http://viewchange.org Videos from ViewChange.org (Filtered by topics: HIV) en-us Wed, 18 Jul 2012 08:56:00 +0000 Copyright 2011 Link Media, Inc. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-jamie-drummond-lets-crowdsource-the-worlds-goals In 2000, the UN laid out 8 goals to make the world better by reducing poverty and disease -- with a deadline of 2015. As that deadline approaches, Jamie Drummond of ONE.org runs down the surprising successes of the 8 Millennium Development Goals, and suggests a crowdsourced reboot for the next 15 years. Wed, 18 Jul 2012 08:56:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-jamie-drummond-lets-crowdsource-the-worlds-goals Millennium Development Goals, ONE Campaign, TED, Make Poverty History, Earth Summit, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Latin America, Antiretroviral drug, HIV >> TITLE: TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. >> TITLE: June 2012, Edinburgh, Scotland. Recorded at TED Global. >> JAMIE DRUMMOND: So let me start by taking you back, back into the mists of your memory to perhaps the most anticipated year in your life, but certainly the most anticipated year in all human history: the year 2000. Remember that? Y2K, the dotcom bubble, stressing about whose party you're going to go to as the clock strikes midnight, before the champagne goes flat, and then there's that inchoate yearning that was felt, I think, by many, that the millennium, that the year 2000, should mean more, more than just a two and some zeroes. Well, amazingly, for once, our world leaders actually lived up to that millennium moment and back in 2000 agreed to some pretty extraordinary stuff: visionary, measurable, long-term targets called the Millennium Development Goals. Now, I'm sure you all keep a copy of the goals under your pillow, or by the bedside table, but just in case you don't, and your memory needs some jogging, the deal agreed then goes like this: developing countries promised to at least halve extreme poverty, hunger and deaths from disease, alongside some other targets, by 2015, and developed nations promised to help them get that done by dropping debts, increasing smart aid, and trade reform. Well, we're approaching 2015, so we'd better assess, how are we doing on these goals? But we've also got to decide, do we like such global goals? Some people don't. And if we like them, we've got to decide what we want to do on these goals going forward. What does the world want to do together? We've got to decide a process by which we decide. Well, I definitely think these goals are worth building on and seeing through, and here's just a few reasons why. Incredible partnerships between the private sector, political leaders, philanthropists and amazing grassroots activists across the developing world, but also 250,000 people marched in the streets of Edinburgh outside this very building for Make Poverty History. All together, they achieved these results: increased the number of people on anti-retrovirals, life-saving anti-AIDS drugs; nearly halved deaths from malaria; vaccinated so many that 5.4 million lives will be saved. And combined, this is going to result in two million fewer children dying every year, last year, than in the year 2000. That's 5,000 fewer kids dying every day, ten times you lot not dead every day, because of all of these partnerships. So I think this is amazing living proof of progress that more people should know about, but the challenge of communicating this kind of good news is probably the subject of a different TEDTalk. Anyway, for now, anyone involved in getting these results, thank you. I think this proved these goals are worth it. But there's still a lot of unfinished business. Still, 7.6 million children die every year of preventable, treatable diseases, and 178 million kids are malnourished to the point of stunting, a horrible term which means physical and cognitive lifelong impairment. So there's plainly a lot more to do on the goals we've got. But then, a lot of people think there are things that should have been in the original package that weren't agreed back then that should now be included, like sustainable development targets, natural resource governance targets, access to opportunity, to knowledge, equity, fighting corruption. All of this is measurable and could be in the new goals. But the key thing here is, what do you think should be in the new goals? What do you want? Are you annoyed that I didn't talk about gender equality or education? Should those be in the new package of goals? And quite frankly, that's a good question, but there's going to be some tough tradeoffs and choices here, so you want to hope that the process by which the world decides these new goals is going to be legitimate, right? Well, as we gather here in Edinburgh, technocrats appointed by the U.N. and certain governments, with the best intentions, are busying themselves designing a new package of goals, and currently they're doing that through pretty much the same old late-20th-century, top-down, elite, closed process. But, of course, since then, the Web and mobile telephony, along with ubiquitous reality TV formats have spread all around the world. So what we'd like to propose is that we use them to involve people from all around the world in an historic first: the world's first truly global poll and consultation, where everyone everywhere has an equal voice for the very first time. I mean, wouldn't it be a huge historic missed opportunity not to do this, given that we can? There's hundreds of billions of your aid dollars at stake, tens of millions of lives, or deaths, at stake, and, I'd argue, the security and future of you and your family is also at stake. So, if you're with me, I'd say there's three essential steps in this crowdsourcing campaign: collecting, connecting and committing. So first of all, we've got to ground this campaign in core polling data. Let's go into every country that will let us in, ask 1,001 people what they want the new goals to be, making special efforts to reach the poorest, those without access to modern technology, and let's make sure that their views are at the center of the goals going forward. Then, we've got to commission a baseline survey to make sure we can monitor and progress the goals going forward. The original goals didn't really have good baseline survey data, and we're going to need the help of big data through all of this process to make sure we can really monitor the progress. And then we've got to connect with the big crowd. Now here, we see the role for an unprecedented coalition of social media giants and upstarts, telecoms companies, reality TV show formats, gaming companies, telecoms, all of them together in kind of their "We Are The World" moment. Could they come together and help the Millennium Development Goals get rebranded into the Millennial Generation's Goals? And if just five percent of the five billion plus who are currently connected made a comment, and that comment turned into a commitment, we could crowdsource a force of 300 million people around the world to help see these goals through. If we have this collected data, and this connected crowd, based upon our experience of campaigning and getting world leaders to commit, I think world leaders will commit to most of the crowdsourced recommendations. But the question really is, through this process will we all have become committed? And if we are, are we ready to iterate, monitor and provide feedback, make sure these promises are really delivering results? Well, there's some fantastic examples here to scale up, mostly piloted within Africa, actually. There's Open Data Kenya, which geocodes and crowdsources information about where projects are, are they delivering results. Often, they're not in the right place. And Ushahidi, which means "witness" in Swahili, which geocodes and crowdsources information in complex emergencies to help target responses. This is some of the most exciting stuff in development and democracy, where citizens on the edge of a network are helping to force open the process to make sure that the big global aid promises and vague stuff up at the top really delivers for people at a grassroots level and inverts that pyramid. This openness, this forcing openness, is key, and if it wasn't entirely transparent already, I should be open: I've got a completely transparent agenda. Long-term trends suggest that this century is going to be a tough place to live, with population increases, consumption patterns increasing, and conflict over scarce natural resources. And look at the state of global politics today. Look at the Rio Earth Summit that happened just last week, or the Mexican G20, also last week. Both, if we're honest, a bust. Our world leaders, our global politics, currently can't get it done. They need our help. They need the cavalry, and the cavalry's not going to come from Mars. It's got to come from us, and I see this process of deciding democratically in a bottom-up fashion what the world wants to work on together as one vital means by which we can crowdsource the force to really build that constituency that's going to reinvigorate global governance in the 21st century. I started in 2000. Let me finish in 2030. Many people made fun of a big campaign a few years ago we had called Make Poverty History. It was a naive thought in many people's minds, and it's true, it was just a t-shirt slogan that worked for the moment. But look. The empirical condition of living under a dollar and 25 is trending down, and look where it gets to by 2030. It's getting near zero. Now sure, progress in China and India and poverty reduction there was key to that, but recently also in Africa, poverty rates are being reduced. It will get harder as we get towards zero, as the poor will be increasingly located in post-conflict, fragile states, or maybe in middle income states where they don't really care about the marginalized. But I'm confident, with the right kind of political campaigning and creative and technological innovation combined working together more and more as one, I think we can get this and other goals done. Thank you. >> CHRIS ANDERSON: Jamie, here's the puzzle to me. If there was an incident today where a hundred kids died in some tragedy or where, say, a hundred kids were kidnapped and then rescued by special forces, I mean, it would be all over the news for a week, right? You just put up, just as one of your numbers there, that 5,000 -- is that the number? >> JAMIE DRUMMOND: Fewer children every day. >> CHRIS ANDERSON: Five thousand fewer children dying every day. I mean, it dwarfs, dwarfs everything that is actually on our news agenda, and it's invisible. This must drive you crazy. >> JAMIE DRUMMOND: It does, and we're having a huge debate in this country about aid levels, for example, and aid alone is not the whole solution. Nobody thinks it is. But, you know, if people saw the results of this smart aid, I mean, they'd be going crazy for it. I wish the 250,000 people who really did march outside this very building knew these results. Right now they don't, and it would be great to find a way to better communicate it, because we have not. Creatively, we've failed to communicate this success so far. If those kinds of efforts just could multiply their voice and amplify it at the key moments, I know for a fact we'd get better policy. The Mexican G20 need not have been a bust. Rio, if anyone cares about the environment, need not have been a bust, okay? But these conferences are going on, and I know people get skeptical and cynical about the big global summits and the promises and their never being kept, but actually, the bits that are, are making a difference, and what the politicians need is more permission from the public. >> CHRIS ANDERSON: But you haven't fully worked out the Web mechanisms, etc. by which this might happen. I mean, if the people here who've had experience using open platforms, you're interested to talk with them this week and try to take this forward. >> JAMIE DRUMMOND: Absolutely. >> CHRIS ANDERSON: All right, well I must say, if this conference led in some way to advancing that idea, that's a huge idea, and if you carry that forward, that is really awesome, so thank you. >> JAMIE DRUMMOND: I'd love your help. >> CHRIS ANDERSON: Thank you, thank you. