NHEF News
10-20-2006
:: NHEF President's Community Service Project Awarded $25,000 grant by CHEST Foundation
Nigeria Higher Education Foundations President, Dr. C. Sola Olopade, was recently recognized with a 2006 Humanitarian Award by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and the CHEST Foundation
The CHEST Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American College of Chest Physicians, a 16,000-member, international medical specialty society. Always action-oriented, The CHEST Foundation blends specialty medicine, public health, and a commitment to serve those in need.
The CHEST Foundations Humanitarian Awards Program provides recognition awards and sustaining grants for nonprofit and nongovernmental health-related organizations benefiting from the volunteer commitment of ACCP members.
In selecting Dr. Olopade's project titled "Making a Difference with the Notion that Education and Community Empowerment is Golden", the foundation stated "…Your project was one of six projects selected to receive recognition and funding. Your project exemplifies the voluntary efforts put forth by ACCP members around the world..."
According to Dr. Olopade, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA and the incoming Governor for Illinois ACCP, a $25,0000 sustaining grant which accompanies the award will be implemented by the Healthy Life for All Foundation (HLF) and will be used specifically to provide free condoms, free HIV testing and HIV education to students at University of Ibadan and the adjourning Polytechnic.
The timing of the award could not be better since Nigeria was recently named the third country in the world, after South Africa and India, with the highest number of people living with the dreaded diseases, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).