Khayelitsha
After finding out that I would have the opportunity to do research and intern in South Africa, I decided that I wanted to learn as much about gender and HIV/AIDS as possible. Before I left, I researched the topic and put together a proposal that argued it is women’s lack of power over their bodies and their sexual lives, reinforced by their social and economic inequality, that makes them vulnerable to contracting HIV/AIDS. I also agreed with prior arguments that responses to the AIDS epidemic need to go well beyond health or science- affordable treatment and drugs, an effective vaccine, and prevention methods- and must embrace wider political, economic, and cultural issues. Overall, I wanted to see how international organizations were dealing with the intersections of gender and HIV/AIDS and compare it to how community based organizations (CBOs) negotiated the same tensions. I also wanted to learn more about the potential ethnocentric ideals that could be found in international and human rights interventions, and try to discover a more effective and less biased way to handle global health issues.
Although it took a bit of time to work out, I was lucky enough to eventually be assigned an internship placement at Olive Leaf, which was formerly Hope Worldwide, an international organization. They broke off from the international organization somewhat recently, but are still doing the same HIV/AIDS work within the community. This opportunity worked out perfectly, because I not only get to work with a CBO, but also one that broke away from its international base for very specific reasons.
Olive Leaf, which is located in the township of Kahayelitsha, is made up of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s Program (OVC), the Prevention Program, the Abalingani Gender Program, the Working with Men Program, and the Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT)/Care and Support (CAS) Program. I have been so impressed with how involved in the community the organization is, as they not only go out in the community every day, but also have a significant number of employees from Kahayelitsha and many who are also HIV positive. Olive Leaf has estimated that in Kahayelithsa, two out of three women did not consent to their first sexual experience, and 70,000 people (who were tested and actually reported) are HIV positive.
I have been able to spend time with almost all of the programs so far, and this has included visiting the different clinics, particularly doing work at the male-only clinic, and going to home visits and meeting with families who are infected with HIV/AIDS. Today I was able to visit a creche, which is the equivalent of a daycare center, where we brought the children food and played with them. The eighty-six children, who ranged in age from 6 months to 5 years old, literally bombarded us and we were knocked to the floor; I have never before seen a group of children so excited! All the children wanted to be hugged and picked up, and they fought to hold our hands. Being able to work in Kahayelitsha and work directly in the community and with children has been so amazing, and I feel like I have been able to gain so many insights that I would not have been able to have otherwise.
Because I have been able to work at the clinics and learn more about the different anti-retrovirals (ARVs) that are distributed, and see first hand how social and cultural issues affect the AIDS epidemic in South Africa, I was extremely excited to attend a lecture by author Ida Susser, who just recently wrote the book Aids, Sex, and Culture-Global Politics and Survival in Southern Africa. One topic that I found to be of particular interest was that of the impact of social conservatism in the US and how it has caused a reduction in support of certain AIDS prevention programs in favor of abstinence only instruction. Because Olive Leaf is funded up PEPFAR (Presidents Emergency Plan for Aids Relief), like many organizations they have obligations and requirements, such as that of abstinence only education. It has arguably been quite ineffective in the United States and has seemingly been as ineffective, if not more so, in South Africa, as reported by Olive Leaf Foundation.
Another topic that I found to be of interest at the lecture was the discussion of how women in South Africa, even in the world, are thought to be a homogenous group, and culture, such as that in urban areas versus rural areas, is not taken into account. Culture is not one thing, women are not one homogeneous group, and tactics to fight HIV/AIDS need to reflect that. Similarly, in my research paper I will view the issues through the lens of postcolonial feminist theory, women of color feminist theory, and third-world feminist theory. Numerous theorists argue for a desegregation of knowledge and practice, and an understanding of specific geopolitical histories. These scholars argue that Western ideals are often ethnocentric and do not take into account the unique experiences of third world women. For me, it was so interesting to be able to hear one of these scholars speak, especially when I am actually in South Africa. It also became so clear how HIV/AIDS is a feminist issue, and needs to be viewed as such.
Since being here, I have realized the importance of experiential learning. Before I left for South Africa, I read so many books and articles about gender and HIV/AIDS, but I realize now how abstract the ideas were. I was having a conversation with someone at Olive Leaf, and was told how her husband infected her with HIV, abused her, and left her alone with her child. She was then diagnosed with TB and cancer, and gave birth to another child who was HIV positive; it was then that I realized that the AIDS epidemic is not an “issue,” not a global “problem,” but an actual reality that so many people have to live with every day. I have only been at my internship for a few weeks, and have already been changed. There are so many days that I want to cry, or forget about the things that I see and hear, but then I try to think of the people I have met who are so strong, and so positive, and so thankful for everything that they do have. I am reminded every day that I am not here to change things, but that I am here to help out, contribute in whatever small way I can, and learn as much as possible. It is not my place to suggest how to solve problems in South Africa; however, I can learn so much from how involved community members are becoming and how effective this strategy is, and I can hopefully take back this knowledge and apply it to my work in the United States.
Michelle Jordan on the Mountain Top
-Mahatma Gandhi
