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SCORA, the Standing Committee

on Reproductive Health including AIDS, is


one of the six committees within the
International Federation of Medical
Students Associations (IFMSA). Through
SCORA, medical students across the
globe work locally, nationally and
internationally to increase awareness
concerning reproductive health related
issues. The vision of SCORA is a world
free of HIV/AIDS and other STIs, with
complete respect for every persons
reproductive rights and universal gender
equality.
Our mission, as an organization of
the future doctors that is not affiliated to
any religious or political party, is to, via
education, strive to stop the spread of
HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
infections
whilst
challenging
the
widespread violation of reproductive rights
and gender inequality. We are all affected
by reproductive health concerns: women,
men, children, adolescents, mothers and
infants, fathers and families; and so it is
our duty to educate our community.
From the beginning, SCORA has
believed that one of the important
methods of fighting AIDS is through
prevention; and the only way of prevention
is through education. Therefore, the main
focus of this committee is on activities that
emphasize already existing solutions and
create new educational programmes for
medical students, as well as for the
general population. This is done through
training, awareness campaigns, local,

national
and
international projects,
assessment and improvement of medical
education. The activities of students
working in SCORA concentrate on
promotion of widely prevalent health
reproductive issues, prevention of HIV and
STIs, maternal health, fight against all
forms of stigma and discrimination
towards PLWHA (People Living With HIV)
and respecting gender equality. The
projects are a little different in each
country, but mostly we have the same
basis: interactive methods to get people
involved and to get them thinking. We
focus on creating innovating ways to
educate our peers and the community. At
the end of the day, it is our duty to draw
attention to reproductive health concerns
in the UAE.

NORA, the National Officer on


Reproductive health including AIDS, is
elected by his or her National Member
Organisation in each country (EMSS in
UAE). The task of a NORA is to
coordinate and to encourage local or
national activities in the respective
country. The NORA is also responsible for
communication with and reporting back to
the SCORA Director and the
Regional Assistant.

LORA, the Local Officer on


Reproductive Health including AIDS,
works at grassroots level and is in
charge of activities on local level, i.e. in
and around their medical schools. The
LORAs should communicate with and
report to the NORA regularly.

NORAs are recommended to


attend the IFMSA GAs in March and
August, representing their country within
SCORA as well as regional meetings. At
these meetings, NORAs network with
other NORAs, exchange ideas and attain
new knowledge and motivation to bring
back home to the local committees.

1.

Some responsibilities of the NORA are


(but are not limited to):

3.

1.

4.

2.
3.
4.

5.

6.

Keeping in contact with the LORAs


and receiving regular reports.
Coordinating National projects.
To encourage the sharing of
information between local SCORAs.
To assess the countrys health
situation and come up with project
ideas to target these issues.
To liaise with externals and
international SCORA members so
as to garner support for the
committee.
Provide regular reports to and
maintain contact with the SCORA
Regional Assistant.

Some responsibilities of a LORA are (but


are not limited to):

2.

Selecting and managing the active


members of SCORA
Coordinate local projects, execute
plans in an organised fashion and
remain updated about all the public
health
projects,
awareness
campaigns, workshops or whatsoever
run by your emirate and especially
your local medical school.
Involve SCORA in all relevant
community activities by contacting the
organizers of the respective events.
Report to and maintain a continuous
stream of communication with the
NORA:

5.

Create a portfolio of all your


activities that you run, facilitate
or participate in within your
community (i.e. your emirate
and/or medical college).
Report the NORA before and
after any decision you take
regarding SCORA or its
related activities.
Provide the NORA with regular
updates.
Submit a plan beforehand of
any or all activities you wish to
initiate within your community.

Update yourself on all international


SCORA events: google events, join
facebook pages or twitter, contact
your local healthcare facilities, contact
fellow SCORAngels abroad, etc.

SCORA Active Members, selected


by the LORA in their respective medical
college, are the base and heart of the
team. Their responsibility is to maintain
SCORA ACTIVE throughout the year
and keep it alive. They report to the LORA
of their respective college.
Some responsibilities of an Active Member
are (but are not limited to):
1. Orient yourself well to all SCORArelated activities within your
community and college.
2. Attend
meetings
with
your
respective LORA regularly.
3. Report to your respective LORA
regularly with updates.
4. Share information and ideas with
the entire team.
5. Maintain a continuous channel of
communication with the entire
team.
6. Participate
in
ALL
SCORA
activities and events. Make sure
you keep a record of it to submit to
the NORA by the end of the term.
7. Create
awareness
in
your
community SCORA and what we
stand for.
8. Accomplish all tasks with diligence
and punctuality set by your
respective LORA.

World AIDS Day was conceived


and adopted unanimously by 140
countries meeting at the World Summit of
Ministers of Health on AIDS, London in
January 1988. The day was envisaged as
an opportunity for governments, national
AIDS programs, non-governmental and
local organizations, as well as individuals
everywhere, to demonstrate both the
importance they attached to the fight
against AIDS and their solidarity in this
effort. World AIDS Day is commemorated
around the globe on December 1st. It
celebrates progress made in the battle
against the epidemic and brings into
focus remaining challenges.
Community based actions take place
all over the world, media supported
campaigns take place to attract people's
attention and remind them that HIV/AIDS
is not to be forgotten. World AIDS Day is
also important in reminding people that
HIV has not gone away, and that there are
many things still to be done.
Each year a particular theme is
chosen for World AIDS Day:
1988 - Communication, join he
worldwide effort
1989 - Youth; our lives, our world
Lets take care of each other
1990 - Women and AIDS
1991 - Sharing the Challenge
1992 - a Community Commitment
1993 - Time to Act
1994 - AIDS and the Family
1995 - Shared Rights, Shared
Responsibilities
1996 - One World. One Hope
1997 - Children Living in a World
with AIDS

