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Mary Tiseo
The news from South Africa recently has been dominated by a growing awareness of the extent of the AIDS epidemic and the devastating toll the disease is extracting on an already vulnerable population. For several years now South Africa's health sector has been mounting a prevention campaign to slow down the spread of the disease, while simultaneously establishing systems to support those who are already infected and assist their families as they try to cope. Although the government has made this campaign its number one priority, it will take years for the impact of these programs to be realized.
In the meantime, everyone working on development programs in South Africa feels the imperative to become involved in some way in the campaign to control and reverse the spread of the AIDS virus. The fragile gains that have been made in the areas of education, health, economic development, and housing are left vulnerable as, out of necessity, more and more of the country's limited resources are diverted to the AIDS campaign.
With our help, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health decided to move forward with the establishment of a South Africa Health Task Force as an outgrowth of the 1997 Sister State-Province Agreement signed between Massachusetts and the Eastern Cape Province. South Africa Partners will provide ongoing assistance to the Task Force. This summer we will coordinate a Health Mission to South Africa that will begin with a group of delegates attending the AIDS 2000 International Conference being held in Durban, followed by the entire delegation traveling to the Eastern Cape Province. There, the Task Force will have an opportunity to better understand the health care challenges faced by the province's Department of Health and to identify how the two departments might work together to address shared concerns such as the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Our work with the Massachusetts - South Africa Health Task Force will give an increased focus to our health-related activities and strengthen the strategic planning process we began earlier this year. With the help of U.T. Saunders, SA Partners is working to refine our mission, clarify our priorities, and become more effective at what we do.
After our very busy summer, we look forward to reporting on our progress and bringing you news of future activities. There is much that is possible, but not without the knowledge that others share our commitment to forging long-term partnerships between the US and South Africa. Together we are learning about what it means to develop international partnerships that make a new and enriched perspective possible.
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