WorldCamps

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Please improve this article if you can. (December 2006)

WorldCamps is a non-profit corporation based in Reston, Virginia that establishes, staffs and maintains American-style summer camps (although many operate year-round) for children affected by HIV and AIDS. The first such camp was Camp Sizanani of Magaliesburg, South Africa, which was founded in 2003 and operates several camp sessions per year. The children at Sizanani come from the townships of Johannesburg, the nation's largest city. Additional camps outside Cape Town and Durban are scheduled to open by the end of 2006. The long-term goal of WorldCamps is to expand to other nations, both in Africa and elsewhere.

[edit] Founder

WorldCamps, Inc. was founded by Philip H. Lilienthal, an American lawyer and camp director. Lilienthal owned and operated Camp Winnebago in Fayette, Maine for 30 years before founding WorldCamps. Although Lilienthal had Peace Corps experience in Ethiopia, his first foray with WorldCamps led him to South Africa. There, he teamed with HIVSA, a local HIV/AIDS foundation, to establish Camp Sizanani in the Gauteng province, home to South Africa's capital, Pretoria and its largest city, Johannesburg.

When establishing a new WorldCamps location, Lilienthal temporarily assumes the role of camp director for the new camp's fledgling sessions. He then passes the daily operations on to local leadership for the long term.