During the summer of 2008, WE-ACTx sponsored the WE-ACTx Girls Exchange in order to provide an opportunity for young women aged 17-20 from Chicago and Rwanda to meet each other, share their cities, and learn more about young people with HIV worldwide. Some of the 6 Chicago Exchange participants were infected with HIV, and others had been affected personally by HIV, or who had worked on HIV/AIDS issues in their communities. The Rwandan participants had similar backgrounds complicated as well by the Genocide in Rwanda. The Chicago girls traveled to Kigali for a week and then returned to Chicago with the Rwandan girls to spend a week together in Chicago. The girls lived together in several houses in both cities, experiencing many aspects of each city. The WE-ACTx Girls Exchange also produced two beautiful murals as a gift to each city, one at the Core Center in Chicago and the other at a rural health clinic in Kigali. Of course, the girls also had time for fun, time to explore and to learn about the culture of both countries. They were able to relate to one another as new found friends, as well a as global citizens working together to make the world safer and more just for youth world wide. They formed lasting relationships and had life-changing experiences.
