TAC: Treatment Action Campaign

June 4th, 2009

Hello all, although we are back from South Africa safe and sound, Roxanne thought it would be a good idea for us to write blog entries on some of the organizations and NGO's that we visited while there.

The organization that I chose was TAC (Treatment Action Campaign), an NGO located in Khayelitsha. Before meeting with TAC, Colleen (our wonderful tour guide) warned us that Mandla and his collegues at TAC were very controversial, and that their views on certain issues would be very radical.

The first thing that Mandla, and his three collegues told us about TAC was that it operates on two major principles: 1) they do not accept money from the South African government and 2) they do not accept money from pharmaceutical companies. Mandla explained that these principles are enforced because both government and pharmaceutical organizations often have their own priorities, and do not have the needs of the people in mind.

With that said, maybe it will help to explain a little bit of what TAC actually does (DUH!). Lol.

TAC has four main goals, all revolving around HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and education.

• 1) Reduce price of treatment for HIV/AIDS and try to make sure ARV's (Anti Retro Virals) are available to everyone
• 2) Educate communities about HIV/AIDS
• 3) Institute policies about HIV in the workplace
• 4) Inform people about their rights

These goals embody the many different issues faced by the over 70,000 residents who are affected by HIV in Khayelitsha, which also include high crime rates and unemployment.

Mandla went on to explain that the treatment for HIV with the use of ARV's was not always approved by South Africa's healthcare system. Eventually, however, ARV's began to be accepted for use by HIV/AIDS patients. Today about 11,000 patients are on ARV's or on therapy.

The issue of HIV in Khayelitsha is complicated by the high levels of Tuberculosis and rape. Estimating about two rape cases per day, and also high levels of violence, TAC's reach within Khayelitsha is extended to about 14 branches to help with these issues. TAC maintains a presence in local clinics, as they believe targeting patients in the clinics while they are waiting to be seen by a doctor is easiest to increase awareness on HIV/AIDS prevention and most importantly their rights within the healthcare system. Additionally, because young people face many of these issues and are pressured into having sex at a young age, TAC, much like Lovelife, also targets youth in schools and in community events. For the most part, TAC also avidly promotes the use of the ABC's (Abstain, Be faithful, use Condoms) so as to give teens alternatives. Since having a boyfriend may mean that a young girl attains independence and money, it is these social systems that may negatively affect South African youth.

Our conversation then shifted to a question-answer period where we touched upon how Mandla felt about the new and old South African presidents. Since many of the problems faced by people in Khayelitsha are a result of the government and health care systems which they are a part of, Mandla stated that the ignorance on part of the ANC (Thebu Mbeke and Jacob Zuma) is what allowed for the continuation of these issues. Mandla also believed that instead of trying to solve issues of HIV and rape, heads of state often perpetuate them by either ignoring their presence or outright denying thay they may even exist.

We then also spoke about Nelson Mandela and how people like Zuma used his name and image to gain support from voters. This then began a conversation about Mandela and how he handled the economic issues while in office, and did not diretly address them. Mandla then stated that he felt "Mandela is a sellout," because he did not speak out against the ANC (African National Congress) while he was still in power. Perhaps, this happened because he was a representative of the party, and within the parliamentary system he was not allowed to speak against the party's own agenda. Almost as though he was supposed to follow what the majority of the party was doing, despite Mandela's own personal opinions and experiences with HIV and how he felt it could be helped or changed.

The Mandela conversation was very intense, since we were not used to hearing this side of the story. Our team had simply not heard such radical opinions from people in South Africa since we were primarily exposed to the Young Lions in Jo-Burg--who are ANC supporters. Hence, at least for me, this was very eye opening experience. I am very glad that we got to visit TAC when we did, because I definitely think we gained some very valuable insight as to the HIV pandemic, and what some small grassroots organizations are doing to help.

Below you can find the link to TAC's website which lists the latest events and news onTAC and their activities.

http://www.tac.org.za/community/

Regards,
Ginette~<3
Shout out Brittany for providing me with some notes from that day

As We Return Home...

Hey Everyone!

First off, sorry we haven't been able to post as of late. We spent the past couple of days in the Cedarberg Mountains where we literally "roughed it" with limited electricity in the middle of the wilderness. But we had tons of fun and are now spending our last day in Cape Town. We will be flying out of CT tonight at around 11pm and should be home at around 3 or 4pm on Monday afternoon (NY time). We are all really excited to see you all and share with you all of our amazing experiences.

