| Sharing What We Know to Combat HIV/AIDS in South Africa |
| In South Africa 5.5 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. While the medicines to treat HIV/AIDS are available -- even in impoverished townships -- malnourished patients cannot keep them down on empty stomachs. Still, there is a lot of hope, as Rosario Dominguez, Community Servings' Director of Programs, experienced first hand during her trip to Cape Town in July 2007. "South Africa is a country with a sad history, which is evident wherever you go. At the same time, South Africans are hopeful -- even when confronting HIV/AIDS," she recently explained. Rosario was in South Africa along with colleagues from our sister agencies in Seattle, Los Angeles and Minneapolis and the Association of Nutrition Services Agencies (ANSA) as part of a special project that is introducing nutrition services and nutrition education programs for people ill with HIV.  Our South African partner is Ikamva Labantu, which means "Future of our Nation," a community-based organization in Cape Town. Each year, Ikamva helps more than 50,000 people affected by HIV/AIDS through the programs they support -- including senior centers, childcare centers, home-care workers, foster care for AIDS orphans, and community gardens. Rosario and her U.S. colleagues spent nearly two weeks with staff members of Ikamva, where they provided technical assistance on a wide variety of subjects -- including HIV nutrition, volunteerism, organizational management, fundraising and capacity building -- in order to ensure Ikamva's long-term sustainability. Future projects include helping Ikamva secure funding for a full-time nutritionist and for increased distribution of food to its neighbors living with HIV/AIDS. In recalling what impressed her the most about her trip to South Africa, Rosario said: "South Africans have an indomitable spirit and I'm amazed by their ability to do so much with so little. I'm grateful that Community Servings has the chance to leverage our 17 years of experience in feeding people with HIV here in Massachusetts to help our 'neighbors' there." South Africa Update Rosario is currently on her second trip to South Africa. In our next issue of What's Cooking, we will include an update.
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