“Every day is World AIDS Day here at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust,” said Olivia Myeza, CEO at the centre, on the eve of the globally recognised awareness campaign.
As the biggest event on the local NPO’s calender, it hosted a festive Christmas Market at its premises where there was live music, visitors could get tested and receive counselling, beautiful handmade crafts were on sale and its tea garden and nursery were also open for perusal. “It is a day where everyone is encouraged to get tested, know their status and help decrease the numbers of those affected with the virus,” said Olivia.
Throughout the year, HACT runs many various projects, the largest among them is the Woza Moya Craft store which creates hundreds of jobs for both men and women in the valley by offering them the opportunity to make and sell their wares.
One of the many services it offers to the community is free AIDS tests, for both the public in a one on one scenario and for corporates. Staff from the centre will go to companies and provide employees with an educational talk and offer them the opportunity to get tested, a procedure which takes between five to 10 minutes. This year, 7039 HIV tests were conducted and 41 people were trained to be HIV counsellors.
At its premises, 26 Old Main Road in Hillcrest, there is a respite unit with 24 beds and offers round the clock care to the patients staying there. “We have employed home based carers that go out into the community to care for people in their homes and if they are too sick to be cared for in their own homes, they are taken to the respite unit,” said Olivia. The unit, named Othandweni (place of love) has a 69 per cent recovery rate.
To increase the knowledge and awareness about HIV and AIDS, peer education groups were formed and are now working in five different schools, reaching pupils in both high schools and primary schools. According to Olivia, the most vulnerable demographic to the disease are black women between 18 to 32 year olds in KwaZulu-Natal and one in three people in the province are HIV positive.
“I believe that World AIDS Day is a great tool to bring an international spotlight on the pandemic as recent stats show that South Africans are putting themselves at more risk than ever before in contracting HIV,” said Olivia. She noted that research shows that condom usage has decreased, the age that first sexual intercourse takes place has decreased and the number of people with multiple partners has increased.
“While there are negatives, we also need to celebrate the advancement in treatment that has increased, the mother to child transmission is now less than two per cent nationally and more people are using ARVs in the country than any other country,” said Olivia. “The daily challenge for us is how to bring about behaviour change and influence people’s views on relationships when influential people are living a lifestyle that is not conducive to HIV prevention, from multiple partners and multiple children with those partners,” said Olivia.
In an effort to help decrease the spread of the pandemic, go along to the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust this December for a free AIDS test and receive a free t-shirt in small, medium or large.
