So Much to Say so Little Time Part II

Ok so after technical difficulties I have been able to post my previous post. I now will try to type as quickly as can and as much as I can because I have tea time in 15 minutes with John and Jamison (isn't South Africa great!). Wednesday we started our first day of work up in the township of Mpopomeni. So I realized that not everyone understands may know the history behind townships so I will briefly explain them. During the Apartheid, blacks worked in the cities but were not allowed to live in the cities, in fact after nightfall they weren't even allowed to be in the cities. Townships are communities that are on the outskirts of the city where the blacks would stay. Each township is different, but overall most are very poor, with the better houses being the size of a storage shed with a tin roof on top. After the apartheid ended blacks were allowed to move into the city legally, but financially many were still unable to leave the townships.

Mpopomeni is a township in the mountains outside of Pietermaritzburg, that has an unemployment rate of over 80 percent and a HIV rate of over 50 percent. We are working with Masibumbane to help out the community. The thing about HIV and AIDS that is different here than in the states is that it is almost too late to worry about prevention. When over half of the population of the township has HIV trying to prevent the spread will end up in the destruction of a village because it would require over 50 percent of the community not to have sex and  therefore not reproduce.

Masibumbane is a Methodist center that works with HIV/AIDs patients in order to help them empower themselves. It is not a clinic, and is not a free charity, it is an organization that helps people help themselves. They do this through meeting with the people of the commmunity and helping them apply for government grants, help them receive medical help, help them learn how to manage a budget, help them find jobs, and help them grow gardens for self sustaining. The goal of the program is that after four months the people who come will be able to take care of themselves.

Ok, it's tea time, I wish I could have written more but at least you now know about the organization that I am working with at the moment. I will soon follow up with more details on my personal experiences as well as tell you about spontaneous road trip we went on (How is that for a teaser?) God bless.