Please keep us in your prayers as we travel home. Once we are back Stateside, we will each be updating periodically on various parts of our project, so stay tuned! We may be coming home, but the journey is far from over!

Much love from all of us!

A quick hello

I just wanted to say hello to everyone back home. Our journey has been filled with so many wonderful experiences, too many to share right now, but I look forward to telling you all about them soon. Early wake up call tomorrow and off to visit a school in the Cederberg mountains!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Sending lots of love.

John

What Up Snitches

Hello everyone. The team hopes that all is well in the states. We're still kickin it in South Africa, but not for long. It has been two amazing weeks full of great experiences. Tomorrow we are going to begin our homestay experience in Kaylesha; one of the largest townships in the country. We are all looking forward to this, but unfortunately our internet access will be limited for two whole days and we will come further in our understanding of simple living. FML! JK, its going to be tough but we can handle it. I'm sure, however, that the time we spend in the homestays will be amazing and allow us to learn to live far outside of our comfort zones. It could potentially make us better sons and daughters. No promises (znate da cu ja nikad promjenit mama i tata, oprosti) (thats Croatian for those non-Balkan's). In any event, stay sweet.
Much Love
Niko
Edits by Wigberto

MOLWENI from CAPE TOWN!

Molweni ("Greetings!" in Xhosa) Everyone!

It's 8:30am here in Cape Town on Thursday morning, and I just wanted to send out a quick hello to everyone back home before we begin our day.

Since we arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday, we've been going non-stop...learning about the uniqueness of this city, seeing the sites, and visiting different NGOs in the townships.

Yesterday, we drove around Cape Town and learned about it's distinct history, one that is incredibly different from any other place in South Africa. Cape Town is the most diverse city in the country, and it has a long history of slavery and colonization dating back hundreds of years. Therefore, here in CT, you will not only find a Black Africa population, but many Africans who have been descended from Indian and various other Asian cultures, as well as a very large Coloured (by South Africa's definition of "mixed race") population.

I think that the group is really beginning to see how very complicated a country South Africa is. Not only has the country been out of Apartheid laws for under 20 years, but it is also plagued by an overwhelming amount of poverty, unemployment, and various other hardships. Last night, we had a particularly interesting discussion on HIV/AIDS here in the country as the team grappled with understanding the disease's prevalence in the nation (1 in every 4 women and 1 in every 10 men are infected).

As a result, the team is currently being challenged by South Africa and all it has to offer. But that does not mean that we all aren't enjoying ourselves or loving the country. As is the nature of this project, we are all growing in our UNCOMFORTABILITY, which is obviously not easy, but we know will make us better people in the long run.

In closing, we miss you all terribly....we'll be home soon enough! Thanks for keeping up with us, and we'll see you at our next post!

Love,
Roxanne and the Team

Hi Everyone!!

This is Chrissy Forgione writing to you from an internet cafe in Cape Town, South Africa! It was an early morning for our team today...we all woke up in the Bed and Breakfast in Soweto to Roxanne's door knock at 4:00AM. Everyone hurriedly packed, and crammed into the two transport vans we've taken for the past week. It's amazing how quickly the time is going! We needed to say goodbye to Mike, Melvin, and Gino (our three tour guides) as well as Richard and JJ (our transport drivers). The whole team is in agreement that we'll need to come back again to visit them--they truly are amazing people and lifetime friends.

At around 9:30 AM we landed amidst the thick fog of Cape Town. Luckily, there was no problem with our luggage, and Colleen, our tour guide for the next two weeks, greeted us at the airport. We've hardly had a chance to explore our hostel, but it looks like it is going to be another really nice place to stay. For the rest of the day, we'll be exploring some of Cape Town, doing some laundry, and learning more about Colleen (especially since we're all pretty tired from the early morning wake up!).

This trip has been incredible so far. I find myself continually thanking everyone who helped to send me here. I've taken over 1000 pictures, and a bunch of videos to show all of you when we get home. We've done so much in just a few days. There's been a major emphasis on cultural immersion since we've gotten to South Africa, and it's FAR more interesting than history textbooks make it sound. We've learned some Zulu (one of the 11 African languages) words, gone to four museums (Constitution Hill-->a prison, the Apartheid Museum, Hector Peterson Museum-->the first student killed in the Soweto Uprising, and Nelson Mandela's house), visited local townships, gone to an HIV/AIDS clinic, and observed a presentation on a new effort to prevent the continued pandemic of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Poverty is extremely prevalent here, and the enormous gap between the rich and the poor is also unbelievable. There are huge shopping centers down the street from shacks that look as if they could collapse at any moment. This experience has definitely opened my eyes to a whole new world, but most importantly, to a culture and vitality that is incredibly inspiring.

