate medical students not only towards the prevention of envi-

IFMSA PROJECTS BULLETIN

ronmental induced disease, but also towards environmental pollution itself.

Crossing Borders to Health Marija Draguljic marija.draguljic@gmail.com Jennifer Devereux jldvereux@googlemail.com The aims of project are focused on education, direct assistance and advocacy regarding migrants’ health. Education will target medical students and health professionals, UDM/AS/R and general public by organizing workshops, trainings and distributing informational material.

This project is also focused on strong advocacy work. It includes organizing campaigns for the legal recognition of UDM/ AS/R right to be offered the same health care, on the same basis, as other residents of any given country and preparing policy statements.

Curriculum Database Cristian Cristina christinacristian@gmail.com Started by students working within the Standing Committee on Medical Education. Its aim is to help medical students easily find information about the different ways of studying and teaching medicine in faculties and countries around the world.

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Daphne Kataryzna Zochowska k-zochowska@wp.pl Daphne was created to launch a huge campaign against sexual violence to increase the knowledge awareness and effectiveness of prevention of violence. It is targeted at medical students to prepare in responding appropriately to the issue of family violence. Medical students should be aware of societal misconceptions eg. the belief that abuse is a rare occurrence, or that abuse is a private problem best resolved without outside interference and that victims are responsible for the abuse. These problems should be spoken about widely and openly in order to break the silence of abused victims.

Eating Disorders Aleksandra Herbowska aleksandra.herbowska@gmail.com Alheli Calderon Villarreal noph_ifmsa_mexico@yahoo.com The Eating Disorders (ED) is an umbrella transnational project aiming to unite medical students in a fight against eating disorders. Through the initiatives coordinators want to provide medical students with knowledge and skills to help their patients, as well as to raise awareness of the problem among the general public.

The projects already existing under the umbrella project are: ‘Fashion Show against anorexia and bulimia’; ‘Eating Disorders Peer Education Lessons’, ‘Workshops for parents’, ‘Workshops for Medical Students’.

FGM Awareness Project Rana Salem ranaasalem@yahoo.com Khalda Abuelgasim medsin_sudan_nora@yahoo.com The aims is to see a world free from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), to prevent further mutilations and to protect all the girls all over the world from this inhuman act, while respecting their reproductive and human rights. They received training from UNICEF on giving Peer Education sessions about FGM, and PE from the MOH (Ministry of Health), organized workshops and trainings to train their members and their fellow medical students about FGM risks.

First Gynecological Consultation Marcin Bobiński marcin_scora@wp.pl The project works with young girls attending the high schools or the last classes of the secondary schools (age 14-18) who in the main have not had their first gynecological consultation. The aim is to share knowledge with young girls about “First Gynecological Visit” by itself, “Early

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Official Projects

Calcutta Village Project Vincenzo Bertino internationalcvp@gmail.com CVP works in order to fundraise and to widespread knowledge about IIMC, the Indian NGO working in the Calcutta south rural areas we’re supporting. The CVP works to fundraise, manage the rotation of the medical students going to Calcutta and widespread the knowledge of the project and the idea of the international cooperation. IFMSA volunteers can collaborate going to Calcutta, where they can e.g. attend nursing work, follow the medical examinations with the local doctors.

Daisy Project – Margarita Alice Lazaridou alice.lazaridou@yahoo.com Melina Chatzikonstantinou melaki26@gmail.com The project is comprised by a central activity which is attended by all participants and 4 peripheral activities which are optional according to the students’ preference. The expected outcome includes e.g.: the exposure of medical students to the real working conditions in the field of community-based medicine and the application of theoretical knowledge in order to deal with public health problems and the development of skills concerning the communication with the patients and their relatives.

Official Projects

Prevention of Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer” and the reproductive health problems that they may face beginning from the second decade of their lives.

Ghana Health and Education Initiative Diana Rickard drick001@gmail.com The aims are to build the capacity of local communities to improve their own level of health and education through sustainable and participatory programs.

GHEI’s education programs respond to the needs and desires of the local community. We run supplementary courses for bright young students and have constructed facilities that the whole community can access to improve their knowledge and skills.

Go SCORP Andreea Rosca pi_roshca@yahoo.com Kheirat al Habbal khairatalhabbal@gmail.com This project aspires to unite all humanitarian SCORP projects from around the world into a unique platform database accessible to all SCORP members worldwide. This allows any SCORP member from any IFMSA NMO to have access to running humanitarian projects of different participating organizations. The platform is essentially an online based database where participating host organizations include all the necessary information. No contract is necessary between different host NMOs. The application procedure is directly processed between the host organization and the applicant volunteer.

Healthy Diet Project Nabil Ali Nasr dr_professional2010@yahoo.com Lamia Abu Ghazaleh lamia_la152@yahoo.com Eating behaviours during childhood track into adulthood and thus contribute to long term risks of health problems and chronic diseases. This project therefore targets mainly primary school children, by changing many of the habits the school children may have. We hope through our efforts we will be able to play an active role in limiting the alarming rate of spread of many of the chronic diseases in our region!

Hepatitis Awareness Nabil Ali Nasr dr_professional2010@yahoo.com This project acts at multiple stages, facing both HCV and HAV. The project aims to increase awareness about hepatitis. It is divided into two parts: the first part deals with HAV and the target population are school students, the second part deals with HBV & HCV and the target population are nursing schools and faculty students.

Influence of Studying on Students’ Health Mohammad Shalaby m.s.shalaby@hotmail.com The aim of the Influence of Studying on Students’ Health Project is to determine the level and causes of deterioration of health among medical and nonmedical students (in further phases) as a result of stress-related factors, to develop programs to reduce or even prevent it; making target people more professional in facing stress.

IFMSA Campaign on Malaria Abdalla Khalil abdo_ifmsa@yahoo.com The aims are to raise awareness and visibility of Malaria and its numerous

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threats worldwide, in addition to aspiring to establish an international strategy among medical students to respond to its many challenges. Through this we wish to see medical students motivated to be involved in global initiatives adopted in the fight against Malaria. Through cutting edge strategies e.g. gathering information, providing assistance, organising fundraising activities, the IFMSA Campaign on Malaria aims to be an excellent tool and resource to coordinate the efforts of medical students worldwide in helping to reduce the burden of Malaria.

