Day 5--Education, Aids, and Government

Our day started with a visit to the St. Anthony’s Preschool in the township of Langa. Here we were introduced to the students, ages 3 to 5. They could speak little to no English but their smiles spoke volumes. They enjoyed having their pictures taken and then being able to see them on the screen of the camera. We then traveled across the street to the primary school where we were surprised to see teacher-less classrooms. Unlike some American schools, in these classrooms the students still continued to study and work on their projects even without a teacher present. We visited a seventh grade class where they welcomed us with open arms and then honored us by singing and dancing to a traditional African song. Afterwards we drove through the township of Guguletu and as we drove through the township, Tony, a community development worker and Professor of Psychology at the University of Stellenbosch pointed out a 9 million rand monument honoring seven men that were slain during apartheid for fighting for social justice. We were stunned that the government spent this much on the monument when the surrounding area comprised of people living in shacks, in our minds the South African government could have used the money for better things.

Next we went to the University of Western Cape and heard a lecture by Tania Vergnani about the campus’ HIV/AIDS campaign. She was a very knowledgeable and interesting speaker and answered many of our questions about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. Along with her came Bonilla, a health promoter who told us of his story of living with AIDS. One of the things that stuck with us was his insight on sexual relationships. He discussed that is called the 3 month norm in which couples stop using protection after 3 months of being in a relationship. He stressed that it is important to use a condom each and every time. Professor Vergnani further talked about how HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects women and that there is a great stigma attached to women asking their partners to use protection.

After the lecture we traveled to a local AIDS Hospice and toured the small facility where the patients who are turned away from hospitals and would otherwise receive no help, come and receive round the clock care. In the last month alone, 5 people have died from AIDS in this hospice. While most of the patients were bed-ridden, we met one man who was up and about recovering from a relapse. This was the most emotional stop of the day and left us pondering how the other individuals not in the hospice are being cared for. As you can tell from our pictures and blog today has been an emotionally draining day. Until next time!

Picture of the group at the AIDS Hospice (click on photos to enlarge)



Monument at the University of Western Cape Town