News from the Mission
Grants and Workshop for HIV/AIDS Community Support Groups
Awards recognize effective programs and commitment to fight AIDS
December 13, 2007
On Monday, November 26, 2007, U.S. Ambassador Eric Bost honored 33 HIV/AIDS community based groups from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Eastern Cape provincesat an awards ceremony at the Royal Hotel, hosted by the U.S. Consulate General in Durban. These groups were awarded the Ambassador’s HIV/AIDS Small Grants for 2007 in recognition of their effective programs and commitment to fight HIV/AIDS in the community. The grants, which are funded by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) ranged from R 36,000 to R 150,000 and will be used to support various projects, services and activities to aid these organizations’ work.
Joining the Ambassador to recognize the honored organizations were: Consul General Eugene Young; Dr. Sandile Buthelezi, Strategic Program Manager of the KZN Department of Health; Mr. Willies Mchunu, Speaker of the KZN Legislature; and Ms. Zanele Ludidi, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health at the KZN Legislature, in addition to other distinguished guests.
In his speech at the event, Ambassador Bost praised the dedicated volunteers for their tough and emotionally exhausting work helping the weak and working with children who have lost parents. Dr. Sandile Buthelezi thanked the U.S. Ambassador and the U.S. Government for its continuing commitment to stop HIV/AIDS in South Africa and encouraged the grantees to continue to prioritize prevention and awareness in their work.
The event was held in conjunction with a PEPFAR-funded capacity building workshop for the 2007 HIV/AIDS Small Grants recipients, which was attended by 66 representatives. This two-day workshop included training on PEPFAR reporting requirements, networking, depression and anxiety in connection with HIV/AIDS, and working with traditional healers on psychosocial issues related to HIV/AIDS. The second day of the workshop was held at the U.S. Consulate Library and focused on a presentation by Dazon Dixon, a well-known American HIV/AIDS activist and advocate of community based programs to fight the pandemic. The participants had a three-hour lecture and discussion with Ms. Dixon who was the founder of Sisterlove, one of the oldest HIV/AIDS community-based organizations in the U.S.. The Consulate Library provided each participant with a copy of the dvd, “House on Fire”. In addition, workshop participants received books, posters, videos and other helpful materials from various organizations, including PEPFAR, HIVAN, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, Human Health Development Trust, and Hospice Palliative Care Association, for use with their programs in the local communities.