International Student Network on Ageing and Health Timothy Croquer Buque timothy.crockerbuque@gmail.com An umbrella project for all IFMSA activities in the field of ageing, trying to raise awareness among medical students, doctors and the general population. The two main pillars of ISNAH are information dissemination (this focuses on promoting awareness among health care professionals) and Curriculum Development.

Innovative Approaches Promoting Adolescent Health and Development Ahmed Ibrahim a_ibrahim_a@hotmail.com The aims are to quantify risk taking behaviours among medical students in the EMR and to develop approaches for improving adolescent health. Started with a survey that involved many universities in the countries involved.

Kenya Village Project Tabrez Rajani volunteercoordinator@volunteerkenya. org The aim is to fight HIV/AIDS, provide primary school education, encourage microenterprise development for women and provide healthcare for the people of Western Kenya without regard to religion, politics, ethnicity or nationality. Volunteers

IFMSA PROJECTS BULLETIN

are able to travel to Kenya at any time of the year.

Marrow Jonathan Gaughran nationalmarrow@googlemail.com Marrow is a volunteer student organisation based in 32 medical schools across the United Kingdom (UK), as well as in Netherlands, Finland and Germany.

Marrow helps to take back lives from leukaemia by organising donor recruitment clinics in universities across the UK and by raising the charitable funds needed for these lifesaving activities. Students run the entire clinic, from welcoming others to counselling potential donors and taking their blood.

Organ Donation Iris Rodijk irisrodijk@gmail.com Ahmad Yakan ahmadyakan@hotmail.com One of the major goals of this project is to educate medical students about the process of organ donation and organ transplantation. Medical students which receive certain education about this issue are more likely to have a positive approach to the organ donation process, and will be capable of providing their parents friends and communities with all the information needed while deciding to become organ donors.

Orphanage Initiative in Romania Line Pedersen linep@stud.ntnu.no The target group of the project are children from 3 to 18 years, living in state institutions. During the school year, Romanian medical students aim to have weekly activities with the children in 1-2 institutions in their city. During the summer holiday students from all over the world apply to join the project. They help the Romanian students and play with the children, participate in workshops and trips and other activities.

Northern European Co-operation of Sex Education Projects Marleen Vergagen marleen.verhagen@gmail.com The aim is to improve the exchange of knowledge and co-operation between countries running sex education projects organized by medical students by organizing a conference once a year. In order to fulfill this aim a yearly conference is held in one of the participating countries, lasting four days. Every country is asked to send 5 participants, non-member countries are invited so send two persons as observers. NESCE includes 12 Northern European countries.

Peace Test Ema Djihic emic_51@hotmail.com Esther Vroegue esthervroege@gmail.com It is a human rights and peace education project. It is based on an internationally conducted survey that uses a questionnaire that qualitatively measures youths’ attitudes towards human rights, violence, war and multiculturalism. There are several methods by which people can even unintentionally separate their actions from inborn and learned moral regulations. Medical students conduct the survey, combine it with human rights

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Residency Database Nestor Rodriguez Urgelles nerour@gmail.com Maria Papadopoulou rdb@helmsic.gr The whole idea is about the construction and the renewal of a Residency Database http://residency-database. helmsic.gr, where every medical student and young doctor will be able to find information about the residency system and financial state of many countries, and the application procedure for a residency position in these countries. The importance of this project lies to the fact that a continuous growing number of medical scientists from all over the world desire to specialize or sub-specialize in a medical field outside his/her own country and they face a lot of difficulties in finding the proper source of information.

Rex Crossley Award Ruxandra Dascalescu ruxy_das@yahoo.com Iza Ene iza_ene@yahoo.com It is an IFMSA project meant to recognize and bring to attention the work and the achievements of the best projects of IFMSA. The most interesting thing about RCA is that it is a project itself, a project which comes to fill a great gap in IFMSA, that of giving impulse and momentum to the most interesting and far-reaching international initiatives of the medical students. The RCA is awarded twice a year, during General Assemblies of the IFMSA.

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Official Projects

Mr and Ms Breastestis Walaa El Bedewy deepsea02_2000@yahoo.com This is a reproductive neoplasm prevention project that aims to assess medical students’ and public knowledge on Reproductive Neoplasms, Educate medical students on Reproductive Neoplasms, foster interdisciplinary and multisector approach to prevention/health promotion, in order to develop a coherent response to current global cancer burden.

and peace education, and publish the results.

Official Projects

Scientific Opportunities Database Ivona Ursu anne_mary7@yahoo.com Ivan Koychev cosmin_paducel@yahoo.com.au The main aim is to keep informed all the medical students from all over the world about the opportunities of studying around the world. We are collecting information about congresses, conferences, trainings, workshops, seminaries, summer schools, scientific meetings.

SCORA Twinning Tina Sojat tina.sojat25@gmail.com Pero Markunovic cavtat@gmail.com It is a cooperation of SCORA teams involved in peer education from 2-3 different NMOs through training and twinning during 3-4 days. Training offers experience and methods exchange, gain of facilitating skills and group discussions in order to develop own strategies in handling delicate teenage issues. Twinning means making new friends and future collaborators through familiar environment in small groups, hosting guest participants in their homes and bringing together different cultures through time spent intensively together.

SCORA-Xchange Ionut-Marcel Cobec cobec_i@yahoo.com Our exchange aims to provide medical students with both theoretical knowledge and practical work concerning HIV/ AIDS. This is achieved through lectures and direct contact with HIV infected children and with people living with AIDS. Three weeks of clinical work in contact with the infected children and every day seminaries about the HIV infection presentation and discussion with the exchange students about the situation in their home countries and evaluation of the exchange.

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SmileX Diana Tashkova dianatashkova@gmail.com Alessandro Raffaele alessandro_raffaele@fastwebnet.it A clown therapy project run by medical students all over the world. Our aim is to create a less stressed atmosphere inside our hospitals, between patients and medical stuff in order to improve all the treatment processes and to face the well know whit coat fear. Moreover, we try to offer medical students more tools and techniques to approach our patients in a more relaxed way, finally again at the centre of the medical process.

