Internship in South Africa

Right now I am back in South Africa. Back in Pietermaritzburg. Back at the Lutheran Theological Institute and the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

On Saturday I arrived together with four students from the Church of Sweden Institute for Pastoral Education. They are here on a kind of internship. They are all doing their final year. One will become a Parish Educator, one is training to become a Deacon and two will be Pastors.

Today we joined a group from the University on a field visit to Vulindlela. It is an area west of Pietermaritzburg. An organisation called CAPRISA has a research site there. The acronym CAPRISA means: Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa. It is supported by UNAIDS and really an impressing initiative. The trip was organised by CHART. Collaborative for HIV and AIDS, Religion and Theology.

The organisation carries out pharmaceutical trials, partner with a number of clinics, run projects for youth, offer counselling and testing etc. They also cooperate with the community and look at a number of reasons why the HIV infection rate is exceptionally high in this area. About 40% of the population are infected with HIV. And new people get affected all the time. Not only here, but in the whole world! Every day there are 6 000 new infections in the world. 4 000 of those are in sub-Saharan Africa. This according to UNAIDS. The HIV pandemic is not over.

What I found both interesting and disappointing was the information that many young women in Vulindlela have inflammation in their genitalia. The reason is the idea that men like their vaginas to be dry. So with different herbs and other methods they try to achieve this and this of course damage their bodies. With inflammation it is much easier for the virus to get into the woman’s system and she becomes infected.

We were also told that many young women opt for anal sex. There are a number of reasons. One is that they don’t fall pregnant, which is true. The other that they keep their virginity. The third reason is of course false – they believe that anal sex is safer from a HIV perspective. It is actually the opposite.

So, the spread has to do with gender roles, lack of information and a number of other things.

One of the staff members we met used a metaphor called “the Cabinet”. Young women in the rural areas get infected by different “cabinet ministers”. 1) The Minister of Transport, is the man that takes her to school when it is raining or when the road is too long. In exchange of … 2) The Minister of Health buys food, soap, clothes and other necessities for her. In exchange of … 3) The Minister of Education can be either a teacher or a man who pays her school fees. In exchange of …

I had a nice conversation with one of the staff members. Ulenta. She gives support to the clinics in the area. There are about 90 000 people living in Vulindlela, so there are a number of clinics. They are often understaffed but with proper routines and systems in place they can do their work much better.

CAPRISA is doing a great job. To save lives. To empower people to live better lives.

Together with Ulenta.