There are many things students can do to help save the world, but they don't always have the time, student Ansel Blumenthal said.
Members of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship were at Smith Plaza on Monday talking to students about orphans of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
"It is hard to take time out of my schedule, but people like this who take the time out of their day to help is what we need," Blumenthal said. "This is a step to better unify the world."
The group will be in Smith Plaza advocating for the issue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day until Thursday.
Student Marcie Holland, a member of the group, said UNM students can help the orphans in Africa.
"We are college educated," she said. "We can send them money. We can spread awareness."
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About 12 million children have been orphaned by the disease since the epidemic began in the early '80s, Holland said.
African children don't have a lot of options when their parents die, she said.
"If people do have AIDS here, it is easier to deal with. But what do these kids do when their parents die?" she said. "There are orphanages, but there are 6,000 orphans a day. That is so many kids."
The group learned ways to help victims of the disease at a conference in St. Louis last year, Holland said.
At the conference, the students were given a corn-soy blend of bread that is given to AIDS victims in Africa to prepare their malnourished bodies for treatment, she said.
"This is something that people are dying to eat," she said. "But to us, it is not even that great."
The group gave the bread to students in exchange for a small donation, said Hans Schenk, a fellowship staff member.
"They are doing this all over the U.S., mainly at universities," he said.
The bread is part of the "Broken Bread Poverty Meal," a national program, Schenk said.
Holland said the program's goal is to make students realize what is happening in Africa.
"If people want to leave donations, that is fine," she said. "Our objective is really to create awareness."