Smoking-ologist Ahmed Magdy Kassem ahmedmagdy1@yahoo.com It is a project that is integrating the concept of Role-play Simulation in its activities and interventions. The participants will reflect on the role profile of a doctor who is a smoker (Smokin-ologist) in an artificial social setting where smoking is a medical specialty (Smoking-ology), implying that the smoker doctor promotes smoking. Such concept will expose the participants to firs-person experience of personalities, motivations and backgrounds of doctors who are smokers.

Sudan Village Concept Project Tarig Eltahir abo_ali14_7@yahoo.com The project aims to create a perfect village in which every thing is available and in the best way with all the facilities and infrastructure and medical support.

Teddy Bear Hospital Tina Kurent tina.kurent@gmail.com Andrei Dumitrescu nokia2ro@yahoo.com Teddy Bear Hospital aims to help young children between ages of 3-6 to lose their fears of doctors and hospital

environments in a friendly and playful way. It is achieved by setting up a hospital for teddy bears. Children are invited to attend our hospital with their teddy bear and together with a teddy doctor (medical student) they try to heal their ill friend.

At the same time the project provides an opportunity for medical students to learn more about paediatrics and gives them a chance to work with children.

Uganda Village Project Alison Schroth Hayward ahs.hayward@gmail.com It is an international public health organization working to promote and advocate for long term community health and development solutions based on grassroots needs in the Iganga District of Uganda. Main areas of focus are healthcare (with special attention to malaria, obstetric fistula, and eyesight), orphan support, and clean water.

Workshop in Peer Education for Medical Students in Lebanon Katia El Khoury katiakhoury25@yahoo.com Kasia Zochowska k-zochowska@wp.pl Peer Education is not a sustainable project in LeMSIC-SCORA. Peer Educators are few and graduate quickly with no handover or training of new recruits. This is compounded by the security and political situation. Therefore, this project was started so that IFMSA-Poland SCORA members would give a yearly workshop in peer education to the LeMSIC-SCORA members. IFMSA-Poland members also bring in new training techniques learned from YPEER and other sources unavailable to LeMSIC-SCORA. This workshop may take place in Lebanon or Poland, with the ultimate aim of a sustainable Peer Education program in LeMSICSCORA.

IFMSA PROJECTS BULLETIN

ENDORSED PROJECTS (8)

EQUIP Chuck R. Vrasich crvrasich@gmail.com EQUIP is a national campaign to engage students in medical supply recovery and donation to the developing world. Formerly a transnational project, EQUIP is being revived, starting as a pilot project within AMSA-USA. Together with REMEDY, EQUIP aims to increase awareness of medical surplus, the number of equipment recovery programs and the utility of donated supplies.

EuWHO Gemma Owens, Paul Reidy euwho@medsin.org The European World Health Organisation Simulation (EuWHO) will be a three day simulation of a WHO World Health Assembly meeting, which will provide an engaging opportunity for university students across the UK and Europe, to act as representatives

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of WHO member states and discuss, debate and develop resolutions to pressing issues in international health.

During the conference, delegates to the WHO will meet to address the key global health issue and will spend the weekend working towards a sustainable plan that will ensure a solution to the global health problem.

Healthy Planet Mustafa Abbas healthyplanet@medsin.org Healthy Planet International is a global health and medical student movement towards climate change and environmental public health. It is a close-knit international community which works on a wide array of environmental health issues. The “vision” of the project is global health equity, the “arena” is climate change and environmental public health and the “strategy” lies in educating the international health student body, in directly acting to cut carbon emissions and preserve the ecosystem, and in advocating for better policy.

P2 (Physician x Pharmacist) Collaborative Project Ghaisani Fadiana psquared@psquared-project.com The main aims are to promote collaboration and partnership between future physician and future pharmacist all over the world through global health-related joint activities. They are provided supporting tools (handbook, guidelines, etc.) which also contains research-based survey results about current healthcare students’ statistics and data.

Reproductive Health Education Project for Adolescents in School Abhisek Jaisawal abhikjswl@gmail.com The major goals are to obtain a baseline data on the existing knowledge, attitude and practice of adolescents in schools on reproductive health issues, improve this knowledge to an acceptable standard and then create mechanisms for sustaining the project at the project sites locally so that local teachers are able to conduct school health education on their own in future.

Sexpression Eva Hesmondhalgh sexpressionuk@gmail.com It’s a medical student project aimed at educating about sexual health and relationship advice in the local area.

The aims of these projects are creating opportunities to discuss sexual matters in an open, non-judgmental environment; promoting individual self-esteem and empowerment; encouraging respect for personal beliefs and values; facilitating informed decision-making and autonomy regarding sex; ensuring that young people have the skills to access sources of confidential advice.

Substance abuse and dependence Milica Radovic milicaradovic16@gmail.com The goal of the project is to raise awareness about dependence disorders and to raise the knowledge and skills that will enable young people to face challenges and pressures of society, as well as good organizing of their by-time. Main reason for this project initiation was a lack of effective and continuous educational programmes for medical students in the fields of prevention, education, and research of dependence disorders.

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Official Projects

Child Abuse Prevention Project Huma Humayun Khan loonykhan@gmail.com The aim is to expose and sensitize future medical professionals to the issue of Child Sexual Abuse and work for the advocacy and alleviation of the issue on a national or even an international level. The project involves training a group of medical students from Khyber Medical College, Peshawar and King Edwards College, Lahore with regards to Child Sexual Abuse Prevention. As a follow-up of the training, the medical students will proceed to organize activities for children at local schools regarding child abuse, keeping within our social and cultural norms.

Project Awards Info There are three awards for IFMSA projects: Project Fair, Project Presentation and Rex Crossley. See below the winners of the last General Assembly, congratulations to all of them and I suggest you get in contact with them.

I want to introduce you to the new system of IFMSA Project Awards called since now Rex Crossley Awards that include three categories:

—— Project Presentation Competition —— Project Fair Competition —— Best Project Competition For the first and the second prize you have to send the candidature, and prepare something interesting. During the General Assembly all the projects stands and presentations will be evaluated by a committee formed by Rex Crossley Coordinators and other projects people.

