Halfway there?

I've officially been in Botswana for three months today. I've touched on this in one of my earlier posts, but sometimes I get so wrapped up in my routine that I forget the real reason I'm here. I'm living in Gaborone to volunteer with the Botswana Network of AIDS Organizations (BONASO). While my work isn't going to change the state of AIDS in Botswana, it will, at the very least, help me gain insight into simultaneously the most hope-filled and heartbreaking situation of which I've ever been a part.

Botswana is a country of less than 1.7 million people, 350,000 of whom are HIV positive. Life expectancy here is 34 years; it would be 72 if AIDS was not a factor. These are not just faceless numbers, they are my neighbours, my co-workers, and my friends. AIDS has infiltrated every facet of Botswana's society, so much so that one of my colleagues at BONASO fell victim to it in August. Some might say that if someone at BONASO, who has all the information, can still become infected, how can we expect to help? The answer, in this case, is in the question. Information can only go so far. A box of pamphlets can't prevent a woman's husband from cheating on her, all the workshops in the world won't stop a rape, and a week of classes can easily be forgotten after a few drinks.

 

Information without action is just trivia.

 

 

Luckily, there has been a genuine movement in Botswana to shift focus from awareness to behavioural change. Programs are beginning to incorporate more than just ABC (Abstinence, Be faithful, and use Condoms), they are becoming full-scale curricula designed to equip Batswana, people from Botswana, with the skills necessary to make life(style)-altering decisions. By understanding the ramifications of their actions, the hope is that people will change their ways to save themselves, if not others. There's no guarantee that this will work all the time, but I'm willing to bet it'll be more effective than telling people to never have sex.

In a country where cheating is a way of life, and AIDS is viewed by some as an inevitability, there is still a long way to go. Much longer than, say, nine years. The UN-created Millennium Development Goals, one of which is to eliminate HIV transmission by 2015, may ease hearts of the West, but they are a slap in the face to the people working in countries like Botswana. Putting a deadline on one the most valiant fights of our time is, at best, irrelevant. Watching the clock tick down is nothing but a reminder that this "goal" will not be accomplished. What's needed is a generous programming budget, readily available ARVs and testing sites, and the dedication required to beat this disease, regardless of how long it takes.

A person could read this article and think that working in this situation has made me jaded. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have seen so much hope in these three short months that I know an end is in sight. It will take a massive co-ordinated effort, but if the rest of the world could harness a fraction of the perseverance found here, AIDS will be beaten. I'm excited to see the progress that can be made even in my remaining three months.