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-health-show-riders-for-health-2 Access is often the largest obstacle to healthcare. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the rugged, mountainous country of Lesotho, where much of the population lives mired in rural poverty. But one organization, Riders for Health, has introduced an all-terrain option that's linking communities in the most remote regions: the motorbike. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:22:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-health-show-riders-for-health-2 Lesotho, Health, Riders for Health, HIV, Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Healthcare, Rural area, Television, AIDS >> VOICEOVER: The mountain kingdom of Lesotho is a land of heights and extremes. The entire country stands more than 3,000 feet above sea level. The terrain and climate are harsh, and more than 75 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Delivering regular health care to those in the countryside is nearly impossible. But thanks to Riders for Health, a global non-profit, one vehicle is changing the game: the motorbike. It's rugged, it's durable, and it lets healthcare workers reach all their patients, no matter how remote. Challenges abound, but with a motorbike, distance is no longer such an obstacle. Join Rockhopper TV as it follows six people using these motorbikes to alter the terrain of healthcare delivery. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> TITLE: Riders for Health, Rockhopper TV, Lesotho >> VOICEOVER: The mountain kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa. Here, most people live high in remote villages, far from tarred roads and beyond the reach of most vehicles. In winter, villages are often cut off altogether by snow. For most people, getting around here means walking. It's early morning, and yesterday's snow means a cold start for Thabiso Phoka. He's a nurse at Auray Health Center high in the mountains. >> THABISO PHOKA [Nurse, Auray Health Center]: I'm preparing the package for the outreach. There's a tally sheet inside and the needles as well for the immunizations. >> VOICEOVER: Today, Thabiso's getting ready to travel to the village of Hatakani to immunize babies and run an under five's clinic. It is ten kilometers away over rough ground - half a day's walk for most people - but Thabiso is lucky; he'll be going by motorbike. >> THABISO PHOKA: I always loved the idea of being a nurse because I wanted to help people in the community. The roads are really difficult, and it's tough riding when it's so cold. But now I know I can get wherever I need to without any problems. >> VOICEOVER: Thabiso's destination, Hatakani, is a very remote place. A simple lack of transport means people are often unable or reluctant to get medical help. For Thabiso, this meant diseases went untreated and children remained unvaccinated. But last year he was provided with a motorbike and trained how to ride it. But even for Thabiso, Hatakani is hard to reach, and he has to walk the final leg down to the village. >> THABISO PHOKA: Before the motorbike it was not easy to come. I think they were thinking that we were neglecting them. >> VOICEOVER: Thabiso comes here on a set day every month. Mothers from the village and surrounding area have brought their children for an under five's clinic. >> THABISO PHOKA: The most important things I do in the villages are vaccinations and giving health talks about how people should take care of themselves, because some of the illnesses they come to the health centers with are things they themselves should be able to prevent. The cases we used to see a lot were hygiene related, like diarrhea and scabies, but they're no longer here because we've taught people how to look after themselves. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: These new recruits are starting their second day of training. None of them have ever ridden a motorbike before. Isaac Monokwa, like the other trainees, works at a government-run rural health center. >> ISAAC MONOKWA [Ministry of Health, Lesotho]: I work as an HIV/AIDS counselor. My job at the clinic is to encourage people to check their status. I do the tests myself and if they test positive, I talk to them about the treatment they must follow. The motorbike will really help me. I'll be able to get around much quicker and will be able to get to more villages in a day. >> VOICEOVER: But when it comes to learning to ride, Isaac has a long way to go. It seems he'll be testing Soloman's teaching skills, and his reactions. >> SOLOMAN HLASA [Motorbike Instructor]: It's just a matter of giving him a lot attention. >> ISAAC MONOKWA: I had some difficulties changing gears at first. But as I ride more, I'm getting used to it. >> SOLOMAN HLASA: He's not yet confident standing up. >> VOICEOVER: If Isaac can't stand up on the bike, there's no way he'll tackle Lesotho's rough terrain. >> SOLOMAN HLASA: Oh, you can see he's very scared. >> VOICEOVER: But Isaac's determined. He has a very personal reason to succeed. >> ISAAC MONOKWA: I wanted do this work because I discovered I was HIV positive. When I found out, my life became miserable, and back then the treatment wasn't really available. I went for counseling and they were looking for people who weren't ashamed to come out and talk about their status. I turned out to be one of the brave ones and they gave me training. >> VOICEOVER: The weather in Lesotho can change in an instant. Today, Isaac and the other trainees are getting their first taste of riding in the rain and over rough ground. The going's tough for all the riders - but especially for Isaac. >> SOLOMAN HLASA: He comes off the bike but he gets back on very fast. He shows a lot of courage. >> ISAAC MONOKWA: I think it is determination that brought me here. I knew I'd meet these challenges and that I'd fall, but to fall doesn't mean you have to give up. You have to get back on and carry on riding. >> VOICEOVER: Gradually, Isaac starts to get the hang of it. >> SOLOMAN HLASA: So far Isaac has improved a lot, and he's making me proud so far, yeah. >> ISAAC MONOKWA: Today's training was really tough but I liked it. I'm going to sleep like a baby. I'm really tired. >> VOICEOVER: Back at his government health center, and having passed his two weeks training, Isaac's ready to hit the road. >> ISAAC MONOKWA: I'm very excited because this will be my first day. Today I'm going to a village called Gamosethe. I'm going to follow up on patients who I've not seen for over a month. I think they'll be happy because before I wasn't able to get to them, so I think they'll be excited to see me. >> VOICEOVER: And he was right. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> TITLE: Riders for Health, Rockhopper TV, Lesotho >> VOICEOVER: Takiso Setsabi is on his way to one of the seven rural health centers he serves. He's one of thirty sample transporters operating in Lesotho - the missing link between rural clinics and hospital laboratories. >> TAKISO SETSABI [Nurse]: I love riding the bike because it's not here for fun but to help the community. It makes me really proud because there aren't many of us who ride. >> VOICEOVER: At Takiso's destination, Fatima Health Center, the nurse, Tjoloba, is with one of his HIV positive patients. Mamahloli has walked for four hours to get here from her village. The drugs she takes to manage her HIV have been causing her painful side effects, so she's stopped taking them. >> TJOLOBA TJOLOBA [Nurse, Fatima Health Center]: We are going to check kidney and liver function so we can change her drugs to another first line regimen, which has lesser side effects. >> VOICEOVER: The faster Tjoloba can get the results, the sooner he can get Mamahloli back on treatment. He knows that Takiso's on his way, but that wasn't always the case. Before the motorbikes, Tjoloba would have to rely on patients volunteering to take samples to the hospital laboratory, 20 kilometers away, on public transport. >> TJOLOBA TJOLOBA: Previously there was no choice. The samples include the TB bacilli as well as HIV. If anything could happen for the spilling of those samples within the public transport that means every passenger within would be at risk of contracting some infection. >> VOICEOVER: Samples often sat waiting for someone to take them and Tjoloba had to collect the results himself. Sometimes the whole process would take two to three months. It was a delay that cost lives, especially with diseases like tuberculosis. >> TJOLOBA TJOLOBA: TB is very important to get results immediately. While we are still waiting for the results the patient could be infecting other people and we end up with a lot of deaths. >> VOICEOVER: But now, Takiso visits the health center twice a week. Today, as well as Mamahloli's samples, he's collecting blood and sputum from nine people who may have TB. He's been trained how to handle and transport these samples. >> TAKISO SETSABI: Because I ride on these rough roads every day, I know how to handle them. When I get to parts that are really pot-holed, that shake you around, I stand up. In a car, the samples would just be rattling around all over the place. >> VOICEOVER: Many samples used to be ruined by lengthy storage or in transit. But now, Takiso can get to the lab quickly, ensuring the samples arrive in good condition. >> TAKISO SETSABI: I register the samples and I also help with basic laboratory tests because they've taught me how to do that. >> VOICEOVER: A couple of days later and Takiso is returning to Fatima Health Center with the results. And for Tjoloba, there's great news about his suspected TB patients. >> TJOLOBA TJOLOBA: All the results for TB are beautifully negative. >> VOICEOVER: There's good news for Mamahlodi too. The results show her liver and kidneys are functioning well, so she can be given more suitable lifesaving treatment straight away. And for those like her who have to walk so far to get here, the reliability of sample transport means it's never a wasted journey. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: Tukula Mothonyana is a TB officer based at Maluti Hospital in Lesotho. >> TUKULA MOTHONYANA [TB Officer]: I run TB clinics here and get people started on treatment. TB is a very dangerous disease because it's so infectious. It spreads quickly and easily from person to person through the air, so it's important to get people on treatment fast. My biggest challenge is when some people default on their medication. Often, they start to feel better, and so they stop taking the drugs believing they're already cured. >> VOICEOVER: Defaulters are common in Lesotho. Often they don't collect their treatment or attend check-ups because it's so difficult for them to get to their nearest health center. Tracing them quickly is vitally important, but finding defaulters can be a major challenge. Experienced rider Mathato, is taking recent trainees and fellow health assistants, Puleng and Lintle to try and track down one such TB patient. The first stop is his local council office. But there's some bad news. >> PULENG: We have just discovered that Mr. Fata Masupa has just passed away already. >> VOICEOVER: It may be too late for their defaulter, but it's still vital they find his family. There's a risk they too might be infected and could be passing it on to family and neighbors. Having been pointed in the right direction, they set off. But with no road names or house numbers, it's never that simple. >> MATHATO [Nurse]: It seems that there are two people with the same name and surname so this one is not the one we are looking for. The one that we are looking for is that one down there. >> VOICEOVER: A case of mistaken identity, so the search continues. But sometimes, patients deliberately give false details to health workers, as Tukula knows all too well. >> TUKULA MOTHONYANA: It makes it really difficult when some of them give us false names and addresses. When you want to visit them you go to the village and find no one knows them. >> VOICEOVER: But why don't they want to be found? Well, health workers Lesotho always encourage patients to get tested for HIV so they know their status. But many people here just don't want to know. Back with Mathato and her team, and they've managed to find the widow of the deceased defaulter. >> WOMEN: So sad to discover that the person we are tracing is dead. And she's still mourning. >> VOICEOVER: They suspect that by defaulting on TB treatment the dead man may have developed a more dangerous strain known as Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis, or MDR TB. >> WOMEN: The family, they might be infected, we don't know but we advised her to go for the checkup. >> VOICEOVER: This constant vigilance is what's needed to keep this dangerous strain of drug resistant TB contained. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: Across Lesotho, motorbikes are constantly ferrying medical samples from clinic to lab, or allowing health workers to reach the communities they serve. These services rely on their bikes day after day. But keeping them going on these tough tracks is no mean feat. In charge of keeping Lesotho's fleet of a hundred and twenty motorbikes on the road, is mechanic Thaele Seleke. >> THAELE SELEKE [Motorbike Mechanic, Lesotho]: A bike is a small thing; it's not like a car. A car can last a bit longer. But really when you look at this machine it needs you to take care of it just like a baby. Watch it closely. I've got 120 babies here to watch. >> VOICEOVER: If any of Thaele's 'babies' need serious attention - a new clutch, a set of shock absorbers or a major engine problem - he brings them here to the workshop. But most of his time is spent out visiting the bikes all over the country. >> THAELE SELEKE: It's all about preventing problems from happening. We detect them before they can happen. It's unusual because we are the only ones who are doing this kind of job here. >> VOICEOVER: This preventative maintenance is what sets Thaele and his team apart. >> THAELE SELEKE: We always do this as a routine each and every month. Check everything, service everything; make sure that it's tip-top. >> VOICEOVER: Vehicles all over Africa are in a terrible state. At hospitals, you'll often find vehicles, some nearly new that are left rusting because of a blocked air filter or a worn out tire. But Thaele and his team go that extra mile to make sure they spot and fix problems before the bikes break down. With eight bikes to get through, there's no time to waste. But Thaele gets all the riders involved. >> THAELE SELEKE: I do like very much when I work on someone's bike. The rider should be there so that we should discuss few things. I always pass my knowledge to them. >> THAELE SELEKE: What you're doing isn't right. You have to have a tape, so you know the exact measurements - about 30 millimeters. >> THAELE SELEKE: The small things - they should know how to check them on their own. >> VOICEOVER: They're all trained to do daily checks. But it's not just about keeping the bikes running. >> THAELE SELEKE: If you don't do a check you before you ride, really you are risking your life because it might lose things like bolts, or chain warn out then when it cuts off really you fall off terribly. So we make sure we prevent such things. They shouldn't happen. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> TITLE: Riders for Health, Rockhopper TV, Lesotho >> VOICEOVER: Lesotho has the third highest HIV prevalence in the world. Almost one in four people here are living with the virus. But Lesotho is fighting back and HIV counselors like Lefulesele Masokanye are in the frontline. Today she's come to St. Magdalena rural clinic. Much of her work involves trying to prevent mother to baby transmission of HIV. She's here to follow up on those suspected of defaulting on treatment or missing checkups. >> LEFULESELE MASOKANYE [Mentor Mother, Berea District, Lesotho]: I have got the list now for the people we are visiting today and the first one is a pregnant woman and she's positive. So we are going to look if she has already taken the drugs to prevent the virus to pass through to the baby. >> VOICEOVER: A lot of Lefulesele's time is spent out in the villages, encouraging pregnant mothers to attend check ups and get treatment. If they're put on prophylaxis early enough in pregnancy, there's a very good chance they won't pass HIV to their babies. But it can be a difficult job persuading people who live so far from the clinics. >> LEFULESELE MASOKANYE: When they get home they don't take it seriously. That's why we have to follow to see that they're doing the right thing. >> VOICEOVER: Lefulesele has come to see Mamojaki and her three-month-old baby girl. But soon after arriving, she realizes there's bad news. >> LEFULESELE MASOKANYE: Her mother didn't get prophylaxis at all. And even the baby didn't get it after she has been born and so the baby could be positive. >> VOICEOVER: Mamojaki says she didn't go for check ups because she's afraid people would shun her if they knew she was HIV positive. It's something Lefulesele comes up against all the time, and she understands it better than most. She's also HIV positive. >> LEFULESELE MASOKANYE: We have to tell everybody, because we have been through this so we have to stop this. I stand there, I tell them that I'm HIV positive, look at me; you can see I'm still healthy. I just tell her she should go there, don't be scared of the people. This is her life, and life comes once, and the treatment is free. She's not going to pay anything. >> VOICEOVER: Cases like Mamojaki's are very close to Lefulesele's heart. They're the reason she does this job. >> LEFULESELE MASOKANYE: I was pregnant so I went to the clinic. I found that I'm HIV positive so they said I should come back and do my checkups but I didn't go. >> VOICEOVER: Lefulesele had a baby girl. She didn't return to the clinic until a month after she was born. It was during that visit that she was asked if she'd consider working as a HIV counselor. >> LEFULESELE MASOKANYE: I heard about an interview for the mothers who are positive, so I went there and I passed the interview. But I didn't realize that when I was holding her she was already dead. I found out when I got home. >> VOICEOVER: Her baby daughter had died in her arms at just one month old. >> LEFULESELE MASOKANYE: I had a very nice girl and I miss her a lot. >> VOICEOVER: A few days later, and Lefulesele has come to check up on Relenbonile, another HIV positive mother. But today's not a nice day to be out on a motorbike. >> LEFULESELE MASOKANYE: It is very bad today, very bad. All of a sudden hailing, sunshine, cold at the same time. Even lightning! >> VOICEOVER: But for Lefelesele, it's all worth it. Relenbonile has been to all her check ups. She's taken the treatment throughout pregnancy, birth, and through to weaning. Her baby's recently been tested and is HIV negative. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/new-device-makes-circumcision-safer Rwanda is introducing a new tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS: an innovative device that makes male circumcision safer and more efficient. If adopted on a large scale, it has the potential to sharply decrease the number of new HIV cases. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:57:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/new-device-makes-circumcision-safer Rwanda, Circumcision, HIV, Health, Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa, AIDS, Safe sex, Rockhopper, The Health Show >> VOICEOVER: There is a war against HIV infection and AIDS. This instant blood test reveals the winners and losers. For these teenagers, it's good news - the line in the top box means they're not infected. But the even better news is that they can reduce their chances of ever becoming HIV positive by taking one simple step, a step that could save millions of lives around the world. Circumcision. >> DR. AGNES BINAGWAHO [Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Rwanda]: Circumcision is the most efficient tool to fight HIV/AIDS. When you are circumcised, you have a 60 percent decrease in the risk to be infected against somebody who is not circumcised when you have risky sex. >> VOICEOVER: This large protective effect was demonstrated by three clinical trials in Sub-Saharan Africa involving 11,000 men. They showed that circumcision reduces HIV infection in heterosexual relationships. This proven effectiveness has prompted the Rwandan Minister of Health to set an ambitious goal. >> DR. AGNES BINAGWAHO: Our target is to circumcise two million men, adolescent, adult and children, newborn, by the end of 2012. >> VOICEOVER: But how can circumcision on this scale be achieved in countries like Rwanda, where the hospitals and professionals skilled in anesthetics and surgery are in very short supply? Tzameret Fuerst heads a company that has created Prepex, the only circumcision device ready to market which doesn't need anesthetic. >> TZAMERET FUERST [CEO, PrePex]: The Prepex device has been tested in Rwanda for the past year, and the outcome of these studies is a device that can conduct adult male circumcision with no needles, no knives, no loss of blood, safe, simple, and cost-saving adult male circumcision in resource limited settings. The device works on a very simple principle. We essentially stop the flow of blood to the unwanted tissue, which is the foreskin, and the foreskin over the course of a week will dry up, become very, very dry, and then after a week you'll cut that foreskin off in the same way that you'll cut your nails. >> VOICEOVER: The exposed skin becomes tougher, and acts as a stronger barrier against HIV. Jean Paul Bitega, the military surgeon in charge of the Prepex study, explains. >> LT COL JEAN PAUL BITEGA [Head of Clinical Affairs, Kanumbe Military & District Hospital]: A person living without shoes, they have very hard skin. They are walking on stones every day without any wounds. So it's the same thing with the penis. Once you remove the foreskin the probability to have a wound is less. >> VOICEOVER: In a country where there are only three hundred doctors for a population of ten million, Jean Pauls skills are too valuable to be used exclusively for circumcision. Prepex's simplicity means that nurses can replace the doctor after just one week of training. The first task of the nurses is to choose which of five sizes to use. Once the circumcision line is marked, fitting the device is very straightforward. >> TZAMERET FUERST: You place this ring at the base of the penis, insert this ring under the foreskin, so now the foreskin is completely covering the inner ring, bring this elastic ring right on top, and release. The foreskin is trapped under the elastic band stopping the flow of blood to the unwanted foreskin tissue. >> VOICEOVER: The process may look simple, but it should only be done by trained medics. All the men receive group and individual counseling about safe sex. >> TZAMERET FUERST: Its important to remind ourselves that male circumcision is not the silver bullet. It's 60 percent, it's not 100 percent, which is why it's important that it's implemented as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy. >> VOICEOVER: After a week, the men return to have the device removed. >> TZAMERET FUERST: The foreskin will be safely removed using blunt edged scissors that cannot harm the glands, cannot harm the penis in any way. During the whole procedure, really the only point of pain or discomfort is when you're extracting the inner ring, which will be like removing a bandage on a wound. It will be two seconds of pain and pop it's out. >> MAN 1: Im delighted because I didnt feel any pain. I continue to do my job normally with no problem. I am not inconvenienced at all. >> MAN 2: Before the circumcision it was very ugly to see but now my penis is improved. It's very smart! >> DR. AGNES BINAGWAHO: People leave the circumcision with a smile. Nobody does the traditional expression when you have circumcision, this doesn't happen. >> VOICEOVER: An earlier study of three hundred men has proved that this method is safer, faster and cheaper than conventional surgical circumcision. And it's urgently needed. >> TZAMERET FUERST: Every 16 seconds someone dies of AIDS. So the impact is phenomenal. We're talking about roughly 4 million lives that can be saved over the next decade or so. >> DR. AGNES BINAGWAHO: My dream is for Rwanda, and Africa and even the rest of the world as a whole, being more safe by having the males circumcised and have less risk to be infected by HIV. