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| SUSAN C. FINELLI HOST AND AUTHOR OF "BEHIND THE SHADOWS" |
AIDSfreeAFRICA was created when Dr. Hodel asked herself two related questions: "What is my life for? And what will I do when I’ve
completed my doctorate in Chemistry? I have been inspired by the United Nations since the day in 1989 that I first visited the UN as a tourist.
Fourteen years later, I attended a UN conference, this time as UN representative for Servas, an international peace organization I had been
a member of for 15+ years. It was in that capacity, that on September 8, 2003, I had the good fortune to attend a speech by Liuz Inacio Lula da
Silva, President of Brazil, in which he laid out his country’s successful strategy to get a handle on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Boldly, he ordered
Brazil’s pharmaceutical industry to produce affordable, generic HIV/AIDS drugs, and then began a crusade to convince the nations of the
world that this is an emergency situation which calls for emergency measures. He challenged his fellow statesmen to work toward the
release of existing patents that prevent the manufacture of generic and thus more affordable versions of antiretroviral drugs.
As of this writing, in 2005, Lula da Silva’s challenge has begun to show results. A few, crucial HIV/AIDS drugs have been released from patent
protection for generic manufacturing in developing country’s. Today, Brazil has less than half of AIDS case predicted, down to 600 000. Half
of those are on AIDS drugs. This having been said, the fight has only just begun. The politics of AIDS still manifests in thousands of lost
lives, and even with all those who are trying to make a difference, we are far from turning the tide.
However, I had found the answer to my questions.
A PROJECT IS BORN:
A year later in 2004, unsure of how to proceed after my $15 million grant proposal had been rejected by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, my Servas friend Gary Sealey gave me a simple, yet valuable piece of advice. He said "you need a community to pull this off,"
and I knew just were to go to. The Self Expression Leadership Program offered by Landmark Education Corporation offered what I needed.
On Monday August 2, 2004 I submitted AIDSfreeAFRICA to the 75 participants of my Landmark Education seminar as my mandatory community
project. I did not expect it to be accepted, it was just too off the walls. But it was accepted, and the rest -- as they say -- is history."
completed my doctorate in Chemistry? I have been inspired by the United Nations since the day in 1989 that I first visited the UN as a tourist.
Fourteen years later, I attended a UN conference, this time as UN representative for Servas, an international peace organization I had been
a member of for 15+ years. It was in that capacity, that on September 8, 2003, I had the good fortune to attend a speech by Liuz Inacio Lula da
Silva, President of Brazil, in which he laid out his country’s successful strategy to get a handle on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Boldly, he ordered
Brazil’s pharmaceutical industry to produce affordable, generic HIV/AIDS drugs, and then began a crusade to convince the nations of the
world that this is an emergency situation which calls for emergency measures. He challenged his fellow statesmen to work toward the
release of existing patents that prevent the manufacture of generic and thus more affordable versions of antiretroviral drugs.
As of this writing, in 2005, Lula da Silva’s challenge has begun to show results. A few, crucial HIV/AIDS drugs have been released from patent
protection for generic manufacturing in developing country’s. Today, Brazil has less than half of AIDS case predicted, down to 600 000. Half
of those are on AIDS drugs. This having been said, the fight has only just begun. The politics of AIDS still manifests in thousands of lost
lives, and even with all those who are trying to make a difference, we are far from turning the tide.
However, I had found the answer to my questions.
A PROJECT IS BORN:
A year later in 2004, unsure of how to proceed after my $15 million grant proposal had been rejected by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, my Servas friend Gary Sealey gave me a simple, yet valuable piece of advice. He said "you need a community to pull this off,"
and I knew just were to go to. The Self Expression Leadership Program offered by Landmark Education Corporation offered what I needed.
On Monday August 2, 2004 I submitted AIDSfreeAFRICA to the 75 participants of my Landmark Education seminar as my mandatory community
project. I did not expect it to be accepted, it was just too off the walls. But it was accepted, and the rest -- as they say -- is history."
Dr. Rolande R. Hodel received the 2009 Astellas USA Foundation humanitarian award for her work as founder and president of AIDSfreeAFRICA, a non-
profit organization based in New York. www.AIDSfreeAFRICA.org Born in Germany, she is a US citizen and a legal resident of Cameroon. She has
worked for companies such as BASF/Germany, Nanocrystals Technolopgy/NY, Pharmaceutical Discovery Corporation/NY (today Mannkind/CT) and
Emisphere Technologies/NY. She received her Masters of Science in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Kansas in 1995 and her Ph D in
Organic Chemistry from the City University of New York, Queens College in 2005.
Dr. Hodel serves on the board of directors of Chemists Without Borders. She is active at the local, national and international level within the American
Chemical Society, ACS i.e., Committee on International Activities, African Subsection. National Tour Speaker for ACS speaker, chair of the NY
Westchester subsection, treasurer from 1997 to 2010. Dr. Hodel is a United Nations representative of Servas International, peace organization. She is
active in Rotary and coach’s people like herself at Landmark Education in NYC. She loves ballroom dancing, hikes, swims, skies and does yoga.
"I am dedicated to promote peace through the empowerment of people in Africa to produce their own generic and essential drugs."
profit organization based in New York. www.AIDSfreeAFRICA.org Born in Germany, she is a US citizen and a legal resident of Cameroon. She has
worked for companies such as BASF/Germany, Nanocrystals Technolopgy/NY, Pharmaceutical Discovery Corporation/NY (today Mannkind/CT) and
Emisphere Technologies/NY. She received her Masters of Science in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Kansas in 1995 and her Ph D in
Organic Chemistry from the City University of New York, Queens College in 2005.
Dr. Hodel serves on the board of directors of Chemists Without Borders. She is active at the local, national and international level within the American
Chemical Society, ACS i.e., Committee on International Activities, African Subsection. National Tour Speaker for ACS speaker, chair of the NY
Westchester subsection, treasurer from 1997 to 2010. Dr. Hodel is a United Nations representative of Servas International, peace organization. She is
active in Rotary and coach’s people like herself at Landmark Education in NYC. She loves ballroom dancing, hikes, swims, skies and does yoga.
"I am dedicated to promote peace through the empowerment of people in Africa to produce their own generic and essential drugs."
| Dr. Rolande R. Hodel RRHodel@aol.com AIDSfreeAFRICA.org |
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