Tzviatko Chiderov is a ONE volunteer from Chicago and has been a member since 2007. He is currently on assignment in Zimbabwe with Voluntary Services Overseas. Keep on the lookout for more posts like these in the series “Z for Zimbabwe.”
I was in Africa for the past eight and a half months. I left a few days ago, and as I reflect on this experience I am convinced that it was the most amazing time of my life. It seems I did so much, saw so much and most importantly, I was able to learn so very much. So, as a final blog in this series, here is a list of the top 10 things I learned while in Africa:
Tzviatko Chiderov is a ONE volunteer from Chicago and has been a member since 2007. He is currently on assignment in Zimbabwe with Voluntary Services Overseas. Keep on the lookout for more posts like these in the series “Z for Zimbabwe.”
Recently, National AIDS Council (NAC) hosted an event to hand over antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and funds to orphaned and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe. The drugs, worth $4.5 million, were financed entirely by the people of Zimbabwe, through the AIDS levy — a tax that all employed Zimbabweans pay. This makes it possible for every HIV-positive person in the country, regardless of their social status and financial abilities, to receive the drugs that keep them alive for free.
Tzviatko Chiderov is a ONE volunteer from Chicago and has been a member since 2007. He is currently on assignment in Zimbabwe with Voluntary Services Overseas. Keep on the lookout for more posts like these in the series “Z for Zimbabwe.”
I recently attended a media workshop for journalists and editors in Zimbabwe. It was organized by the National AIDS Council (NAC) and the objective was to educate and inform the media in order to accurately report on HIV and AIDS related issues. The attendees were encouraged to play an active role in the country’s response to the pandemic by seeking out opportunities to raise awareness and educate Zimbabweans on issues related to prevention, treatment and care.
Tzviatko Chiderov is a ONE volunteer from Chicago and has been a member since 2007. He is currently on assignment in Zimbabwe with Voluntary Services Overseas. Keep on the lookout for more posts like these in the series “Z for Zimbabwe.”
First of all, Happy Africa Day! A couple of weeks ago I attended the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair. It is the most exciting event of the year for the city of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. Locals, as well as visitors and business people from across southern Africa, come together every year for this one-week affair. It features an eclectic collection of products, services, awareness campaigns and activities of all sorts.
Tzviatko Chiderov is a ONE volunteer from Chicago and has been a member since 2007. He is currently on assignment in Zimbabwe with Voluntary Services Overseas. Keep on the lookout for more posts like these in the series “Z for Zimbabwe.”
Living in Africa for four months now, I can honestly say that it has been the most amazing experience of my life. Its natural beauty never ceases to amaze me. Wild animals roam freely in their natural habitat, and the landscape is breathtaking. However, my life in Africa is not what you may think.
Many people think that everyone in Africa lives in a mud hut and walks barefoot on a dirt road two hours every day to fetch water. While this is true for many rural areas, things in the bigger cities are much different. While some regions are as poor, congested and dangerous as it gets, some of the suburbs here are as posh as Beverly Hills. I currently live in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.
The city of Harare has a well-developed infrastructure and there are many nice cafes and restaurants, busy shopping malls and shiny banks. However, there are parts of Zimbabwe that I have visited where I’ve had to take bucket showers and use candles for light at night.
I get to interact with tons of people in Zimbabwe -– on the streets, in my neighborhood, at cafes, restaurants and at work. My second night in Harare, I went out to see a band and have a drink at a popular cafe. When they noticed I was alone, a group of people my age invited me to join them at their table. We had a great conversation that night and they continue to be some of my best friends here.
Before coming to Africa, I was living at an apartment in the Chicago suburbs, and I didn’t even know my neighbors — but things here, on the other hand, are much more social. I have a great relationship with my neighbors, who constantly give me helpful tips on all kinds of things. In fact, just the other day I was invited over to watch a soccer game — my neighbor knew I had no TV and that I like FC Barcelona.
In general, things in Harare are pretty normal. Yet, underneath the surface of the normalcy of daily life here lies the shadow of the AIDS pandemic and the awkward intensity of political dissatisfaction.
During my time in Africa, I’ve met some of the nicest and happiest people, yet they are the ones who seem to have suffered the most: taxi drivers who work tirelessly through all hours of the day and night just so they can provide food for their families and pay their children’s school fees; kids playing soccer carefree inside the walls of their orphanage; rural school teachers making do with nothing but a room and a blackboard – all with positive outlooks on the future and smiles on their faces. I find myself constantly amazed by the positivity and overwhelming spirit that I am surrounded with here.
Although Zimbabwe has its problems, it’s an easy place to like. I’m proud to call this my new home.
There’s good news in the fight against AIDS in Zimbabwe. According to a study published this week in the US journal PLoS Medicine, there has been a drastic drop in HIV infection rates in Zimbabwe. The key factor in this reduction is due to education efforts and the behavioral change of urban men. The study says that in the past decade, rates of HIV infection dropped from 29 percent to 16 percent–-the largest fall in HIV prevalence seen anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa.
Simon Gregson of the Imperial College School of Public Health explains why it was so crucial to identify the specific reasons for the sharp decline: “Very few countries around the world have seen reductions in HIV infection, and of all African nations Zimbabwe was thought least likely to see such a turnaround. This is why there was such an urgent need to understand its direct and underlying causes.” Apparently in Zimbabwe, attitude changes due to the exposure of mass media campaigns are what caused the positive change. When individuals were educated on AIDS deaths, it resulted in a fear of contracting the virus.
But despite the change in male attitude and behavior, many women, especially those who engage in transactional sex in order to survive and support their families or who cannot decline intercourse with their HIV-infected husbands, continue to suffer simply because they don’t have the same option.
Fortunately, there are organizations and support groups addressing this crucial problem for Africa’s women. The Society for Women and AIDS in Africa and the International Women’s Health Coalition, for example, both seek to advocate on behalf of women, children and families in the fight against HIV/AIDS, while promoting services and programs aimed at reducing the exposure of women to HIV.
By providing support and educating women on the disease, these organizations are hoping to erase the stigma and discrimination attached with HIV/AIDS. We hope that these education efforts for both men and women will continue to decrease the number of HIV infections.
The Chidamoyo Christian Hospital in rural Zimbabwe is like no other hospital. It’s probably one of the only places in the world that allows patients to pay with peanuts – literally.
Hit by a serious inflation rate in 2008, many Zimbabweans turned to the barter system to get by. Although the economy has somewhat stabilized, cash remains so scarce that the Chidamoyo Christian Hospital still lets its patients barter. According to the New York Times, studies have found that fees are a major barrier to medical care in rural areas, so trading goods like peanuts helps “plug in some of the holes.”
Although the Chidamoyo Christian Hospital is underfunded, the staff is resourceful and judicious about how they use their supplies — helping to save money and keep the establishment running. By working with the locals and adapting to their needs, the hospital has found a way to keep health care accessible for all people. Kudos, Chidamoyo Christian Hospital, and keep up the good work!
Read the full story on New York Times’ website and be sure to watch the video above.
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