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/where-the-water-meets-the-sky Written by Jordan Roberts (March of the Penguins) and narrated by Academy Award&reg;-winner Morgan Freeman, Where the Water Meets the Sky tells the inspiring story of a group of women in a remote region of Northern Zambia who achieve the unimaginable: they learn how to make a film as a way to speak out about their lives, raising an issue that no one will discuss - the plight of young women orphaned by AIDS. Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:23:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/where-the-water-meets-the-sky Zambia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Gender, Samfya, AIDS, Africa, Technology, AIDS orphan, Lake Bangweulu, HIV >> VOICEOVER: In a remote region in northern Zambia, deep in the Congo River Basin, is a lake with a perfect name. In the local language, they call this place "Bangweulu", which means, "Where the water meets the sky." Built along the shores of this lake is the town of Samfya. Home to mostly fishermen and their families, it is one of the poorest places in the country. Abibata Mahama and Dominique Chadwick are filmmakers and teachers, and this is their first time in Zambia. And they're traveling the 300 miles from the capital to find some new students. Their goal is simple - to bring together a group of women and girls and ask them to speak out about their lives. But they won't just be talking with each other. If the project succeeds, a group of women from Samfya will be heard by their entire community. And they'll be sharing their views in an altogether different way, using a tool that most here have never seen before. >> TITLE: Where the Water Meets the Sky >> ABIBATA MAHAMA [Project Co-Director]: When we got to Samfya, in northern Zambia, we decided to get a group of women and girls together from different backgrounds. >> VOICEOVER: The search for their new filmmaking students begins at a local high school. Here, the head teacher has found seven young women keen to join up. Their next stop is the Samfya market, where fresh fish and local produce are sold daily, mostly by women whose average income is less than a dollar a day. Here, they find two young women selling vegetables who agree to take part. Their final stop is a fishing camp on the edge of town, the poorest area in Samfya. The people here live in straw huts without electricity or running water. Very few have ever attended school, and most cannot read or write. At first, the women seem reluctant. But with a little encouragement from Mabel, the project coordinator, here too they have success. >> MAN: They're saying, "We've just come for the women", so we asked, "What about the men?" And they said, "No, no men, it's just for women." So we said, "Things will be difficult for us, looking after the children, washing, cooking for ourselves." But we're allowing them to go ahead and do their work. >> MABEL [Project Coordinator]: This Agnes, this is Anna, this is Lillian, then she is Beatrice, she is Anastasia, this is...I've forgotten your name. Doreen, okay, and this is Royda. So we have about seven from the fishing camp. Don't worry; we'll bring them back later today. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK [Project Co-Director]: I'm Dominique, and I work together with Abibata to run some training for women. We're going to teach you how to use a camera so you can make films that will tell your stories. Once you make a film, produce a film, you can show it to your family, then to your community, to your village, to the other communities in Zambia, and then to the outside world as well. This thing is a microphone, and it takes the sounds, what you hear. >> VOICEOVER: Only half the population of Samfya has electricity, there are no cinemas, and few people own televisions. Although most of the women in the group have never seen a camera or a microphone before, in just three weeks they will produce a film to show the people of Samfya. >> MWELWA [Project Coordinator]: This thing you see here, it records the sound. For example, what I'm saying now, this thing can capture it. >> ABIGAIL [Student]: In the beginning, I was scared of holding these things. I was even scared of getting close to them. But now I have learned they are not difficult to use. And I'm ready to work with them. My life has been like this: I was born in a rich family. But my father wasn't looking after my mother, so we decided to leave our village and went to live with my aunt. I noticed my mother started changing. Every now and again she would go into hospital. So, then in 1995, I think I was in grade two, my mother's illness got worse. So I said, "What are we going to do?" She said, "We'll just leave it alone and God will look after us." My grandfather said, "Daughter, your illness is getting worse. Please bring Abby so she can start living here." So that's how I went to live in Mabumba. One year went by. In 1997, we got a letter saying that my mother had passed away in Lubwe hospital. So I said to myself, "Now that my mother has died, what am I going to do?" And so I left the house and I went to the bush, where I stayed for two days. While I was there, I just cried. >> WOMAN: Through our suffering, we've looked after her. Whatever we had to eat, we shared with her. Whatever we had, we gave her, to make sure she grew up well. I want her to live well and be settled in life, to take care of herself and be independent. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: So you position them and make sure that the camera doesn't face the sun. So put them somewhere, maybe there. >> BRIDGET [Student]: The thing that pleased me the most was how to use the camera for filming. I never knew how to use a camera. I would see people filming and just admire from afar. They would be showing off, not letting anyone touch it. Now I'm happy because I have learned how to use a camera. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Who else wants to take the camera, and what else does the person want to do? >> ANASTASIA: I want someone to go over there and talk. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Okay, so press the red. Ask her to press the red button. Good. You see that is dark, because they are in the shade. >> VOICEOVER: After their first introduction to the cameras, the group must now turn their attention to themselves. The women are encouraged to open up about their lives here in Samfya. >> MWELWA: Let's talk about issues for our film that could make a big impact. After we make the film we'll take it to the villages. It will bring a message and help teach people. Can you see us doing this? >> MWELWA: It was difficult for some of the women in the group, because they had never shared their life stories with anyone. In our Bemba tradition, from the time one is born, it is customary for women not to speak their minds in front of men. Women are not given the opportunity to speak out about their problems, or other things that affect people's lives in the villages, so they're not used to speaking out for themselves. >> MABEL: Ladies, we've come together to talk about the hardships we're going through. The problems that we go through, ladies, are many. We have to talk about them. So now is the time to be open. We don't get opportunities like this everyday. >> LYRIEN [Student]: I really wanted to go to school but my father died early, and there were ten of us, but my mother couldn't look after all of us so we were forced to get married early. All we have found in our marriages is suffering. >> AGNES [Student]: With AIDS you could be a married woman, sitting at home being faithful, while your husband sleeps around and brings you the illness. >> FRIEDA [Student]: What can we do so that this disease goes away? Children are suffering because their parents have brought this disease. What can we do to reduce the impact of parents dying from AIDS? Had it not been for the parents bringing in the illness, they wouldn't need to turn to prostitution and we wouldn't see our communities filled with orphans. >> FRIEDA: Because women here don't talk about the problems we're faced with, we've been held back. But if we spoke out about the problems we're faced with, it would lead to progress for the women in our society. I am happy to be a member of this group of women, because this group is helping us to talk to each other and to share ideas and explain the problems we are facing. It brings me a great deal of concern, this disease of AIDS. The reason I'm talking about this is because it's gripped my heart. If I were to die of AIDS, what would happen to my children? Will they be like those children of other dead parents who have to struggle with all sorts of problems and maybe become street kids because they don't have anyone to help them? All of these are challenges. >> VOICEOVER: It's their second day. The women must now focus on their film and decide which story it will tell. >> MWELWA: Now we should talk and tell each other stories, things that have happened to you, your family, or your friends. From all of these stories, we will choose one story that will suit us best. >> LYRIEN: In grade three, I was only allowed to stay for half the year. Then I was told, "You will no longer be going to school. You always come back late from school and it doesn't leave enough time for you to work at home." >> WOMAN: I left the village and came to my sister's place here in Samfya. I've been trying to earn money by selling fish but it has not been easy. >> VOICEOVER: As the women share stories from their lives, one story emerges which strikes a chord with them all. >> JOSEPHINE [Student]: My friend was born into a very happy and rich family, whereby the parents were able to support her with everything she needs at school. Just as she reached grade five, her parents died of AIDS. >> VOICEOVER: The story of Josephine's friend Penelope brings up an issue familiar to every member of the group: the plight of young women orphaned by AIDS. But in a community where AIDS is rarely spoken about in public, no one knows if Penelope will be willing to talk about her experience, especially in front of a camera. Penelope is a student at a local high school. The group asks Mabel, the project coordinator, to try and find her. >> MABEL: So are you okay with being open and telling your story? >> PENELOPE [Student]: Let me tell my friends to look after my books. >> MABEL: You don't need to be afraid; you can be open with them. You can explain everything. Are you ready? >> PENELOPE: My name is Penelope. I was born into a rich family. My parents died a long time ago, when I was in grade five. When I joined this group, I explained everything that had happened to me. I came from a great family. My father was a miner. He became ill when I was eight years old, and then he died. One year passed, and then my mother died. Before she died, she explained that she too was going to die. She said, "Your father's death certificate says he died of AIDS, so I'm also going to die of AIDS." She died when I was ten. After my mom died, we didn't have a source of food, so my older sister started taking what was left in the house and exchanged it for food. After everything in the house was sold, she started sleeping with men who would provide us with food. After that, my sister also became sick and died. When my sister died, my aunty came to get us to go and live with her in a fishing camp. >> PENELOPE: My uncle would go fishing, and when he came back, we had to take the fish to the market. >> VOICEOVER: With Penelope now a member of the group, filming can soon begin. Their film will raise issues that affect them all. >> FRIEDA: Penelope's story is similar to mine because when she lost her father they grabbed all the property and left them with nothing. That's the same thing that happened to me. >> BRIDGET: I was seven years old when my father died. My father's family came and took everything. Everything. So when I heard what had happened to Penelope, I felt really bad, and I thought, "I'm not the only one this has happened to." >> ABIGAIL: I know that many of us here in this group have lost both parents to AIDS. Both my parents are gone. Victoria lost her parents; Josephine's lost her parents. Bridget lost her father and Exildah lost her parents too. >> MWELWA: The way I see it, it's not easy for Penelope to reveal how her parents died of AIDS. But our friend is courageous enough to stand in front of our group and is prepared to share her story. