The nonprofit Christian Research Hospital (CRH) is hosting its first annual convention on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22, titled “Merciful African Supper for the Poorest with HIV/AIDS.”

CRH wants to host the event to say, “thank you” for all the support they have received since their start in 2015, according to sophomore Kendall Carwile. Carwile, a member of the event’s promotion team, said she would love for the convention to become a regular event.

“Hopefully, every year we can use this convention as a way to say, ‘thank you’ for the support that the contributors showed in the past year as well with the progress that has been made,” Carwile said.

The convention will also serve as a final fundraising push for the CRH’s mission trip to Cameroon, which will take place from June 16 – 28, 2017. According to assistant professor of pharmaceutical science Dr. Landry Kamdem (founder of CRH), the nonprofit is hoping to assist 5,000 patients in Cameroon by providing patients access to free blood and urine tests as well as treatment monitoring.

“As it stands… CRH will be able to adopt either 175 poor HIV patients to have access to free HIV care for one year or 700 patients to have access to free HIV care for three months,” Kamdem said in a letter about the event. “This is amazing and incredible.”

However, according to Kamdem, there are still over 4,000 patients that will be without care, and the upcoming event aims to raise more funds before the group’s trip to Cameroon.

Kamdem’s long-term goal with CRH is to establish a clinical research facility in Garoua, Cameroon. According to Arkansas Online, Kamdem said that God told him to use his pharmaceutical talents to help the world’s “poorest and sickest,” which began his nonprofit organization.

After the event, Kamdem’s mission trip to Cameroon will continue his study of the community’s health needs. According to Arkansas Online, Kamdem said there is no specific plan for when the Cameroon facility will be built, but he hopes that others will become involved in the organization’s efforts, and hopefully the first annual event will help.

The event will be hosted at two different locations, with the Friday event held at the St. James Catholic Church featuring an African dance performance, a fashion show displaying cultural African dress, and dinner for guests. The primary focus of the Friday event will be about the HIV virus and the AIDS mission work, and will take place from 6 to 9 p.m.

The second event will be held at Harding University in the Administration Auditorium and will feature many of the same elements as the previous night (including an African dance performance as well as the cultural fashion show), in addition to snacks and coffee for guests. The primary focus of the Saturday event will be about poverty in economically struggling areas, and will take place from 9 to noon.

The cost for the Friday night event is $30 with advanced tickets only and the Saturday night event is $10 at the door. Go to www.christianresearchhospital.org to find out more or help donate to their mission work.