Let’s Fight HIV & AIDS

HIV and AIDS are growing problems worldwide. Over 64 million individuals have been infected and 30 million have lost their lives. The problem is complex, as fighting it in Canada involves creating drug reduction programs and decreasing homosexual discrimination, while fighting it in Cambodia involves educating girls and encouraging the use of condoms in the sex trade.

Beating HIV and AIDS will not take one year, or five years, or even ten years. We need a long-term commitment. Not just in health research to find a cure, but in politics, in education, in business, in economics, in nutrition… we need a generation in all areas of work to care about HIV and AIDS, to fight against HIV and AIDS, to ultimately end HIV and AIDS.

Hope In The Fight is a community of individuals determined to be that generation. Together, we are arming ourselves with knowledge to fight the pandemic. Today, we fight it by learning and sharing knowledge. In the future, we will use our skills and knowledge in various industries and sectors to impact the pandemic and to put an end to HIV and AIDS.

Hope In The Fight Productions

To date, I Have Hope in the Fight Against AIDS has been solely dependent on personal and corporate donations. We are excited to present an alternative opportunity to support the charity through a charitable investment in our business:  Hope In The Fight Productions. A one-time investment results in annual charitable tax receipts.

By making a charitable investment, you gain capital in Hope In The Fight Productions. This capital allows the business to grow, earning more and more profit each year, which is then donated on your behalf to the charity. These donated profits entitle you as an investor to receive a charitable tax receipt. The charitable tax receipt provides a monetary return in tax savings and we are also able to provide you a social return, through the impact of the charity.

While the business is already generating revenue, $57,000 is needed to set Hope in the Fight Productions up for success. Of that, we have raised $17,700 in capital contributions. Below, you can view or download the charitable investment prospectus, which explains the details of the investment model, details the prospects of the social enterprise (Hope in the Fights Productions), and highlights the key opportunities of the charitable investment.

If you are interested in becoming a charitable investor, would like to discuss the opportunity further, or require additional information, please contact us directly to set up a meeting.

Status: Fundraising for Post-Production

Connect Cambodia is the second major film project for Hope in the Fight. This initiative follows James Stephens during his visit to Cambodia with Cambodian NGOs as part of Global Youth Volunteer Network, a charity aimed at relationship building between Canadian youth and people in the developing world.

Specifically, Connect Cambodia has two primary components:

1. To develop a series of educational videos for Canadian students exploring the following issues and how these issues are being addressed in Cambodia by local organizations:

• HIV and AIDS
• Sex trade and human trafficking
• Education

In addition, it is our plan to provide a background on Cambodian history and the contemporary lifestyle of Cambodian youth.

2. Partner with Raise and Support the Poor to finish construction of a library servicing twelve villages outside Phnom Penh.

By exploring the nature of HIV, education, and the sex trade in one of South-East Asia’s poorest countries, we aim to reveal the successes and challenges of local organizations working for these causes. In fulfilling Hope in the Fight’s mandate of HIV education among Canadian youth, we hope to bring together two cultures in a unique and meaningful way while giving back to the youth of Cambodia. This summer, we are planning multiple fundraising events so that we complete the film series in the Fall.

Connect Cambodia: The Team

On the ground in Cambodia were James Stephens, Johnny Touch, and Jake Chirico.

Johnny’s parents and extended family are Cambodian, yet this project marks Johnny’s first visit to Cambodia to experience his family’s history and culture. With his language skills, energy and invaluable family network, Johnny played a key role in Connect Cambodia successfully capturing Cambodia in film. Jake Chirico co-directed Hope in the Fight’s flagship film “Start With Us” and rejoined for this initiative in Cambodia. Jake’s talent in film has provided him with many successes and we are fortunate that he has stayed involved. James Stephens is Hope in the Fight’s CPO and sits on the Board of Directors. James first joined Hope in the Fight in 2011 for the Reach Lesotho project and continues to play an essential role.

Status: Film Festival Circuit, Pre-Distribution

Through 2010 and 2011, Hope In The Fight (then known as Student Reach International) developed and managed a project called Reach Lesotho. One of the products of the Reach Lesotho project was Hope In The Fight’s first film, titled “Start With Us”. I Have Hope test screened the film on World AIDS Day, December 1st, 2011, at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. Since then, we have screened in Ottawa, Thunderbay, Elmvale, Kingston, and soon in Vancouver. The film has also screened in the Bay Street Film Festival and the Reel to Real International Film Festival for Youth.

Synopsis: Start With Us is a film about young people living in Lesotho, where everybody is either infected or affected by AIDS. While their culture may be different, this film follows the friendships developed by pairs of Canadian and Basotho youth. Unfortunately, the trials and tribulations the Basotho face show a stark uniqueness to their lives. Even still, the Basotho youth are determined to follow their dreams and have hope that they might be the first generation free of AIDS.

The film’s post-production and distribution is being managed by Turn and Punch Productions Inc. Currently, the film is not available for sale, though if you are interested in hosting a screening, please contact us via the Contact Page. Hope In The Fight and Turn and Punch have a collective goal of partnering with an educational distributor so that the film can reach as many young individuals as possible. The film will be released online this summer.

Start With Us: The Team

The team that brought Start With Us to life was nearly seventy people strong. Most importantly, the footage used in Start With Us was captured by following twenty-four students (twelve Canadian, twelve Basotho) in the Kingdom of Lesotho, as they developed relationships and participated in volunteering activities.

The film was Produced by Prionnsias James Murphy, Directed and Written by Abid Virani, and Co-Directed by Jake Chirico, who also doubled as Director of Photography. The 44 minute piece was edited together by Tenille Tasker.