SIC UK National Committee

The SIC UK National Committee works to oversee all of the various activities of regional HIVE branches, from fundraising, to the schools programme and volunteer recruitment. Underneath the National Committee, we have a number of regional HIVE teams working hard to maintain the good reputation they each hold with schools in their area.

Click on the links below if you would like to find out about the HIVE teams working in a specific region.

Southampton

Liverpool

Belfast

Clare Smith
Chairperson

Clare is a final year medical student at the University of Southampton. She is currently Chair of the National SIC UK Committee and a trustee for the UK charity. Clare first got involved with SIC UK in the piloting of the HIV/AIDS school programme during the summer of 2006. Since then her enthusiasm and passion for the vision of SIC has driven her to commit time and energy to this fantastic organisation. From May 2007 – May 2010 she chaired the Southampton University branch of SIC UK and loves being involved with all of our three key areas of work: Events & Fundraising, HIV Education (HIVE) and the Volunteer Programme.

Kesh Patel
UK Volunteer Programme Coordinator

Kesh is a final year medical student at the University of Southampton. He was a volunteer on the VP2 programme in 2009, a campus coordinator for the University of Southampton in 2009/10 and ever since, has been advising both UK-based volunteers and their campus coordinators. In addition he was also part of the HIV Education Programme in Southampton, and sat on its committee for two years. Believing that SIC’s Tanzania Volunteer Programme is unlike anything else available to students in the UK, Kesh is looking forward to the challenge of expanding its recruitment to new universities.

If you are studying at a UK university and are interested in volunteering with SIC in the Tanzania Volunteer Programme, don’t hesitate to get in touch at kesh@sichange.org.uk.

Ed Klaber

Fundraising & Events Coordinator

Ed started his undergraduate medical degree at the University of Southampton in 2005 and it wasn’t long before he got involved with the setting up of an exciting HIV education project in local schools. His time with SIC UK from such an early stage has not only allowed him to enjoy teaching in numerous schools but he has been involved strongly with training new teachers and the development of the 6th form teaching programme in Southampton. Ed’s new role as UK Events and Fundraising co-ordinator is an exciting opportunity to not only increase the funds SIC UK can send to Tanzania but also the awareness of HIV/AIDS in the UK.

If you have any exciting events ideas or want to support us with some fundraising please don’t hesitate to get in contact with him. (ed@sichange.org.uk)

Rachel Edwards
HIV Education Coordinator

Rachel has been involved with SIC for the past 4 years with both the Tanzanian volunteer programme and the HIV Education UK Schools Programme which, having been a committee member since 2009, she chaired last year. She loves teaching in schools with HIVE about such important issues and finds it really rewarding working with young people. Being involved with SIC has challenged and developed her own attitudes towards global health & HIV/AIDS and she would encourage anyone who enjoys a challenge to get involved. She thinks it is very exciting to be part of a charity that is expanding and improving all the time – who knows where SIC will be in 20 years time – one of the biggest HIV/AIDS charities in the UK?

Louise Noble
Development & Publicity Co-ordinator

Louise first got involved with SIC in 2008 when she took on the task of setting up a new branch of HIVE at Liverpool University. She chaired the Liverpool branch until 2011 and has taught regularly in schools in the Merseyside region. Louise wished for her involvement in SIC UK to continue after university and was therefore very excited at becoming part of the National Committee in her role as Development and Publicity Co-ordinator in January 2011.

Ruth Hewitson
Expansion Coordinator

Ruth is a fourth year Southampton medic and joined the SIC/HIVE team in 2008 at the beginning of her second year at medical school. She spent one year in the position of secretary before becoming Schools Coordinator the following year. Ruth has a special interest in HIV education after several years spent volunteering with the Terrrence Higgins Trust and also a summer working in Kenya with children orphaned by AIDS.

Ruth established HIVE Belfast in 2011 while undertaking an intercalated degree at Queens’s University. The SIC UK National Committee is planning a training weekend over in Belfast which is due to be held in March. Ruth is currently in the process of making plans to expand to Leeds and Brighton and Sussex over the coming year.

Dana Abraham

Secretary

Dana is a final year medical student at the University of Southampton. She first became involved in SIC in her first year of Medicine as a teacher in the HIVE Southampton schools programme and then spent two years on the HIVE Southampton committee as Publicity and Schools Coordinator. She has really enjoyed the helping to develop the HIVE programme locally and found teaching one of the most challenging, rewarding and fun things she has done. She hopes that through the expansion of SIC UK many others will be able to get involved in teaching and improving awareness of HIVE and AIDS in the UK. She is pleased to have the opportunity to continue working for SIC as the Secretary on the National Committee and is looking forward to helping to promote and raise money for this great charity.

Sara-Jane Smith

Treasurer

Sara-Jane first got involved with SIC in helping to run the pilot of the HIV/AIDS UK school programme in 2006. She was on the Southampton University committee from 2006-2010 and helped develop and expand the HIVE programme. Going to Tanzania as a volunteer on the VP2 2007 programme inspired her further about the fantastic work of SIC. SJ coordinated and expanded the recruitment and training of UK volunteers from 2007-2009 and has just become treasurer of the SIC UK national committee. She is excited about working to help increase the funds SIC UK can generate to support the work in Tanzania but also to help continue HIVE’s great work in the UK. Sara-Jane has a BA in Anthropology and is currently working as a junior Doctor in the UK.