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HIV and
AIDS advocacy in South Africa
John Butler
Why volunteering?
My
name is John Butler and I am currently volunteering in
South Africa for a HIV/Aids advocacy group called the
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). I decided to volunteer
abroad because of my unhappiness at working for my local
council where I didn’t feel challenged or inspired.
Following two newspaper work placements, I decided to
apply to volunteer for an NGO abroad, hopefully in a
media team.
Why the Treatment Action Campaign?
After many hours spent surfing the web looking for NGOs
which I would be interested in working for (and avoiding
all companies that charge a fee for the privilege of
volunteering) I found TAC. I applied to volunteer for
TAC because I was interested in travelling to South
Africa and I was particularly impressed by how TAC works
on all levels of society battling the HIV and AIDS
pandemic, campaigning for treatment and prevention. I
was also very impressed by TAC’s achievements and their
international recognition. Their efforts have resulted
in many life-saving interventions, including the
implementation of a countrywide mother-to-child
transmission prevention programme and antiretroviral
treatment programmes. Stephen Lewis, the UN’s Special
Envoy for HIV and AIDS in Africa, described TAC as “the
most formidable advocacy group I've ever seen put
together."
After sending TAC my CV and covering letter, I was
offered an internship of three months working as a
Policy, Communications and Research Assistant. I took
the position, left my friends, family and job, and
travelled by myself to South Africa. At the beginning it
was daunting but once I found accommodation and was
introduced to work at TAC, I knew I had made the right
decision.
My
work and the challenges I faced
My
major duty at TAC was to write and edit articles, and
assist with the layout of TAC’s bi-monthly international
health magazine, Equal Treatment. I also wrote
newsletters, campaign leaflets and articles for other
organisations and publications. For example, I was given
the opportunity to write an essay for a Commonwealth
health magazine about traditional healers and HIV. This
was a challenging paper to write: respecting cultural
differences when I knew that the treatment some
traditional healers were giving to their HIV and AIDS
patients was making them more ill or even killing them.
The complexity of this issue is representative of the
many problems around HIV and AIDS facing South Africa’s
government and society, which together have led to 1,400
new infections and 900 deaths everyday.
I
enjoyed my time at TAC and in South Africa so much that
I doubled the length of my internship to six months.
I’ve been spurred on by major achievements like managing
the prosecution process of a company which claims to
help cure viral infections. The company markets its
products as medicine, despite the fact it has not been
clinically trialled and is not registered by South
Africa’s Medicine Control Council. To kick start the
process of prosecution, I co-drafted the affidavit
against the company and chaired meetings with members of
the South African police force and lawyers. From these
meetings, we developed an action plan together and I
continued to liaise with them throughout the prosecution
process. The successful prosecution of this company will
potentially save hundreds of lives and prevent more
people from profiteering from the disease.
Progress in the battle against the HIV/Aids pandemic in
South Africa
I
have recently witnessed a change in the government’s
attitude to HIV and AIDS: pseudoscience has finally, it
seems, been rejected. However, current positive rhetoric
needs to be turned into ambitious policies that are
implemented, for lives to be saved and new infections to
be reduced. I hope that the battle against HIV and AIDS
is beginning to be won.
What next for me?
I
was challenged virtually every day at TAC and I feel I
have learnt a lot about myself, as well as developing
skills which will help me get a job in the future.
In contrast to when I worked at Nottingham City Council,
I feel energised about my career and ready to apply for
jobs in the development, humanitarian or the media
sector. I feel ready for responsibility, and to make a
difference.
To
volunteer for the Treatment Action Campaign in SA, visit
http://www.tac.org.za/volunteer.html or email
John@tac.org.za |
