Spotlight on Funani ka Ntontela

SA Partners is pleased to welcome Funani ka Ntontela, our new Community Liaison Officer in South Africa. Funani manages the community mobilization component of a Prevention from Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) partnership project in the Eastern Cape. This project is a collaboration made possible through a partnership with PATH (Programme of Appropriate Technology in Health), an international NGO, HISP-SA (South African Health Information Systems Programme) and MANEPHA to help reduce the number of children born with HIV and to improve the health of mother and child.

Originally from Carletonville, South Africa, Funani is a longtime activist in his community around HIV/AIDS issues. When asked what sparked his interest in this work, Funani explained that his community was hugely impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic due to its migrant labor demographic. As a result of the epidemic, he joined a Peer Education group to educate youth about HIV/AIDS. “It dawned on us that the more we wanted to know, the more we realized how little information there was in the media, the schools and the Community Based Organizations focusing on HIV. … We thought that with more knowledge and information we would save lives,” he said.

Professionally trained as a nurse, Funani has been immersed in community-based work throughout his career. His community focus has largely involved health-related work, such as HIV Peer Education and anti-alcohol and drug abuse.

Besides health-related work, Funani is passionate about the arts, specifically drama. “Drama has been a tool that was used in the past to mobilize people for resistance while they were entertained at the same time,” he described. Funani has used his artistic talent to inform his community about important health issues. “An artist is a community person; an actor is a community teacher. Drama talks about the daily lives of people and suggests
doable solutions. So, drama and community work are inseparable,” he explains.