1998 - Force for Change: World


AIDS Campaign With Young
People
1999 - Listen, Learn, Live: World
AIDS Campaign with Children and
Young People
2000 - AIDS: Men make a
difference
2001 - I care. Do you?
2002 - Stigma and Discrimination
2003 - Stigma and Discrimination
2004 - Women, Girls, HIV and
AIDS
2005 - 2008 - Stop AIDS. Keep the
Promise
2009 - 2010 - Universal Access
and Human Rights

In June 2010, UNAIDS adopted new


vision strategy: zero HIV-infections, zero
AIDS-related deaths, zero discrimination.
It is the vision we all should work towards
achieving by the year 2015, the year set
by Millennium Developmental Goals. In
early 1991 Visual AIDS in New York
created the idea for a global symbol in the
fight against AIDS. A symbol for solidarity
and
tolerance
with
those
often
discriminated by the public - the people
living with HIV and AIDS. The Red Ribbon
was born.

International Womens Day is a


traditional international day that focuses
on raising awareness about problems
pertaining to women of all ages across the
world. International Womens Day (March
8th) aims at honouring the achievements
of women and promoting women's rights.
Recognized as a national holiday in
numerous countries, it has been
sponsored by the United Nations (UN)
since 1975 under the name of United
Nations Day for Womens Rights and
International Peace.

Ever since 1996 UN has selected a


special theme for IWD in order to put a
special focus on one aspect of
empowerment of women all across the
globe;
Celebrating the Past, Planning for
the Future 1996
Women at the Peace Table 1997
Woman and Human Rights 1998
World Free of Violence against
Women 1999
Women United for Peace 2000
Women and Peace: Managing
Conflicts 2001
Afghan Women: Realities and
Opportunities 2002
Gender Equality and MDGs 2003
Woman and HIV/AIDS 2004
Gender Equality beyond 2005
Building a more Secure Future
2005
Women in decision making
Meeting
Challenges,
Creating
Change 2006
Ending Impunity for Violence
against Women and Girls 2007
Investing in Women and Girls 2008
Women and men united to end
violence against women and girls
2009
Equal rights, equal opportunities:
progress for all 2010
Equal access to education, training
and science and technology:
pathway to decent work for women
2011

Reproductive health (as defined


by the International Conference on
Population and Development, Cairo, 1994)
is a state of complete physical, mental,
and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity, in all
matters relating to the reproductive system
and to its functions and processes at all
stages of life. Women and men have the
right to be informed and to have access to
safe, effective, affordable and acceptable
methods of family planning of their choice,
as well as other methods of their choice
for regulation of fertility, which are not
against the law. They also have the right
of access to appropriate health-care
services that will enable women to go
safely through pregnancy and childbirth
and provide couples with the best chance
of having a healthy infant.
Reproductive health care is
defined as the constellation of methods,
techniques, and services that contribute to
reproductive health and well being by
preventing and solving related problems. It
also includes sexual health, the purpose of
which is the enhancement of life and
personal relations, and not merely
counselling
and
care
related
to
reproduction and sexually transmitted
diseases.

Reproductive rights are certain


human rights that are already recognized
in national laws, international human rights
documents
and
other
consensus
documents. These rights rest on the
recognition of the basic right of all couples
and individuals to decide freely and
responsibly the number, spacing and
timing of their children and to have the
information and means to do so, and the
right to attain the highest standard of
sexual and reproductive health. It also
includes their right to make decision
concerning
reproduction
free
of
discrimination, coercion and violence, as
expressed in human rights documents.

Our work will revolve around issues such as breast & other gynaecological cancers,
prostate and testicular cancer, HIV/AIDS, sexual health, STDs, infertility, and maternal/infant
health. Due to the culture in UAE, which is completely different from the Western society,
raising awareness about sexual health and STDs will be quite difficult. Therefore we can limit
the discussion of such issues to medical students and healthcare professionals.
Campaigns in UAE that SCORA can be a part of:
The Dubai Health Authority conducts Prostate Cancer educational campaigns every year
in September. This year it was in Dubai Hospital.
DHA's Blood Donation Drive (january is the blood donor month)
Breast Cancer Screening drive at Mafraq Hospital, Abu Dhabi (october)
Pink Caravan 2014 - Riding for Courage (october)
Safe & Sound: Burjuman's Breast Cancer Awareness Program
Cervical Cancer campaigns at Dubai London Clinic and Specialty Hospital (november but the Official Cervical Cancer Month is January)
HAAD + Emirates Medical Association: Think Again - Cervical
Cancer Campaign (november)
UNICEF HIV/AIDS Awareness Program in UAE (december)
Events that SCORA can focus on:
Cervical Health Awareness - January
Endometriosis Awareness March
International Womens Day (in collaboration with SCORP)
STDs Education and Awareness - April ------> only among medical students and
healthcare providers
Teen Pregnancy Prevention - May ----> Not applicable to UAE
AIDS Awareness - June
Gynaecological Cancer Awareness - September
Menopause Awareness - September
Ovarian Cancer Awareness - September
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness - September
Prostate Cancer - September
Breast Cancer Awareness - October
Campaign for Healthier babies - October
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness - October
World AIDS Day - 1st December
Infertility - anytime during the year

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