For the third prize you have to fulfil one report, and the best candidates have to write an article for the Project Bulletin. The best one will win the award to the best IFMSA Project.

Finally all the prizes are given during the Closing Ceremony, so don’t forget to attend!

Project Awards MM10 Rex Crossley Award 1st Price The Sexuality of Disabled Children IFMSA-Poland Malgorzata Zochowska malzocho@interia.pl 2 Price National Health Week FGMSA (Ghana) John Godswill Gyasi Banin johnbanin@yahoo.co.uk

Project Awards

nd

3rd Price Carabook ANEMF (France) Victoria Lanvin victoria.lanvin@ anemf.org

Best Project Presentation

Best Project Fair

1st Price Condom as a fashion IFMSA-Thailand Apinut Wongkietkachorn apinutme@hotmail.com

1st Price Marrow Medsin-UK Jonathan Gaughran nationalmarrow@gmail.com

2nd Price Calcutta Village Concept Project SISM (Italy) Vicenzo Bertino esvadi@hotmail.com

2nd Price Agenda Med Associa-Med (Tunisia) Lamia Jouini nome@associamed.org

3rd Price Social Medical Service 1st Volunteer Team IFMSA-Thaiwan Leo Chang president@fmstw.org

3rd Price Appropiate First Aid ANEMF (France) Nicolas Rechaussat nicholas.rechaussat@orange.fr

On the following pages (13-22) you will find the projects that participate in the REX CROSSLEY Award Competition AM10.

REX CROSSLEY Award Competition AM10 12

IFMSA PROJECTS BULLETIN

Breaking The Silence!

The art of speaking without your tongue.

Oikonomopoulou Niki nik.oik87@gmail.com

Breaking the silence is a project that aims to teach young doctors how to communicate with deaf patients. The project started to run by HelMSIC – LC of Athens about 1,5 years ago. Right now three of our seven local committees run it on an annual basis.

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pretends to be the patient. This is one of the obligations of the participants in order to take their certificate. The others are to be on time for the courses, study, don’t be absent for more than twice and to complete an evaluation form at the end of the project.

We are really glad by the fact that the BtS project is running in Greece because we made the Greek sign language known to our colleagues, we helped them understand the importance of communicating with the patients and broaden their perception of handicapped people: those who feel aside of the society and not those with disability. The results that come out on the evaluation of the project are very encouraging. But a great relief and source of joy is when a medical student comes and reports about a successful communication with a deaf patient during the clinical rounds in the hospital or in the emergency room! This encourages us to become better. Therefore, for the next cycles of the project we’re planning going to watch a theatrical and dance performance in which the actors are deaf. In this way we will have the opportunity to adapt our knowledge to the social and cultural background of deaf society, maybe even more important of just knowing sign language.

So, if you want to get familiar with a quiet but still fascinating new world and feel proud for the fact that you are a doctor capable of helping every patient…

Give a break to words! Break the silence in your country!

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Rex Crossley AM10

But why did we decide to run Breaking the Silence in the first place? The background of the project was the fact of total absence of acknowledgement of sign language as an official language of the Greek state, recognized equally to the original Greek language, and more specific the unawareness of this language throughout the Hellenic Public Health System. We had been in contact with many doctors and we identified their inability to communicate with deaf patients in absence of a translator in the emergence, and not only, department.

Taking into consideration the above reasons, we conclude that the scope of providing the “Breaking the Silence” Project to the medical community is perfectly adapted to the needs of medical students and future doctors. On the other hand, we feel responsible for helping the deaf community and try to bring as close as

we can the two future “partners”, patients and doctors, enhancing doctor-patient relationship by enabling them to speak the same language.

Since we came up with the idea we just had to organize the project. Breaking The Silence concludes 25 hours of practical courses and lasts about 1 and a half months. Every medical student enrolled in a medical school where the project is run can take part in the BtS project. Students can apply all year long.

Their names are kept in a priority list and they are informed, when time has come for them to participate in the courses.

Access to the lessons is permitted to every student at every year of medicine, although there is a limitation of participation (5 persons for each academic year).

The only criteria that are considered are their willing to join the project! In order to facilitate the flow of the courses, we have created several questions that are necessary, when a doctor takes a history.

These questions are separated in different systems, for example cardiovascular, respiratory etc. Each course lasts 2 hours and is about one system. Except for the medical terminology, the participants are also taught words necessary in everyday life. When the questions and the words are taught, the participants try to understand them by playing roles. Therefore, they play either the doctor or the deaf patient. Finally, at the last course, the participants repeat all the questions, in order to be ready for the examination! During the exams, each participant has to take history successfully, from a deaf actor, who

Crossing Borders – UK Improving migrants’ health.

Jennifer Devereux jldevereux@gmail.com

Rex Crossley AM10

From the creation of Crossing Border’s seven years ago in an English medical school, we have grown into an international network of students whose mission is to remove barriers to healthcare for refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants.

Our vision is that migrants achieve the highest attainable standard of health irrespective of immigration status, with access to high quality services that reflect their needs. We work to achieve this via three main activities: Education Migration has physical and psychological health consequences, yet the specific healthcare needs of this population are not a compulsory curriculum topic in UK medical schools. As a cohort of future health professionals, it is vital that medical students are educated on this topic, so they are able and prepared to treat this population appropriately. To facilitate this, we produced and continuously update, a CD full of re-

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sources, lectures, guidelines and examples of curriculum proposals which is distributed to our branches across the country. All the migrant healthcare teaching now implemented in medical schools has been the result of local branches’ work with this and we were invited to advise the Advances in Clinical Education and the UK Doctors Education, Audit and Research Groups on this issue.

Direct Assistance Students implement voluntary projects that address the health needs of migrants. Since we tailor our projects to local need, activities vary between branches. Examples include helping refugee doctors retrain, talks introducing the UK health system, mentoring programmes and performances of plays that describe the plight of migrants.

Where possible we work with external

partners, to reduce duplication and improve sustainability. Our project pack is a compilation of all local projects and includes details of how to set up and sustain them, successes and weaknesses and contact details for the most experienced coordinator. In this way we disseminate best practice guidelines, share innovative ideas and provide peer monitoring and evaluation for our projects throughout the network.

