My Newsradio Scripts

These are my old radio news scripts on Singapore's current affairs when I worked as a broadcast journalist.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

OTGV #31 - Ride for Life

Broadcast Date: 02/06/03

INTRO:

AIDS has never received quite the same global cooperation as another global disease, SARS. Help for AIDS patients often came from AIDS activists rather than the government. In this week's On the Grapevine, Chong Ching Liang looks at a recent fundraising event, Ride for Life at what it aims to do to help AIDS patients.

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SARS may go, AIDS to stay.

That's the intriguing tagline that came with an e-mail that I received on the Ride for Life fundraising event.

It's true, SARS is in the limelight now, but may fade away as the disease tapers off.

AIDS on the other hand, is often swept under the old metaphorical carpet -- Not seen but still there.

Hi Welcome to On the Grapevine with me Chong Ching Liang as I look at a biennial event that strives to raise funds for AIDS as well as to raise awareness about the disease.

Chair of this year's organising committee for Ride for Life, Professor George Bishop explains the significance of AIDS awareness.

"The importance of events like Riding for Life is that it reminds people that AIDS is a health problem. I mean AIDS has literally affected 10s of millions of people worldwide. Singapore has been quite fortunate in that the number of people with HIV is relatively low in Singapore but it is still a major health problem. And it is a problem that is preventable, and it is a problem that we can do something about."

Fellow committee member Sukri Kadola on what exactly is the Ride for Life and what it hopes to achieve.

"It does 2 things. First, it promotes AIDS awareness, second it is to promote healthy lifestyle. The event Riding for Life was first held in 1999 and this is a long distance cycling event in which Singaporeans take part in a one week cycling marathon thru peninsula Malaysia. This year's ride will begin in KL and include stops in Termeloh, Kuantan, Alam Shah, Seremban, Batu Pahat and JB before arriving back to Singapore."

This is the third time the biennial Ride For Life has been convened.

Sukri on the event's past fundraising efforts.

"The first two rides in 1991 and 2000, we raised about 100K dollars and we had used this funds for the AIDS patients so that they can afford to pay the expensive medical bills. The average of what an AIDS patient will spend on medication can run up to a thousand to 1800. So these funds that we raised will help to a certain extent the expensive medical fees for treatment in HIV and AIDS."

This helping hand is greatly appreciated by AIDS patients here.

Unlike countries in Africa or other developing nations, Singaporeans affected by AIDS don't have access to cheap generic AIDS medication.

AIDS stricken Singaporeans have to bear the high medical costs of buying from drugs produced by giant pharmaceuticals.

Professor George Bishop again.

"Yes that is a real problem! One of the things that we've been particularly concerned with is the accessibility of medication for people with AIDS since there's no government subsidy for people with AIDS. Essentially it falls to NGOs like Action For AIDS to provide that kind of subsidy. So part of what we are doing with Riding for Life is raising money for the AIDS medication fund that's run by Action for AIDS so that people with AIDS can be subsidised in terms of their medicine. I mean they can get some help even if they can't get it from government agencies."

But beyond mere economics, the issue is really about generating awareness of a disease that people tend to ignore.

"There's a great deal of stigma against people with AIDS because AIDS is associated with sexuality and associated with behaviours that's often stigmatised. People don't really want to talk about it. It is a stigma that's really isn't justified and I think it is important to bring that to people's attention. It's important to be reminded that you know AIDS is a health problem the fact that it is preventable and also to bring to people's awareness what people with AIDS go through what they experience."

Meet Margaret Wong one of the participants of the Ride for Life initiative --

"A little bit about myself. Alright. My age. I am 61 years old and I am a retired primary school teacher. My last school was at Poi Ching Primary where in Toa Payoh and I was teaching Primary Six. My son who is a committee member told me about this event and ever since he told me about this event, I have been attending all training both locally and in Malaysia. The actual ride will be 900 km over a week."

61 years old -- and she decides to pedal 900 kilometres -- why did she to it?

"At first I took it as a challenge. At first I didn't realise that it was so long, I thought it was only KL and back. Alright. But then now they are doing 900 km I was also pretty excited when I heard from my son that we are also raising money for Actions For AIDS. Since I retired I have thought about doing some community work but never got around to doing it. So when I heard about this event I thought it will be exciting to do something for the community like fund raising for AIDS patients so that was my main motivation."

This year's Ride for Life will also see the coming together of Singaporean and Malaysian NGOs.

This is a good sign for someone like Professor Bishop.

"I think it is very hopeful. One of the things that’s important to keep in mind is that AIDS is not a problem that is localised in any one place. AIDS is worldwide and the only way that we can deal with AIDS effectively is on a global basis. It's also important that countries in the same region also work together. It's also important NGOs work together."

Though this year will see less riders due to the economic uncertainty, the group still hopes to raise some 40 thousand dollars.

Some may say this isn't a big sum of money, but this show of support to the AIDS-stricken is, perhaps, immeasurable.

This is Chong Ching Liang for Newsradio 938.

ends/...

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Related Links:
Newsradio938 (now 938Live) Image hosted by Photobucket.com
http://www.938live.sg/

Action for Aids Image hosted by Photobucket.com
http://www.afa.org.sg/

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