In another world, Veronica Khosa
a dignified fifty-four year old black lady in Pretoria South Africa could have been celebrating the release on Mandela in
1991. But Veronica who had been a nurse for 37 years was being inundated with HIV cases. Within a few years incidence
in South Africa reached the world’s highest HIV infection rate, probably as high as 25%. “Nobody was prepared
for this”.
Veronica’s wonderful communal idea
evolved like this. As she was labouring across her district to offer home-care services to the terminally ill, she bumped
into a group of young prostitutes who she had previously counselled on the risk of AIDS. The youngest said “Our friends
are getting infected with Aids. We want to stop. But if you are telling me I most stop standing there and getting this guy
to give me 15 rand, what are you going to give me instead- so that I can earn some money and get some food”. Just
as this conversation happened a very sick man came into the AIDS centre, and Veronica immediately asked the girls to start
helping out. The idea was born that she could train these girls to be home care attendants to the terminally ill. It turned
out that no simple course existed, so she streamlined the full nursing course into a 6 months degree of practice, as well
as finding placements for her first “graduates” with administrators of homes. This involved 27 student girls including
the former prostitutes. Within very little time she had cashed out her safe job and
pension with the state and set up Tateni Home care services as both a training space and a home care agency. For 2 years the authorities dismissed her work as not fitting a pattern
that could be funded. Then the World Health Organisation and UNAids happened to visit the region and declared it the most
dedicated model they had come across. It achieved an unique combination of 4 dynamics backed up by an unmatchable spirit of
humanism: -Its work was run
by people from the community making it cost-effective and locally accepted -It was professional with elderly nurses overseeing the training and monitoring the caregivers -Training was practice-based with students
acquiring skills by working directly with patients -The program brought in young unskilled people and turned out graduates with the ability
to pursue careers in healthcare By 2001, the Tatem programme had multiplied into 57 branches.. |
As American idol goes to Africa part 2, they are at risk of rainge 10 to I00 times less cost-effective than what YUnUS, MY ABC and TheGreenChildren achieve. I wonder if the Simon Cowells and Richard Curtis's of this world have heard of Dr Yunus and TheGreenChildren. If they have, why dont they invite them to share their stage in celebrating humanity Add a comment