Advocating for Policy Change We campaign at the local and national level to remove the organisational barriers to migrant healthcare. As stakeholders recognising that denying access not only raises humanitarian concerns, but has serious public health consequences, we believe we have a responsibility to speak out. By raising awareness we aim to inspire and empower students to educate their peers about these issues and become involved in other aspects of our project.

In 2007 a national committee was established with dedicated coordinators for each of these areas, to unify, support and improve the efficiency of local branch activities. We are excited about replicating this with IFMSA projects since gaining transnational status. However, if our vision is to be realised, we will need the involvement of all medical schools and the support of their NMOs so please get involved; only together will we improve the health of migrants worldwide.

IFMSA PROJECTS BULLETIN

Eating Disorders You are more than an image!

Alheli Calderon Villarreal alheli.calderon@gmail.com

Quod me nutrit me destruit (what feeds me destroys me). These latin words became the motto of thousands of people, mainly young girls. They all suffer from eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating. Struggling with emotional problems and low self-esteem, they feel left alone. They want to disappear... What to do when being thin is not enough? How to prevent the growing obsession with body image, which more and more often leads to development of eating disorders?

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which are one of the factors contributing to eating disorders development, seems to become an epidemic in our culture.

The media images creating definitions of beauty and equaling thinness with happiness and success, too often af-

fect young people self-esteem. In order to promote healthy image of beauty, the project ‘Fashion Show against anorexia and bulimia’ was set up. As fashion has a great influence on adolescents, through presenting healthy models (with body mass index>18,5), we try to change the common stereotypes ‘only thin is beautiful’, created by fashion companies.

Every Fashion Show is preceded by a casting, during which we choose healthy models that are aware of their self-esteem. During all the Fashion Shows (runways), performed in shopping malls or clubs, the information about eating disorders, proper nutrition and treatment are provided by both specialists (psychiatrists, psychologists) and medical students.

In XX century eating disorders became a real health and life threat. More and more young people suffer from anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overeating... IFMSA-Poland and IFMSA-Mexico decided to act against the diseases. Under Eating Disorders umbrella project, we conduct the social campaigns including ‘Fashion Show against anorexia and bulimia’, peer education lessons in schools, sessions for parents and teachers, as well as workshops for medical students. Through these activities we want to hit the problem with multiplied forces. We strongly believe that together we can really make the difference! If you want to make the difference – do not hesitate and join Eating Disorders Transnational Project!

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Rex Crossley AM10

The Eating Disorders Transnational Project was created to unite the IFMSA activities concerning this issue. Through setting up various activities and developing diverse methodology, we succeeded to reach several target groups, whose knowledge on the problem seems to be crucial in the process of dealing with it.

In hospitals, medical students often encounter patients with anorexia, bulimia or compulsive overeating. As future doctors they need to achieve at least some basic knowledge about the problem. Understanding the mechanisms of the disease and the way patients think and act is essential to proper diagnosis and treatment. Through workshops for medical students, we want to prepare them to provide their patients an effective care. In addition, the students who received relevant knowledge are able to take part in the further activities and educate the society about the problem of eating disorders.

Through meetings with pupils, based

on peer education methods which are proved to be an excellent form of reaching adolescents, medical students try to give them significant but non-scientific information on how to avoid those illnesses and notice the danger before it’s too late. During the lessons, we discuss behavior anomalies, symptoms, treatment opportunities, as well as provide pupils with information where to seek help and how to behave when they suspect that their friends or family members suffer from eating disorders. Every meeting is a challenge and requires from the educators great communication skills, and knowledge of the issue. Apart from educational sessions reaching teenagers, we also prepare workshops for parents and teachers, as they are those who can encourage healthy attitudes about nutrition and first help if children start struggling with the disorder.

Concern of body shape and weight,

EuWHO The European World Health Organisation Simulation Gemma Owens gemmaowens@gmail.com

Rex Crossley AM10

The European World Health Organisation Simulation (EuWHO) is a 3 day simulation of a World Health Assembly, which will provide an engaging opportunity for university students across the UK & Europe to act as representatives of WHO member states and discuss, debate and develop resolutions to pressing issues in international health.

The WHO simulation will be held in the UK, from 3rd-5th December at the Royal Society of Medicine London.

The aims of the simulation are to: —— Raise student awareness about global health issues —— Provide a means for students to play a proactive role in health policy —— Acquaint students with the WHO and its role —— Develop interprofessional relations between future healthcare professionals as well as amongst students whose fields of expertise play a role in health policy —— Develop policy statements and contribute to the national and international discussions on health policy.

EuWHO delegates will address the issue of health as a human right. Participants will represent the views of the member countries of the WHO, as well

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as non-governmental organizations.

Delegates will spend the weekend working towards a sustainable plan that will ensure global acknowledgement of the right to health.

Delegates will have the opportunity to debate in full plenary sessions, as well as in smaller “regional blocks” divided by world region. The final session of the conference will be in a plenary format to allow all delegates to meet and work together. During the final plenary, delegates will write a Declaration of Principles outlining the consensus on issues surrounding the

right to health. This declaration will be sent to the World Health Organization in Geneva following the close of the conference.

In addition, several keynote speakers will contribute throughout the weekend: —— Professor Paul Hunt, Former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health (20022008) —— Lord Nigel Crisp, Author of the UK Government report on Global Health Partnerships and former Chief Executive of the NHS —— Professor Peter Piot, Founding Director of the Imperial College Institute for Global Health and former Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS (UNAIDS) and Under SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations —— Professor Sir John Tooke, UCL Vice Provost (Health) and Head of UCL School of Life & Medical Sciences and Head of the UCL Medical School —— Dr Carole Presern, Managing Director, Special Projects, at the GAVI Alliance. Previously Counsellor at the UK Mission in Geneva and member of the UK Delegation to the World Health Assembly.

—— Dr Joia Mukherjee, Medical Director of Partners in Health.

Registration for EuWHO opens in September 2010. For updates and details of how to register please visit www.medsin.org/projects/euwho.

