Saint John mother and son join forces to help build school and AIDS centre in Kenya.

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Lise Elsliger

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It has become common these days to see images on the news of people dying of hunger in places like Kenya. Turns out that it's more serious than simply malnutrition, with millions of Africans dying of AIDS as we speak. Our natural reaction is what can we do? Pierre Robichaud has decided to make it a life mission to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic and is thus saving people's lives.

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His desire to work for the cause of illnesses such as AIDS started primarily from his academic background, which was a degree in genetics and business.

"My career goal has always been medicine, so that's what I'm studying right now," he says. "So I've always had an interest in the medical aspect of HIV and those types of diseases. As well as in sustainable development. So for me it was interesting to go and tackle a disease that has such complexity.

"It's always been a goal of mine to go over to Africa and help," Robichaud says. "I knew that they had the AIDS pandemic there, that is a huge problem. So the summer after which I graduated it kind of what like: it's now or never, although I do plan on going back a lot more now, but at that time it was just something I really wanted.

"This summer was definitely an eye opening experience," he says. "I went there through a program called AIESEC. Through that program, you stay with a local family over here. So I lived in a family who lived in Nairobi. I didn't live in the slums. But where I stayed was a safe environment."

When speaking of the crisis in Africa he says that lots of places in Africa are just disadvantaged geographically. For example, the main industries in Kenya are flowers, tea, and agricultural products. But they are subject to huge and common droughts. As a result, it's really hard for them to be really effective at farming, compared to developed countries where you have huge industrial farms with fertilizers and generic seeds. In Africa it's more like small farmers who are trying to survive and make a little bit of money on top of that. And they really can't compete with Europe and the US.

So how does he feel about his responsibility as a Canadian?

"I personally see myself as a citizen of the world," he says. "And I think everyone should have the same quality of life that we have in Canada. But I can't make everyone believe the same way I believe. But I think everyone can become educated. And then once you're educated, once you know what's going on over there ... then you can make your own decision."

Among his struggle when he was there was the spread of AIDS, with millions of Africans suffering from the illness.

"Kenya in particular has a huge supply of HIV drugs that people can use," he explains." The problem is that people are not using them, or people are not even getting tested. I think it would be in most places something between 30, 40 and some places maybe up to 60 per cent of the population who are HIV positive".

The problem is that these people have the drugs but there's such a cultural stigma against this disease that people won't get tested. So most people just deny the fact that they have AIDS, and they don't get tested, he says.

"Because they know if people find out they have AIDS their family will abandon them, the community will isolate them, they're literally ridiculed for it. And this is a more powerful problem than the disease itself. So they're taking their drugs, but they're not telling anyone else. They're not telling their husbands and wives. Not telling their children.

"There was one woman," Robichaud explains, "her husband died of AIDS. So she decided she would go get tested. She got tested and she found out she was HIV positive. For her she perceived it pretty much as a death sentence. And she wanted to kill herself. So she went to he middle of a street and just stood there hoping she would get hit by a car.

"This woman now is part of the HIV group that I worked with," he explained. "They're a group of 10 women who support each other. They've admitted they have AIDS and they go out in the community and they try to educated people. And trying to reserve some of the stigma associated with the disease."

Cathy Robichaud and her son Pierre want to raise $10,000 to help buy land and build a school, community centre and low income housing as part of a sustainable development plan for the Ngando Preparatory School and its Tumaini HIV/AIDS group.

The mother/son duo will host the first annual Gems of Hope fundraiser at the Saint John Hilton Trade and Convention Centre on Friday, November 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. This year's event is called Cosmos for a Cause: Cocktail Party and Jewelry Extravaganza, which will include a silent auction and jewelry sale and a draw for a blue and white hope diamond valued at over $1,250, donated by W. Smith & Co. Efficiency New Brunswick CEO Elizabeth Weir is the guest speaker, along with Pierre Robichaud.

Tickets cost $40 and include a complimentary Cosmopolitan cocktail, hors d'oeuvres and a chance to bid on a signature piece from Bejewel by Trudy Gallagher. Tickets are available at: The Butterfly Shoppe (39 King Street); Jewels for Divas (Shops of City Hall) or by calling (506) 648-9677 or emailing Cathy.Robichaud@rogers.com.