My time is almost expired, so I need to finish up and check my ATM card balance, but I'm sure we'll be checking in again soon. Internet is more accessible in Cape Town than Johannesburg. Thank you for checking in!!! I miss you and can't wait to see all of you in two weeks!! Hope everything is going well.

Saturday, May 22nd

Hi Everyone! This is Brittany. I'd like to dedicate this post to all the friends and family that helped us to get to this amazing place. Thank you so much for all of your support. :) So far our stay in South Africa has been absolutely incredible. The people we have met are wonderful and welcoming and the food is actually quite delicious! Today we toured the city of Jo'burg and we are now in an internet cafe in Maponya Mall. I'm surprised at how many parts of South Africa that we have visited are very similar to home like this mall. The city is definitely advanced and modern. Yesterday we painted a school and attended a braai later in the evening. A braai is kind of like a cookout with lots of food, friends, and entertainment. It was so great to be able to help out with the school and also to be able to get to know the people we were working with a little bit more and just hang out and have fun at the braai. Well... that's all for now and we'll have lots more to tell you when we get back. I miss you all and I love you mom and dad! <3 Brittany

SAWUBONA from SOWETO!

Hello Everyone!

This will just be a quick post as I only have 15 minutes at an internet cafe. The team is currently touring at Mandela's House in Soweto on Vilakazi Street, and I stole away for a minute to get this message out to you.

The past couple of days have been spent learning more about South Africa's vast and complicated history as we visited the Old Fort Prison Museum, the Apartheid Museum, the Hector Pietersen Museum, and Mandela's House. Today we will visit Kliptown, one of the poorest townships in Johannesburg, and spending the afternoon with the kids from the Kliptown Youth Centre. We will update again as soon as we can, but know that we love you and are thinking about you all!

Love from us all!
Roxanne

WE'RE ON OUR WAY!!!!

Dear Friends and Family,

The day has finally arrived! We are leaving for South Africa today and I just wanted to leave you all a quick post to let you know our travel plans. We are departing from JFK in NY this afternoon at 5:40pm and arriving in Amsterdam at around 7am tomorrow morning. We have a short layover in Europe, and then we will leave at around 10am on a direct flight to Johannesburg. We should be arriving in Jo'burg at around 9pm on Tuesday night (South Africa-time).

When we arrive in South Africa, we will be able to leave a message in our voice mailbox, so please feel free to call our hotline number -- 718-817-4507 -- either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning (US-time).

Again, I want to request all of your thoughts and prayers as we fly to South Africa and begin our journey. You all, of course, will be in our thoughts and prayers as well!

God Bless!
Roxanne

First Post and SEVEN DAYS AWAY!!!

Hello Everyone!

This marks the GO! South Africa Team's first official post on blogspot prior to our departure one week from today on Monday, May 18th! Here, team members will blog about their experiences as we embark on this journey to South Africa. It will also allow all of YOU back at home to see what we are doing and follow along on the journey with us. Please check this page often, and we promise to do our best to update regularly as well!

My name is Roxanne De La Torre and I am this year's group leader for the Global Outreach Project to South Africa. I am joined by 11 other wonderful people, from all across the United States, who have spent this past semester rigorously preparing for our trip and are anxious to bring all that we have learned here at Fordham into all that we see and do in South Africa. Speaking from experience (I was a member of the 2007 GO! Project to South Africa), this will be both an exciting and challenging project for all those involved. We will see many beautiful sights, meet many incredible people, and learn about many new and amazing things, but we will also be challenged constantly by the poverty and other hardships that many in South Africa face on a daily basis. Nevertheless, every experience will allow each one of us to grow in ways unimaginable, and for that, we are all very grateful.

We also know how fortunate we are to have this opportunity, so on behalf of the entire team, I'd like to thank you all for your support this past semester and in the weeks ahead. Whether it has been in a monetary donation or in the offering of words of wisdom, we appreciate all that you have given us and ask only for your continued prayers as we continue on this road that has been set before us.

So in closing (for now!), thank you for your support and encouragement! Get ready for an exciting journey ahead!

Love,

Roxanne and the 2009 GO! South Africa Team