IFMSA PROJECTS BULLETIN

Let’s look into eyes of health Lukas Evin evin.lukas@gmail.com

314 millions of people live with low vision or blindness in the world, 45 millions of them are blind and 269 millions have low vision. 145 millions cases with low vision are due to uncorrected refractive error of eyes. At most of these cases, normal vision can be restored by glasses. 90% of all these people live in lowincome countries. Without and effective intervention these numbers will rise. All this, was reason for us in SloMSA Slovakia to start work in this field and help with this issue in our country and also in lowincome countries.

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Our project is perfect example of idea that with small amount of money, but with many creative enthusiastic people we can do miracles.

We have connected this project with university celebration dedicated to medical students. Usually, parts of this celebration were one day of sport activities and one day with concert of famous band. We came to dean and say: What if we could do something for public during this celebration? Dean has agreed and he was so pleased of this idea that he has promised to pay for all promotional materials (shirts, posters, banners).

After this big approval was made, the final version of project proposal, project management, crisis management and training (How to approach possible partner) were made. Team created, tasks divided, monitoring all the time and all of

this starts to bring its first fruits.

Abder Oued from Association des Etudiants en Médecine du Burkina Faso in Burkina Faso has answered our call on IFMSA SCOPH and cooperation has begun. We have agreed on that by the first day of our project we will start big one month collection of old unused glasses in our city. Everybody have some in their home with lot of dust on them. We can collect them and then send it to low-income countries. Main low vision impairment is due to refractive error, which can be corrected by glasses. Glasses are for these people expensive artifacts, which can easily stop progression of refractive errors and avoid blindness. Parents with vision impairments have problems to take care of their children and family.

It is hard for them to develop, learn and even play with other children. So with this little help we can do miracles. Medical students from Burkina Faso will then give these glasses to people who need them for free.

For a second goal, we had one day event in shopping center, where we educated people about different vision impairments, prevention and we also did some examination of eyes. People could try simulation glasses and see how they would see if they had some vision impairment. Tools for blind people and picture exposition from life of blind people help to realize more the importance of this topic.

What to say in the end? We had educated around 800 people and collected around 120 kilograms of watches for Burkina Faso.

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Rex Crossley AM10

Our story has started in September 2009, when one of our coordinators was looking for some information on WHO website and has found all these interesting information. We have decided to change it!

Our project has two goals: —— Raise awareness about low vision disorders and blindness as a world problem, with which we can help.

—— Raise awareness about low vision issues as preventable problem in our country.

LOS CHAVITOS Back to being a kid for a day.

Verónica Valverde Nisiama verito_val.nis@hotmail.com

Rex Crossley AM10

Could you imagine a day in the streets?! We can tell you what it feels like, working a full day with children of the street, feeling people’s indifference as they pass by , not being able to make ends meet, trying to get enough money to buy some food for the day and at the same time having to take home some money to your family so that they can eat too, these seem to be adults problems...

But these are the problems that children of the street have to deal with every day in our city Children selling candies, washing cars, working on cemeteries or working as jugglers... those were all the roles we had to take on when we compromised to work with them for one day.

While we all know children are the future of a country and is therefore a clear need to protect and make this sector of the population grow, children remain as the most vulnerable and unprotected citizens. According to projections by the National Statistics Institute (INEI) of Peru’s the total population of

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Peru exceeds 28 million people. The 38% is made up of children and adolescents from 1 month to 17 years, and 60% of them live in poverty.

Los Chavitos is a project started as an initiative of APEMH LC – Arequipa, for the larger number of working street children we all witness every day. Is not uncommon to find them on street corners, squares, cemeteries, etc. We wanted to understand their problems, that´s why we came up with the idea of working with them one day, and the next day try to give them one day with the magic of the childhood they’ve somehow lost.

The activity is designed for countries where child labor is a tangible social problem, that´s why we decided to work together so that we could help these children; the activity was designed to be carried out in two days.

Previously we had to contact with children from different parts of the city, and explain a little about the project to their parents, we also had to ask for all the necessary permissions in order to spend one day with them.

On the first day all the LC members and volunteers who engaged in this noble cause had to work with children in the same places and under the same conditions in which children of the street work on, in order to collect twice the money the child makes and not to alter the family income he generates.

The second day the child does not need to work, because he already got the money for two days, this second day is probably the most important, we call it BACK TO BEING A KID FOR A DAY, this day is about giving all the comforts and all the love we can possibly give to the children. We planned to take the children on a touristic bus and give them a tour around the city, then we took them to the movies, for most of the children this was their first time watching a movie on film!. After that they had a special lunch with all the members of the LC, on the afternoon they also had an interesting agenda.

They went to Pediatric and Dental Clinics. Soon after that we organized workshops to discuss about children’s rights and many children shared their experiences in various topics.

The day ended with a big party where children danced, sang, played, received gifts and surprises from our partners.

For us it was a rewarding experience, there is nothing more beautiful than the smile of a child who is used to live as an adult.

IFMSA PROJECTS BULLETIN

MARROW Fighting to take back lives from leukaemia.

Jonathan Gaughran nationalmarrow@googlemail.com

Every year thousands of people are diagnosed with leukaemia and other diseases of bone marrow. For many a stem cell transplant may be their only chance of cure - only 30% of patients find a match. MARROW is the UK’s student-run voluntary organisation that constantly searches for these crucial matches by hosting donor recruitment clinics as well as fundraising for this cause.

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support each group and provide a contact link with the Anthony Nolan Trust, a national committee is elected each year.

This committee aims to support each MARROW group by running regional AGMs in addition to a national AGM. These meetings provide opportunities for the whole network to meet up, along with representatives from the Anthony Nolan Trust in order to discuss current recruitment strategies and share ideas.

It cost € 135 to place each donor on the bone marrow register. In order to assist the Anthony Nolan Trust, MARROW groups regularly hold fundraising events. As well as local events such as bake sales and bag packing, groups around the country have worked together to hold highly successful na-

BE A MATCH, SAVE A LIFE.

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Rex Crossley AM10

Since its establishment in 1998, MARROW has grown from strength to strength through its association with the UK’s largest national bone marrow register, the Anthony Nolan Trust.

