Our training is all about enabling people living in under-resourced rural areas to provide a practical response to their communities, whether that is showing how people can live well with HIV, running community projects for anyone in need, or providing food parcels in times of crisis.
The enthusiasm to get involved in our first training since the outbreak of Covid spilled over in the workshops. Excitement, dancing and singing bubbled up as we discussed the impact of HIV on individual lives and communities. We were all captivated by one of our participants who shared her experience of having HIV and the importance of using treatment (anti-retroviral drugs) properly.
We heard about how people living with HIV can be treated badly by others and explored ways of showing others how to respond well. It was good to hear that things have changed in some of the local clinics where young nurses are affirming and helpful, rather than unkind and discriminatory as has been previous experiences.
Seventy-three people attended the Living Well with HIV workshop at Ntibane in June, and fifty-nine returned for the second workshop on Community Project Management in the first week of July.
A participant, who was planning a poultry project to provide eggs and meat to members of her community who are unwell or living in poverty, spoke passionately about her experience of the workshops, “I learnt how and why projects can fail and the importance of unity. We are now in a better position to start our own projects. We now have the skills to do this… I am now equipped to start my own project.”
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