Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting the Eastern Cape where one of our clients is training HIV mobilisers in Aliwal North. I happened to sit in on the section they were training on Prevention of mother to child transmission. It was an eye-opener for me to learn that a child is not necessarily born HIV positive if the mother is HIV positive, but that the infection only spreads if there is some kind of abrasion or tearing. This was one of many things I have learned working on this project.  I am continually reminded on how uninformed we, who sit our comfortable “white suburbia”  are, as to the extent of the epidemic and the realities of the disease.

I share this because just this morning, on my way to KZN, I read an article in today’s STAR newspaper “Aids Drugs not reaching enough people”,  a report on an ‘epidemic update’ held in Shanghai by the The World Health Organisation and UNaids. The director of UNaids said that “The major problem we are facing today is inequity. It is very important we don’t continue to have 400 000 babies born with HIV in Africa every year. That is why we are calling for virtual elimination of transmission from mother to child by 2015.”   As I sat in that room, watching a group of people, who are not being paid to go into the communities but are volunteers who give up their time to help others, I was proud to know that we are part of a project that is having a positive effect on the lives of millions who are suffering in our country. Just this last week in the E Cape the mobilisers who have already been trained took to the streets to target 400 house-holds, using their new “Red Bags”.

We have played an integral role in creating a platform for the training to take place efficiently enabling these volunteers to be more effective in their work. I hope you will take a moment to be proud of the work we are achieving on this project, that something you have done could be saving a life and the way HIV/AIDS counseling is conducted in South Africa.