MARROW’s primary activity is the organising of clinics where potential donors can access information about stem cell donation and join the register should they wish. These clinics are entirely student-led and consist of counselling potential donors about the implications of being on the register, and for those who decide to join, the collection of a small saliva sample. As students are generally young, healthy, and represent a broad cross section of ethnicities, they are perfect potential donors.

As such, it is MARROW’s ultimate aim to provide every student with the opportunity to join the bone marrow register.

Currently Marrow consists of 35 groups throughout the UK. In order to

tional events such as fun-runs, cycling and mountain climbing challenges. Last year MARROW raised in excess of € 75,000.

Marrow’s international position continues to grow through its affiliation with the IFMSA since 2006. With MARROW groups established in the UK, Netherlands, France, Finland, Austria and Germany, a key aim of MARROW UK is to encourage and support the establishment of MARROW groups in even more countries.

In recognition of our dedication to international health, MARROW was the proud winner of the Rex Crossley ‘Best Project in the World’ award at AM07 and AM08 and ‘Project Fair Competition’ at MM10.

MARROW is responsible for approximately one-third of the 6000+ potential donors recruited onto the register in the UK each year. In the last 10 years more than 120 people who have signed up at Marrow-run clinics have gone on to donate bone marrow and potentially saved a life. A number we want to see grow!

Mosquito bites‌ and malaria How to realise what it means to cope with malaria everyday.

Julie BacquĂŠ julie.bacque@gmail.com

Malaria is known to be the first deadly infectious disease in the world.

Sadly, it is not well known either by the populations that suffer from it, nor by europeans. However, it is most probably in the occidental world that research can be held in the next future.

This is why we wanted occidentals to put themselves in the shoes of people affected by malaria, through a two days sensibilization action, for students from the university, emphasizing on better knowledge of the concrete aspects of the disease.

Rex Crossley AM10

First, we made up an exhibition about malaria, aiming at giving information about the disease, directed to the students, dealing also with the issues of research and future therapies.

Then, we invited students to take

part to a game to get them involved in the theme. Participants had to throw mosquito darts on a huge world-map board to determine were malaria was present. Later on, they would play the role of somebody of this country, and of some different geographical areas (mountains, forest, ‌). People also had to play a character (baby, farmer, tourist).

They had to go through a path with the goal of finding some medicine for the role game. During this, depending on the selected country, they would meet for example the shaman, a seller of fake medicine on the market, an untrained chemist. Each of them would play a role in preventing the patient to receive appropriate treatment. After finally arriving at the hospital, it would likely be too late, which emphasizes on

the difficult access to primary healthcare.

Afterwards, people could get into a discussion with students from Burkina Faso, Madagascar and Gabon that had experienced the disease in their countries. It was the opportunity to have live testimonies about the disease. We also wanted the participants to have a reflection with them about the stakes for each community involved.

In the evening, a conference on malaria was hold by our parasitology teacher, directed at all people (not only medical students!).

On the last evening, a party was organized, during which people would play party games, in order to meet other people, and would receive some questions about malaria, on which they had to give the most right answers to win some prizes. People could eat typical food that African students had cooked for them. There was also a Senegalese band with dancers that held a show, and of course, people were invited to take part!

This project allowed us to achieve our goals regarding creative sensibilization, since participants were seduced by the originality of the project and its innovative part, while not neglecting seriousness and relevance.

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IFMSA PROJECTS BULLETIN

STEP Sudan Tropical Exchange Project Mubashar A. Abugossi mubashtan@gmail.com

STEP is an internship focusing on tropical diseases in Sudan The program will consist of a scientific part, including a medical mission to a rural area and a unique social program. A total of 20 students from all over the world will be participating in the program from the 5th of November 2010 to the 2nd of December 2010 in Khartoum, Sudan.

rural communities. The temporary mission hospitals will exist of a male and female health clinic, a laboratory and a small pharmacy set up in local (school) buildings. International and Sudanese students will work together to provide the village people living in these areas with free medical consultations, lab investigations, medication and medical education. This mission is a truly unique experience and will give participating students an idea of the possibilities and limitations of working in a tropical area, with limited medical supplies and facilities.

Sudan is a country where conflicts were the norm for a very long time, where radical changes in politics have taken place and where the separation between the south and the north is still ever present. Students participating in STEP will experience and learn from a completely different society in various ways. The social program will offer students the opportunity to get acquainted with the Sudanese culture and visit places of interest in and around Khartoum inculding the Suadsnes pyramids (7000 years old). It will be a tremendous experience in cultural differences on health care and society.

Students from all over the world are welcome to join the project. The deadline for applications will be in late August 2010. All information needed can be found at www.step2010.org or via direct contact with the project coordinator (see above)!

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Rex Crossley AM10

Since medicine is becoming more and more internationally oriented and tropical diseases are spreading fast due to the influences of tourism, migration and war related issues it is important for medical students worldwide to be educated on tropical diseases and clinical syndromes not normally found in their home country. With STEP, MedSIN Sudan’s Standing Committees on Research Exchange and IFMSA-NL want to provide enthusiastic medical students with the opportunity to realize this goal.

In the scientific program student will get

acquainted with the scientific knowledge about the pathological and clinical features of the Tropical Diseases while discussing the management plans including investigations. The program will include lectures, researches in the Tropical Diseases, lab work , clinical live cases, hospital rounds and surgical operations and will take place for the most part at the Faculty of Medicine from the University of Khartoum; Sudan’s oldest and largest medical faculty. The scientific program will be supervised by physicians, professors, doctors and tutors specialized in each field and also by students working in the institutes. A certificate will be granted after a final exam.

Students will also participate in a Medical Mission in the vicinity of Khartoum during the final week of the scientific program. The Medical Mission is a form of organized medical campaign aiming to provide considerable aid to raise the level of health status in the

A Streetcar Named Desire Safe drive – stay alive. Stop AIDS. Katarzyna Żochowska k-zochowska@wp.pl

Rex Crossley AM10

7400 people around the world contract HIV every day. More than half of them are young adults in age between15-24. Often the problem lies in the ignorance and lack of proper knowledge about the ways of prevention.

