We woke up to a really beautiful morning. I had a relaxing breakfast and Eileen and I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the porch overlooking the town of Elysburg and discussed future travel plans and how to make them happen. I just want to go to so many places and stay for more than a little while.
We headed out to Khanysile, an organization that provides healthcare and education to people with HIV. It's located in a rather poor township--somewhere where we didn't want to be walking around by ourselves. No kids were there because they were still on holiday. We were painting two trailers--outside and inside. The trailers are makeshift offices/counseling spaces. Because of the lack of paintbrushes and rollers, I ended up being the paint holder for Karl and Mindy. It was a long, hot day, but I found it quite relaxing. We all got sunburned but had a good time and ended up accomplishing a lot in the few hours we were there. I had a chance to talk with Felicity who helped start the organization in 2001. It was obvious she had a heart for the community and for people with HIV/AIDS. She said in the township Khanysile was located in, about 60% of people are infected with HIV. Their organization has been so important because people know they can get help there and have access to medications. Felicity mentioned that in the U.S. you hear stories of people who have been living with HIV for 20 years and they are relatively healthy. That just doesn't happen in South Africa. If you make it to 40, you're lucky. Before they were able to give out medications, people would have to wait days in line at hospitals and she said that people would die there before they could get help. She said it would take a change in education and mindset for things to get better.
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