Begin Message from Jim Augustine
As many of you know, I recently became involved with an exciting new organization called Village Health Works (VHW), a global health project bringing quality care - and with it, hope - to the people of Burundi. VHW's founder, Deogratias, had been in medical school when ethnic civil wars broke out in Burundi and Rwanda. Separated from his family then forced into hiding, Deo became a refugee in the United States, living homeless in NYC's Central Park while holding fast to his dreams of becoming a doctor and returning to Burundi. With the help of strangers who have grown into close friends, Deo made it to Columbia University, then Harvard, and finally into medical school. In 2006, he returned to Burundi, announcing to the people of the mountaintop village of Kigutu that, with their help, he intended to build a clinic there to combat the rampant spread of HIV, Tuberculosis, malnutrition, and other treatable maladies in the region. To date, VHW has treated over 20,000 patients - many of whom walk for days to reach the clinic. And now Deo's story has inspired a new book by Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award Winner Tracy Kidder, Strength in What Remains, to be released in August 2009.
I have been blessed to work with Deo over the past several months, building a media strategy that will help audiences of the soon-to-be-bestseller about his life become aware of and involved in the important work taking place at Village Health Works. In March, I traveled to Burundi to film the clinic in action, capturing truly heroic moments of the doctors, villagers, patients, and volunteers who struggle everyday against the misery that has so devastated the country. The trip changed my life. And now, I could not be more thrilled to share part of that experience with you.
NEXT TUESDAY, April 28th @7pm, the Tank Theater in midtown Manhattan will be hosting a FREE event to welcome Deo back to the United States. The event is not a fund-raiser, but rather a FRIEND-raiser intended to build in strength of numbers VHW's community of concern here in NYC. Come hear Deo speak about the birth of the clinic at Kigutu and the ongoing miracles that are happening there. As an extra bonus, you'll be the first to see a small portion of the footage I captured while on my trip!
Again, the tickets are FREE, but because of strict space limitations, you must have one to enter the event! So REGISTER NOW - and bring a friend! I promise, it will be the best zero dollars you've ever spent!
Village Health Works
Speaking Engagement
April 28th @7pm
The Tank Theater
354 West 45th Street
Between 8th and 9th Avenues
New York, NY 10036
For more information about this event or Village Health Works, please feel free to email or call me (917-749-9233) or visit their website: www.villagehealthworks.org.
I look forward to seeing you all soon!
Jim
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Social Justice Medicine
School of General Studies
Columbia University
http://www.columbiasjm.blogspot.com/