“A Streetcar Named Desire” IFMSAPoland is dedicated to young people who go out to parties and have onenight stands. Our idea was appreciated by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation that decided to award the project with its grant in June 2010.

The only way of fighting HIV/AIDS is through prevention. The only way of prevention is through education.

That knows everyone. But have you ever noticed that the best way of education is through fun?!

In the project “A Streetcar Named Desire” all those three issues are combined. Here you have city trams – the most popular means of transport – giving people lift to parties.

While waiting at tram stop, just

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talk to our Safe Behaviour Consultants – they will be there for you, take some condoms or win great gifts in safe-sex quiz. Inside the tram, instead of ticket inspector, you will find charming medical students from IFMSA next to safe-sex stands, set up to give people information and condoms in their way to clubs. In a club you will have an unique chance to become up-to-theminute on safesex behaviours, show off that proficiency you’ve just got during safe-behaviour games or just have some fun...safely. Since that party you will remember about magic ABC: Abstinence, Be faithful, Condoms.

Just safe drive – stay alive.

Stop AIDS. After the whole night spent on the safe-behavior parties, you will know plenty about risk-taking behaviors like not using condoms, having one-night stands, changing sexual partners often, losing control or taking drugs administered intravenously. The question “have you ever…” will be asked many times that night.

And tomorrow, when you will wake up, you will find a sticker from the yesterday-party on your jacket, inviting you for free HIV testing. And hopefully you will do it. For yourself and for your partners.

The project was created for young people leading a “night life” and being sexually active who very often do not know the risk they take by their behavior. Sexually Transmitted Infections are often one of the last things young adults think about when they become sexually active. That’s one of the reasons why the amount of people newly infected with HIV and other STI’s is still high.

The aims of our project are: —— to raise the knowledge about ways of HIV transmission, prevention and ways of treatment, —— to inform people about different contraceptive methods and benefits of safe sex, —— to provide medical information —— to encourage people to undergoing HIV-test, —— to decrease the amount of new HIV infections, —— to reduce discrimination of HIV positive people.

IFMSA PROJECTS BULLETIN

IFMSA Official Projects ACTION Anti-TB Campaign ASPIS Calcutta Village Project Children Abuse Prevention Crossing Borders Curriculum Database Daisy Daphne EQUIP EuWHO Eating Disorders FGM Awareness First Gynaecological Consultation Ghana Health and Education Go SCORP Healthy Diet Hepatitis Awareness Campaign Healthy Planet ISSH ISNAH IAPAHD Kenya Village Project Marrow Mr and Mrs Breastestis NECSE Organ Donation Orphanage Initiative P2 collaborative Peace Test RHEPAS Residence Database Rex Crossley Awards Scientific Opportunities Database SCORA Twinning SCORA Xchange Sexpression SmileX Smoking-ologist Substance abuse and dependence Sudan Village Concept Project Teddy Bear Hospital Think Global Tobacco Initiative Project Uganda Village Project Workshop in Peer Education

Armenia (AMSP) Australia (AMSA) Austria (AMSA) Azerbaijan (AzerMDS) Bahrain (IFMSA-BH) Bangladesh (BMSS) Bolivia (IFMSA Bolivia) Bosnia and Herzegovina (BoHeMSA) Bosnia and Herzegovina - Rep. of Srpska (SaMSIC) Brazil (DENEM) Brazil (IFMSA Brazil) Bulgaria (AMSB) Burkina Faso (AEM) Burundi (ABEM) Canada (CFMS) Canada-Quebec (IFMSA-Quebec) Catalonia - Spain (AECS) Chile (IFMSA-Chile) China (IFMSA-China) Colombia (ACOME) Colombia (ASCEMCOL) Costa Rica (ACEM) Croatia (CroMSIC) Czech Republic (IFMSA CZ) Denmark (IMCC) Ecuador (IFMSA-Ecuador) Egypt (IFMSA-Egypt) El Salvador (IFMSA El Salvador) Estonia (EstMSA) Ethiopia (EMSA) Finland (FiMSIC) France (ANEMF) Germany (BVMD) Ghana (FGMSA) Greece (HelMSIC) Grenada (IFMSA-Grenada) Hong Kong (AMSAHK) Hungary (HuMSIRC) Iceland (IMSIC) Indonesia (CIMSA-ISMKI) Iran (IFMSA-Iran) Israel (FIMS) Italy (SISM) Jamaica (JAMSA) Japan (IFMSA-Japan) Jordan (IFMSA-Jo) Kenya (MSAKE) Korea (KMSA)

Kuwait (KuMSA) Kyrgyzstan (MSPA Kyrgyzstan) Latvia (LaMSA Latvia) Lebanon (LeMSIC) Libya (LMSA) Lithuania (LiMSA) Luxembourg (ALEM) Malta (MMSA) Mexico (IFMSA-Mexico) Montenegro (MoMSIC Montenegro) Mozambique (IFMSA-Mozambique) Nepal (NMSS) New Zealand (NZMSA) Nigeria (NiMSA) Norway (NMSA) Oman (SQU-MSG) Pakistan (IFMSA-Pakistan) Palestine (IFMSA-Palestine) Panama (IFMSA-Panama) Peru (APEMH) Peru (IFMSA Peru) Philippines (AMSA-Philippines) Poland (IFMSA-Poland) Portugal (PorMSIC) Romania (FASMR) Russian Federation (HCCM) Rwanda (MEDSAR) Saudi Arabia (IFMSA-Saudi Arabia) Serbia (IFMSA-Serbia) Sierra Leone (MSA) Slovakia (SloMSA) Slovenia (SloMSIC) South Africa (SAMSA) Spain (IFMSA-Spain) Sudan (MedSIN-Sudan) Sweden (IFMSA-Sweden) Switzerland (SwiMSA) Taiwan (IFMSA-Taiwan) Tatarstan-Russia (TaMSA-Tatarstan) Thailand (IFMSA-Thailand) The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MMSA-Macedonia) The Netherlands (IFMSA-The Netherlands) Tunisia (ASSOCIA-MED) Turkey (TurkMSIC) United Arab Emirates (EMSS) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Medsin-UK) United States of America (AMSA-USA) Venezuela (FEVESOCEM)

www.ifmsa.org medical students worldwide