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: We asked you to think about somebody who is between twelve and thirteen years who looks like Penelope. Can you see their faces? Do they look alike? This is Cindy, and in their drama Cindy is going to act Penelope when Penelope was between twelve and thirteen. >> PENELOPE: So you will act the part when my parents died from AIDS. You take your bags and go live in the fishing camp. There you will catch fish with your aunt. So you will act these parts and I will follow up when I'm older. >> CINDY [Actress]: Now is this a true story? >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Yes, it's her story. I think you look enough alike. Thank you, that'll be great. >> VOICEOVER: The filming of Penelope's story begins, and they're heading to the fishing camp, home to some of the women from the group. Their camp is a perfect setting for a scene from Penelope's life. After her parents died she went to live with her aunt in a camp much like this one. >> MABEL: Hello, nice to see you again. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: How did you collect this, with your hands? >> PENELOPE: With my hands. You will start throwing them there. After finishing sweeping, she could be throwing them there. >> LYRIEN: Action! >> MABEL: Make sure you don't cut off her head. Point up, point up. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Because the person whose story is being told is around, we make sure that she checks because it is her story. She owns the story, so she checks to make sure that everything that is being said is authentic. >> PENELOPE: I've even explained to my brother that, well, he should look so sad to show that life has changed. You have moved into a community - to a fishing camp - so life has changed. So you have to show sadness. They have done very well, they have done very well. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: So you must tell them. You must say thanks. >> PENELOPE: Thank you, you've done great work. >> TITLE: Agnes >> AGNES: Today was really great because I took my first photograph. I was really happy that I could learn to zoom in and out, what to press, how to open the lens in front, and how to switch it on. That made me really happy. I asked them to show my husband what I had filmed, and they showed him, and he said, "Wow, did she do that?" And they told him, "Yes". He said, "She has learned," and I felt really good. Penelope's story is similar to mine. The death of her parents reminded me of when my dad died. I really wanted to go to school, but my mother was alone and couldn't send me. For Penelope as well, she didn't have support to go to school, so her story touched me. There are lots of problems here, like buying clothes and blankets for my children, and now one should be in school, but she can't and this hurts me. We had her registered and she wants to start school, but we can't afford a uniform. At school they don't take children unless they have a uniform. I wish all the children here could go to school. It would be good if they could work in offices. We won't have the chance, but they should. They should progress in life. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: So what do you do when the camera is not straight? You just undo that and you hold the camera. >> MAKUKA: Oh baby! She doesn't want her mommy off having fun. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Is that your baby? >> MAKUKA: Yeah, yeah. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: You go and feed him, feed her. Who wants to do camera? >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: People settle on different things. Some people will automatically say that, "I want to be on the camera." Somebody will say, "I want to be the sound person"; "I want to be the director." So they don't all go for one thing. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: When you think it's ready, you say, "Action," quite loud. >> MAKUKA: Action! >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Take control. >> ELIZABETH [Student]: No! >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Director, take control. Find out whether your sound is okay, your camera's okay. >> MAKUKA: Are we recording? >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Please go back. Then you ask your cameraperson to roll before you say "Action". >> MAKUKA: Oh, I thought it was just a try. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: No, no. We are going for a take now. >> MAKUKA: We are recording. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Okay, okay. So ask everybody to stand by. >> MAKUKA: Be on standby, please! Action! >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: I can see that they are progressing, and they are happy, and they are eager. They are using technology to tell their own story, and they're really happy about it. I'm very optimistic that at the end of the day they will have a very good story that they will be proud of. And we will also be proud of them. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Shout, "Cut!" >> MAKUKA: Cut! >> ELIZABETH: That's what we want! >> VOICEOVER: The next location is the Samfya market, a challenging place for filmmakers, especially for those with only a few days' experience. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Directors, once the camera is recording, you people shouldn't be talking. When you go back and you play, you see that all your noise will be there. And when you are actually filming, you don't need that. So once she says, "Sound ready. Camera ready. The actor is ready" and you say, "Record. Action", all the crewmembers should stop talking. And the one controlling the crowd, if there's somebody making unnecessary noise, you go and drive those people away. >> VOICEOVER: After moving in with her aunt, Penelope had no choice but to leave school and sell fish in the market. But she would earn very little money. By this time, her situation had become desperate. >> PENELOPE: At the market, I would bump into my friends who were also orphans. They said, "You are wasting your time here at the market." I saw how well they looked and I thought I could join them. I thought maybe if I go into the same work as my friends it might help me. But my friends hadn't told me what work they were doing. That's when they showed me the house and said, "This is where you should come." I became a prostitute when I was 14 years old. What made me become a prostitute was hunger at home. I didn't want to be a prostitute, but the hardship had become extreme so I did what my friends were doing. The men didn't treat me very well. When I said, "Let's use a condom," they would be very difficult. They would say, "What makes you think you're so special?" When I saw that I wasn't earning enough money with the condoms I could have started doing it without using them, like my friends. Maybe now I would be sick, like my friends. Prostitution is a big problem here in Samfya because there are so many orphans. There's so much AIDS here, it's as if it was born here. When AIDS takes the parents then their children suffer, then they become prostitutes, and if they have children, it will just continue. When people see this film they will see the truth. This gives me the strength to continue with this work. Sometimes I want to stop because what I am acting is difficult, but then I think, "I'm not the only one that this has happened to." There are others who are going through the same situation. Let this film teach them. >> VOICEOVER: With help from Benjamin Chama, the headmaster of a local school, Penelope's ordeal came to an end. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: I've seen so many girls fall into this trap of trying to get money. They go into bars, they will stay in the bars with their friends, they will be abused so much, and they will end up maybe getting HIV/AIDS and it will result in death, most of the time. When I first met Penelope, she was in a group of friends. I think those friends did not really want to have anything to do with me because they knew I was headmaster of a school. But Penelope stopped, I could see that she was quite a polite child and maybe she had just gone wayward because of the influence of the friends. So I offered that she should come back into school, and I could see the radiance in her face. This is a child that was very, very happy! I have in the school, a school of about 1,700 pupils, about 500 orphaned children here. And most of these, you know, it's as a result of HIV and AIDS. As the school head, I have now become a counselor to these children, because I think they need to be given encouragement that they can continue, despite losing their parents. My greatest hope is that every child in this school will finish their education. That will be, I think, I will die a happy man. >> STUDENTS: [Singing] Stand and sing of Zambia, proud and free, land of work and joy in unity. Victors in the struggle for their rights. We've won freedom's fight. All one, strong and free. >> VOICEOVER: With only a few days left before they show their film to the people of Samfya, the women double their efforts to finish on time. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: It's really amazing - you see that in the first place, they are coming from different backgrounds. They don't know the people they are coming to work with. But once you bring them together, then there's a kind of unity, a kind of force among them. The women we bring together, they have to believe and trust that we can guide them to come out with a film at the end of the day. >> JOSEPHINE: Action! >> PENELOPE: How are you? >> MAN: What are you doing? Don't you know that prostitution can lead to HIV? >> CHRISTINE: Is this one your brother? >> PENELOPE: He's my brother. >> CHRISTINE: I want to tell you that there's nothing like that. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Okay, what was the sound like? >> FRIEDA: Nice. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Nice? Okay. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: And we have to believe that no matter where they are coming from, the skills that they are going to be given, they can use it to get their voices heard. >> BRIDGET: I've seen a big change in myself because before this group I didn't know how to find a story, or how to find out about other people's lives, how to ask questions. I've never had this kind of strength, but now that I've been in this group I can stand up and talk in front of people in English or in Bemba. I can talk and they can hear me. Now I can do it and I won't even be shaking. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: The VCT scene is a very, very important scene in the film because it will inform people of the urgency to be tested. >> VOICEOVER: Samfya has one the highest rates of HIV infection in all of Zambia, a country where one in six adults lives with the disease. Life expectancy here is under 40. The group has come to a local clinic to film the last major scene of Penelope?s story. She came here as a 16-year-old to be tested for HIV. >> PENELOPE: I was 16 years old when I realized that it is important for me to go for the test at the VCT Center. Because I know that through my background, I was a prostitute, and I realized that the men I was sleeping with, I couldn't tell just by looking at them. So, in order for me to be free in mind, I should go and have a test. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Okay. Action! >> NURSE: How are you? >> PENELOPE: I'm okay, how are you? >> NURSE: I'm fine, thank you. So, you've come for the test. There's one thing I want to find out from you. Have you ever been exposed to any risk factors? >> PENELOPE: Yes. >> NURSE: Was there protection or there was no protection? What I mean is, were you using a condom, or were you not using a condom, each time you used to have sexual intercourse? >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: People have gotten to know other people and they are becoming friends, becoming a family, so it's not that she's just acting, but we have feelings attached to it. And people are sharing her pains; people are sharing everything that she went through. Because she is reliving all that she went through, and that is not easy for her to have gone through that and now reliving it for the film to be made. >> NURSE: Okay. Your results are out. Are you ready for your results? >> PENELOPE: Yes. >> NURSE: Okay, here you are. I see that it says "one", that means it is HIV negative. >> PENELOPE: Yes. >> NURSE: So what do you understand about HIV -- >> MAN: There is an event this evening, at 7:00pm tonight, a film made by women from Samfya. For those of you who like joy and learning, at 7:00pm tonight, a film will be shown, made by women here in Samfya. The film is called, "I've Found My Way." >> VOICEOVER: On the day of the film's first showing, the women decide to get the word out on their own. >> PENELOPE: At 7:00pm there will be a film shown tonight. It tells the story of how orphans are mistreated and what our community can do about the problem. >> ABIGAIL: This film is made by the Samfya Women Filmmakers. We are teaching one another, and we're teaching our friends. >> MWELWA: We don't know how people will react after seeing our film, or how they will look at us as a group, and especially how they will respond to our friend whose story we are telling. >> WOMAN: If you have time, we hope you can come and watch it at the high school. >> VOICEOVER: With only a few hours before the screening of their film, Penelope returnS to the village where she lived with her parents, to the place where her family home once stood. >> PENELOPE: When my parents were alive my life was good. I'll never forget how close we were with my father's relatives, but when death came to my parents, my father's family changed. They came and took our beds so we had to sleep on the floor. We used to have a TV and a stereo, and although the house didn't have any electricity, those things made the house look good. The fact that they grabbed everything wasn't easy, but what could we do apart from accept what's been done? I would like my father's family who grabbed our property to see my story. This is my cousin. This is my auntie, the sister to my father. We are going to show a film about what happened to me at the high school at 7:00pm tonight. Will you be able to come and see it? >> WOMAN [Penelope's Aunt]: I can't come because I am too busy. The farmland your father left is a long way off and I don't have time. >> PENELOPE: I just pretend to be happy when I'm near them. If you could get inside my head when I sat with them, then you could have seen what I was thinking. The thought of them grabbing our property still haunts me. When I'm talking to them I can still picture them taking things from our house. That's what's stayed in my mind; I don't know how to get rid of it. >> VOICEOVER: At Penelope's request, their film's premiere will take place at a local school. It will be the first film ever produced in Samfya. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: It's really brave of her. Not everybody in this school knows Penelope's story. But today, after the screening, everybody will leave knowing that, "Oh, this is what she's gone through." >> ABIGAIL: When I think about how Penelope has shown us all her suffering, I want to urge people to give her the respect she wants and deserves. It has been difficult for her to tell her story. It is not easy to tell people what you've been through, but I'm hopeful that people will respect her for it. >> PENELOPE: I'm Penelope and I'm from Samfya in northern Zambia. My parents were very supportive and loving. But one day, my father died of AIDS and that's when my mother disclosed to us, me and my brother, that she is also going to die. It is so difficult to believe that your beloved one has died. Then, our auntie came and she offered to take me in her fishing community, but my aunt didn't have enough income to support me to school, so I had to start selling fish at the market. My friends, who are also orphans, they've engaged themselves in prostitution. When those friends came, they passed through the market and they started saying that, "We are making a lot of money". So I was eventually convinced to join them in prostitution. I was in prostitution for three months, but I wasn't a happy prostitute. My auntie wanted me to stop prostitution so she went to see the head teacher. So one day, I met him in town. He said that if I'm ready to stop prostitution, he could help me in school. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: I met your aunt yesterday. She came to see me at the office. She's very, you know, worried about you. Are you willing to come back to school, Penelope? >> PENELOPE: "I'm very much willing, sir. If that could happen, I could be the happiest person in the world!" Because I engaged myself in prostitution, I was worried that I might be infected with AIDS. So I decided to go to the VCT Center to be tested. >> NURSE: So what do you understand about HIV negative result? >> PENELOPE: In my body, you have not found the germ [virus] that causes AIDS. >> PENELOPE: So now I'm back at school. I'm now a changed person. It was because of poverty that I left school and engaged in prostitution. I'm now very happy because I have a future. My story needs to be told to show people how vulnerable orphans are, and nobody should take advantage of them. >> VOICEOVER: As the film draws to an end, the women sense an opportunity. Without prompting, they take to the stage one by one. >> FRIEDA: All the people who made the film are here, and you can start asking questions. >> WOMAN 1: From what I've heard, when you have HIV/AIDS your life is very short. Is it true? >> PENELOPE: Yes, this is true, but the problem is us young people are scared of the VCT Center. We think it's just for adults. But as the film showed, young people like us can go there too. >> WOMAN 2: This shows us that leaving the house and going into prostitution is a very bad thing. Prostitution involves some real dangers. You can get all kinds of sickness and it can end in death. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: I don't think most of them will ever forget today. Most of them spoke so confidently, and it's all part of what the whole filmmaking and advocacy is all about. Build their confidence up so that their confidently talk about contributing to change attitudes. And I think it's really working. >> FRIEDA: We appreciate your comments; we'd like to hear more. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: That was very nice, you know, that film that we watched. I want to thank you for being very brave. Thank you for a job well done. Thank you. >> VOICEOVER: With the success of their premiere, other screenings soon follow across Samfya. >> PENELOPE: At the end, people were passing some comments and I was happy that the comments they were passing, they were good. They didn't know that in Samfya, there would be a group like this. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: The things you've seen do happen in our village, right? Especially to orphans, when property is grabbed from them. >> MAN: This film is very good. Next time, I would like even more information. >> PENELOPE: I'm proud because we want to make a difference. So even my fellow friends, they are proud. >> WOMAN: Stop making noise! We're really thankful for being shown this film. We never expected to see a film like this in Samfya and we really want to thank the people who made it. >> VOICEOVER: After their screenings in town, the women have one important audience left to face. They bring their film back to the people of the fishing camp, to the husbands and children of their fellow filmmakers. >> PENELOPE: Making a film about your life story is not easy, but if you really put your heart into it you can explain everything, because if you keep something to yourself it becomes a burden on your heart. But if you share it with people it becomes lighter. Because of our film, by telling my story, and showing the film to people, my heart has slowly, slowly started to open up. Because of this, I started forgiving my father's relatives. People say, you never forget, but I'm putting the past behind me. >> AGNES: I want to thank those people who picked us up. We never imagined that we would do what we have done, and for that we are on our knees. >> MAN 1: This group has been really good, and they've enlightened us. We've seen firsthand what happens when you leave a child and the child is suffering. I want to say thank you. You who have come to visit us have brought us happiness; you've left us with joy. >> MAN 2: Orphans like me used to shed tears when we saw other kids with their parents, seeing them happy together. This used to bring us misery thinking back to those times when we were with our parents who we've lost. I really want to thank this group, and I'm left speechless. And I ask this group, are we going to see you again? >> SIGN: Sweet After Sweat Shopping Center >> AGNES: This project has brought joy to us women in Samfya, especially us women in the Samfya Women Filmmakers. People in other areas who are not in this group are really envious, and they say they want to join us. Others came to us and said, "It's great what you're doing. You should make more films, you shouldn't stop." I'm hoping this group will continue. Just like a fire, when it's burning, it should keep on burning. >> TITLE: Abigail graduated from high school. She hopes to study business in Zambia's capital, Lusaka. Cindy is finishing primary school. She wants to be a lawyer one day. Frieda cares for three young relatives and her five-year-old daughter. She wants to be a teacher and hopes to begin training soon. Agnes has started her own small business selling vegetables. She is now in school taking literacy classes. Bridget cares for her sister's three young children and her own daughter. She has been elected secretary of the group and is studying social work. Penelope graduated from high school. She has started her own small business and hopes to start teacher training soon. >> TITLE: The Samfya Women Filmmakers went on to show their film to over 3,000 people across their community. The group is already at work on their next film, a documentary about child marriage. This project was made possible by The Campaign for Female Education. For more information about how you can help educate and empower girls and women in rural Africa, visit www.camfed.org. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-edge-of-joy Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has the second-highest number of maternal deaths in the world. The Edge of Joy follows doctors, midwives, nurses, and public health educators as they fight maternal death on every front, from preemptive family planning education to expanded blood transfusion services. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-edge-of-joy Nigeria, West Africa, Maternal health, Health, Reproductive health, Pregnancy, Maternal death, Family planning, Blood transfusion, Islam >> TITLE: Hafliwa Maganin Mutuwa >> TITLE: "Birth is the medicine for death" - Hausa Proverb >> TITLE: Kano, Nigeria >> KABIRU IBRAHIM: At about 5:30am, my wife Aisha gave birth at home. I rushed to borrow a car from my friend and took her and the baby to the local hospital. >> AISHA AMIRU: Aisha was bleeding. I poured lots of water over her. But it didn't help, and the bleeding got worse. Honestly, when we brought her to the hospital, in her own words she kept saying she was going to die, she was going to die. >> TITLE: Brown Doggy Pictures, in association with Woodlawn Avenue Productions, present: The Edge of Joy. >> VOICEOVER: Nigeria is Africa's most populous country. Its 140 million citizens are divided almost equally between Muslims in the dry desert north and Christians in the lush south. Nigeria is a land of extremes. The West African country is blessed with some of the world's richest natural resources, and is best known as America's fifth largest oil supplier. But this isn't the story of oil. This is the untold story of more than 36,000 Nigerian women who die each year while trying to have babies. This is the second highest number of maternal deaths in the world. Battling this daily crisis are Nigerian families and healthcare professionals working on the frontlines of maternal health. >> TITLE: Kano, Northern Nigeria >> SIGN: Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital >> SIGN: Labor room >> DR. BELLO DIKKO [Chief of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital]: So you are welcome to the labor room of Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital. It's one of the busiest maternity centers you can find in all of West Africa. There is at least an average of 30 deliveries in 24 hours, normal deliveries. >> VOICEOER: Dr. Bello Dikko is head of obstetrics and gynecology at Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital in the northern Islamic state of Kano, one of the most difficult and dangerous regions in which to be a woman. >> SIGN: Dawn shall not fall twice on a woman in labor >> TITLE: Sakina Muhammed: mother of two, in labor with twins >> AISHA BUKAR [Nurse Midwife]: I was trying to explain to her that she should bear down because she is carrying a multiple pregnancy. >> VOICEOVER: Sakina delivered her first two children at home. More than half of Nigerian women give birth outside the hospital. During this pregnancy, Sakina heard radio messages about free maternity services for prenatal care and delivery, and told her husband Muhammed. >> MUHAMMED MAKA [Sakina's Husband]: My name is Muhammed Maka. At home there is the possibility of encountering problems, so going to the hospital has its advantages. >> AISHA BUKAR: We notice she's very weak, so we set up IV 5 percent dextrose for her. >> MUHAMMED MAKA: I brought my wife Sakina to the hospital on a Saturday, and she gave birth to twins on Sunday. The first twin was a girl. >> AISHA BUKAR: No contractions, nothing. So we add just a little pitocin for her in order to encourage her to start having the pains so that she can expel the [second] fetus. >> DR. BELLO DIKKO: Because of the associated complications, the second delivery should not exceed five to ten minutes. >> AISHA BUKAR: She was telling me that the presenting part of that patient, the second twin, is breach [feet first] presentation. >> DR. BELLO DIKKO: Breach delivery, especially in a multiple pregnancy, is a very complicated delivery. There is a need for a qualified OB/GYN doctor. >> AISHA BUKAR: We even called the doctor but he was not here. But if she is about to deliver we can take the delivery. We do it. >> DR. BELLO DIKKO: The team on call -- we usually have four. Two of them must be on the ground, the doctor on duty and the first on call. So if these two are on the ground, they may likely be in the theater. So what will happen is they cannot unscrub. That is an emergency. This is an emergency. >> SIGN: Post-partum hemorrhage >> DR. BELLO DIKKO: Hemorrhage in obstetrics is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. >> MUHAMMED MAKA: Sakina labored in pain before the second baby was born. It was close to an hour before the boy was born. He came forth having problems. >> AISHA BUKAR: He has very severe aesphesia. We need oxygen now and we don't have oxygen. I don't want the baby to die. I don't want her to miss that baby. That is why I try with all my effort to be able to help her or to help the baby too. We cannot leave him like this. He has to see a pediatric doctor. The [pediatric] unit is far. >> SIGN: Emergency Pediatric Unit >> MUHAMMED MAKA: My son needed medical attention, and we rushed into the emergency pediatric ward. >> VOICEOVER: While the second twin was being stabilized, Sakina's condition worsened. She was diagnosed with post-partum hemorrhage. >> FARIDA BABALLE [Head Nurse-Midwife, Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital]: She lost a lot of blood. She's a bit anemic. She has to receive a blood transfusion. They gave her this bio-plasma, about two liters, and then they gave her normal saline. I think with that, it can take her up to six hours. One of our main problems here is how to get blood. The husband has to go and donate. Before, we normally asked the Red Cross, they mobilized people to come and donate blood to the hospital. But now, due to HIV, we stopped. They have to go and check the blood group of the husband. Then they compare it to see if it's the same as hers. If it's not the same blood group -- >> MAN: "A" positive. Not the same. >> FARIDA BABALLE: -- the husband must buy the blood. So all these things take time, and delay, and it causes the death of the woman. That is the largest cause of death of the women here. >> VOICEOVER: Muhammed's search for Sakina's rare blood type took him to surrounding hospitals and private blood suppliers. One pint of blood costs 10,000 Naira, or USD$68. The average Nigerian makes about USD$94 a month. >> TITLE: Three hours later >> SIGN: Blood bag >> DR. BELLO DIKKO: It is really disheartening to see a patient dying from a preventable cause. As far as I'm concerned, hemorrhage is a preventable cause. >> SIGN: Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital >> VOICEOVER: Sakina received a blood transfusion in time to save her life. >> TITLE: Two days later >> TITLE: Sakina and Muhammed's second twin >> TITLE: Fatima, Sakina's mother >> WOMAN: I don't think the baby is alive. I don't think. >> MUHAMMED MAKA: We have a teaching in the religion of Islam that states, "What Allah gives, belongs to him. And what he takes also belongs to him." All of us are from Allah, and at some point, sooner or later, we shall all return to Allah. Even though we know it hurts, we can only accept its outcome. >> WOMAN: Now on examination there is color, she is pink, not dehydrated. Then the BP is 100/70 so at least it's okay. >> VOICEOVER: After eight days in the hospital, Sakina and her surviving twin daughter went home. >> TITLE: Oyo, Southern Nigeria >> SIGN: College of Medicine, University of Ibadan >> VOICEOVER: Professor Oladosu Ojengbede is Director of the Center for Population and Reproductive Health. He is one of the continent's premier women's health physicians. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE [Center for Population and Reproductive Health]: One of the reasons I got into medicine was that obstetrics was a very practical subject. There's a problem, you see it, you solve it, you're happy, the family's happy, everybody's happy. I lost my mom when I was very young. I was only three years old. I saw there were very grave challenges you face when you don't have a mom. >> TITLE: Professor Oladosu a. Ojengbede, Center for Population and Reproductive Health, University College Hospital, University of Ibadan >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: Most of our women live in rural areas. And so most of the births take place outside big cities. And if most births take place in rural areas, then that is where we must work. When I'm down in some villages and you think, "Could this be happening to human beings?" You become very emotional. And you feel like shedding tears. >> SIGN: Akinyele Local Government, Maternity Center, Mele >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: But then you quickly remember that, look, this is something that needs to be resolved. And you are one of those who have made up their mind to resolve it. >> VOICEOVER: Professor Ojengbede is pioneering low tech and affordable health solutions. He says these innovative tools are essential to keep women from dying of preventable causes. >> WOMAN: So this is the garment we have brought that helps to save women's lives. >> VOICEOVER: One of the most effective life-saving solutions is the anti-shock garment. This full-body suit, first conceived of by NASA, is being adapted for hemorrhaging women. The professor and an international team of colleagues have proven this suit can be used to treat shock by shunting blood from the extremities and back to vital organs. Bleeding to death is the number one killer of pregnant women, including those who live in this remote village of Mele. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: In a remote area like Mele, to get immediate access to superior care may be a challenge. Mele actually in full means, "Mele-mu-cu," which means, "I will not choose death." I love the name of this village, because what we're here for is to prevent death and promote life. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: Hello! How are you and the baby? Is the baby sleeping? >> RACHEL OLATUNJI [Pregnant with fifth child]: Yes, the baby is sleeping. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: We saw a couple. The wife is currently pregnant, and she had a two-year-old baby on her back, with scabies infections on the head and arm. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: What is his name? >> RACHEL OLATUNJI: Matthew. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: Matthew! This is scabies. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: This woman says she has five kids, and indeed the current pregnancy was really not planned for. And the question was, if it was not planned for, how come they couldn't prevent it? >> TITLE: Olurim Olatunji, Rachel's Husband >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: According to the gentleman, he said, "Well, I'd rather stay with my wife than go out to find another wife for sexual responsibility." It is global knowledge that the higher the number of births beyond five, the risk increases, but even doubles from five or more. And the closer the pregnancies are, shorter than two years between birth and the beginning of another pregnancy, the higher the risk. Not just for the woman, but also for the born baby and the previous births, because they are all related. >> RACHEL OLATUNJI: I have tried on my own to prevent pregnancy, but it is to no avail. Unfortunately, I wind up with unplanned pregnancies. >> VOICEOVER: Rachel, like most Nigerian women, has five children. For Rachel, like most, at least one of those pregnancies is unplanned. >> RACHEL OLATUNJI: I am very fertile. I tried to abort a pregnancy on my own with local herbs. I started having severe diarrhea, and I lost a lot of weight. I almost died. After a while, it became evident that I was still pregnant, so I started prenatal care and I accepted my fate. >> TITLE: Sunday morning church service >> ELIZABETH ADESINA [Community Birth Attendant]: When we speak of family planning, the husbands think this is a secret way of encouraging their wives to be unfaithful and start sleeping around. But if the emphasis is on preserving their wives' lives and the care of their children, they will understand. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: The men in this village are eager to improve the reproductive life of their families. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: What do we do -- what do we know so that we can make love to our wives but not have pregnancy occur? First, you can use tablets. If you use condoms all the time, they are very effective. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: We are seeking a dialogue with the men today, to have an in-depth introduction in contraception, how it impacts on health, how it impacts on the family, on income, on development. >> MAN: If a person can calculate the days very well, can there be a mistake between this time and this time for ovulation to take place? >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: Well, we didn't create this place where the egg comes from, and though there's a time range, it can vary. That is why it is better not to take the risk at all. So if you're waiting for that time, and you really want to make love to your wife, what are you going to do? There's nothing you can do to satisfy the need so that a man cannot wait! And if the wife says at that very moment, "Wait, you said we shouldn't get pregnant," the man can't think right! We should not guess. We should have a decisive method. >> VOICEOVER: Every Thursday morning in Mele, preacher and community birth attendant Elizabeth Adesina opens her prenatal class with a prayer. >> TITLE: Elizabeth Adesina, Community Birth Attendant >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: Faith-based practices probably see more patients in this country than the public sector facilities, simply because they provide the services within the context of understanding the values and the norms of the community they are serving. >> ELIZABETH ADESINA: Glory be to your name that she will not suffer. We will always praise your name, Father, in Jesus' name, amen. >> TITLE: Kano, Northern Nigeria >> FARIDA BABALLE: I started practicing midwifery in 1986, almost twenty-something years as a midwife. I was posted here October 2007. I was on leave at that time. When I came down there, they said they are taking me to the labor room. I said, "I don't want labor room now. All my years of service, my experience, has finished in the labor room, so please can you change me now so that I can have another area." They said no. They wanted me to be here. "We need something from you to come out and implement it here for us." I said, "It's okay." That is how God willed for me to help my fellow women. So when I came back, I sat down and said, "Oh," I asked them, "What are your statistics?" So I took three years of the register. I picked three things. What is the problem there, in the ward? And I write what my observation is there. So from that, we'll do our own assessment. This will tell us if it's the problem of the midwife, the problem of the doctors, or the problem of the community. >> FARIDA BABALLE: You see, January of last year we had eleven maternal deaths. So you know there is a problem here. >> VOICEOVER: Women die in the north because their culture often forbids them from travelling without a male escort, even when they're bleeding to death. Aisha Ibrahim, who gave birth to her eighth child at home, is one of them. In fact, knowing this precept, her husband Kabiru stayed with her. >> KABIRU IBRAHIM [Aisha's Husband]: My wife Aisha bled too much with her last two deliveries. So I made sure during this delivery I would stay close by to support her. >> VOICEOVER: But in the midst of the crisis, his car broke down, and he left to repair it. Stranded and hemorrhaging blood, Aisha had to wait for her father-in-law's permission to take a taxi to Farida's hospital with another male relative. >> AISHA AMIRU [Aisha Ibrahim's Sister-in-law]: I was there. They said she had lost so much blood. There was no more blood, that her blood was all gone. Honestly, when we brought her to the hospital, in her own words she kept saying she was going to die, she was going to die. >> NURSE: We checked her BP [blood pressure]. The BP is 70/query [too low to measure]. Some patients even die with that. >> FARIDA BABALLE: They just come at their dying minutes. They set a drip-normal saline and isoplasma for her. Then we applied the anti-shock garment. Then once you put it on, within a short time, when you check the vital signs, you find there is BP, there is pulse. The woman is coming back. >> DR. BELLO DIKKO: The anti-shock garment is just a way of buying time before you can procure blood for the transfusion of this woman. >> FARIDA BABALLE: The time that we didn't have this anti-shock garment, the woman will just go, will just die, because there is nothing we can do to help her. The only thing we can do is just to elevate the foot off the bed. Apart from that, there is nothing we can do. >> VOICEOVER: Aisha's husband, Kabiru Ibrahim, is a taxi driver in Kano and a father of thirteen. >> KABIRU IBRAHIM: When I arrived here at Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, they told me about the garment they applied to control the bleeding. Then they told me she was in need of blood. >> NURSE 1: The blood is her immediate need. >> KABIRU IBRAHIM: My brother and I searched all around for her blood type. But there was none available. My calmness was rattled, of course. I was thinking, before I'm able to find the blood, I would return to find her dead. I was grateful to Allah that I had the means to purchase the blood, but it was nowhere to be found. >> NURSE 1: The minute she came, we took her blood sample for relations to go look for her blood. But still yet you can see, how many hours ago? No blood yet. >> VOICEOVER: After searching for five hours, Kabiru found two pints of Aisha's blood type. >> NURSE 2: Blood pressure is 120/80 -- it's normal. >> HALIMA BEN UMAR [PATHS2]: She was telling me how this was the worst, she suffered the most out of all the seven she had. Then I said, "Have you thought about family planning, I mean child spacing?" Then she said, "Yeah...ah, uh huh. Is it something you can do?" She said her husband would not allow her to stop giving birth. I said, "No, I'm not saying stop, I'm just saying space." Islamically, it is wrong for you to say you want to have two children, you want to have four, but Islamically you can space. >> FARIDA BABALLE: The reason why most of our people don't believe in this family planning is because sometimes they misquote religion. They say God has said, "Deliver us many and they multiply the world." >> HALIMA BEN UMAR: Sometimes I felt maybe should I talk about family planning? But I know I spaced my children. If I hadn't, I would probably have had fifteen. That would have been disastrous. >> FARIDA BABALLE: I hope a lot of things that happen will change. >> HALIMA BEN UMAR: The change is coming gradually. But I think we need to move a little faster than the rate we are moving. Islam moves with civilization. >> FARIDA BABALLE: Yes, this is what I think. >> VOICEOVER: Kano is one of the twelve northern states in Nigeria governed by Islamic law, or Sharia. Daily life in this ancient city revolves around Islamic culture. Improving reproductive health requires a delicate interplay between Islam and modern medicine. >> SIGN: Allah is the greatest >> HALIMA BEN UMAR: In this part of the country, you need to work with the religious leaders. If you want to achieve your objectives, your aims, then you need to look at, what does Islam say? How do you do it so that it becomes more acceptable? For me, I have always been an advocate of family planning. People see it as a western idea; people see it as the west trying to impose their ideas on us, so it becomes a little bit difficult. >> SAKINA MAKA: Assalamu Alaykum >> FARIDA BABALLE: Wa Alaykum Assalam. How is your day? >> SAKINA MAKA: I'm well, and how is your day? >> TITLE: Sakina and twin daughter, four months after delivery >> FARIDA BABALLE: So, what we do here is family planning birth control. Do you know what that means? >> SAKINA MAKA: It's like having control between deliveries. For example, two and a half years before having another baby. >> FARIDA BABALLE: Within those two years, your husband will save up some money. You see? If you have a baby and then, in a year, another and another every year, he wouldn't save any money, and then you're not in good health and the baby will not be healthy. That's why we use family planning. >> FARIDA BABALLE: Now there's a lot of awareness of family planning for our people. Our women are coming on their own. They don't wait for their husbands. They decide on their own health, instead of waiting for their husbands to decide on their health. >> KABIRU IBRAHIM: Aisha stayed in the hospital for sixteen days until she regained her health. Then she was discharged and we went back home. That's what happened. >> VOICEOVER: Kabiru's first wife died giving birth to their seventh child, and he has never used birth control until now. He attributes this behavior change to a deeper understanding of safe motherhood in the Islamic community. >> KABIRU IBRAHIM: Before this delivery I didn't agree with the idea of a woman taking a break, because rest comes from Allah. If Allah does not grant a break, you will surely give birth. The Muslim religion allows that she take a break to save her life, because she might lose her life in the process. That is why I agreed. >> AISHA IBRAHIM: Trial birth causes all sorts of mishaps and problems. It brings all kinds of thoughts to mind, like either you retain your life or you lose it. >> PROFESSOR OLADOSU A. OJENGBEDE: You can say, women's rights should be well protected, but the truth is, for now, we have not put in place all the structures that protect women's rights completely in developing countries. And that's what we must put into context when we're fashioning out programs and projects that would serve women. We need to find the appropriate way and culturally acceptable way of circumventing the obstructions. That challenges are enormous, and sometimes they're depressing. The frustrations are everywhere, but the resolve is stronger than the frustrations. >> TITLE: Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital >> DR. BELLO DIKKO: Welcome to Habibu Sadouki Blood Transfusion Center, Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital. What you have is a blood bank fridge, which has the capacity of keeping about 300 units of blood. It will be tested, filtered, stored, and the ones that will be needed in the maternity will immediately go to maternity. >> MAN: My message to you all is: please help keep our women alive. >> VOICEOVER: Frustrated by the lack of blood supply for maternity patients, Dr. Dikko successfully lobbied health officials for a separate maternity blood bank. Since opening in February 2009, waiting times for maternity ward patients in need of blood has been reduced by 75 percent. >> DR. BELLO DIKKO: If you go inside the blood bank now, the two fridges that you saw the other time are almost packed full. >> FARIDA BABALLE: A lot has changed. It reduces the delay in having the blood. The midwives draw the blood, they send the blood, and then it quickly saves the lives of the patients. You can see the results in our reduction of maternal mortality. There are very few deaths now. It's very low. >> VOICEOVER: The maternity blood bank began collecting blood donations one week after Sakina gave birth to her twins. >> DR. BELLO DIKKO: Each and every one of us, whether a man or a woman, came out of a woman. As long as there is one maternal death, it's a family mortality. Not an ordinary mortality. If you can reduce maternal mortality in Kano State, then definitely the denominator in the issue of maternal mortality in the whole country will definitely reduce. And if it reduces, then it will be my greatest achievement, and I can even resign and go home. >> TITLE: Dr. Bellow Dikko is part of a landmark effort to train religious leaders about reproductive health. He advocates for the right of pregnant women to travel without male escorts, and free maternity services. Farida Baballe's observational study showed maternal deaths have been nearly cut in half, from 196 in 2008 to 102 in 2009. Professor Ojengbede and international colleagues, led by Professor Suellen Miller at UC San Francisco, have tested the anti-shock garment on more than 3,000 women in Nigeria, Egypt, and Mexico. They found that women who received the anti-shock garment lost 50 percent less blood and have 64 percent fewer deaths. Pathfinder International, a non-profit organization, has trained more than 4,000 Nigerian health care providers to prevent, treat, and diagnose post-partum hemorrhage. Pathfinder has distributed 456 anti-shock garments and is collaborating with federal and state governments to scale up the project. While documenting these stories, the filmmakers worked in unison with families and healthcare workers to accurately portray pregnancy and childbirth. Several times we affected outcomes by contributing resources for transportation, cell phones, and pharmaceuticals. In the case of Sakina Maka, her husband Mohammed, an Arabic teacher, was unable to procure funding for blood after hours of searching. We gave Mohammed the 10,000 Naira needed to buy the blood. >> VOICEOVER: What do you want to be when you grow up? >> GIRL 1: I want to be a doctor. >> GIRL 2: I want to be a doctor. >> GIRL 3: A nurse. >> TITLE: Brown Doggy Pictures, in association with Woodlawn Avenue Productions: The Edge of Joy. Director and Producer: Dawn Sinclair Shapiro. Narrator: Eliza Griswold. Executive Producer: Tod Lending. Editors: Michael S. O'Brien, Melissa Sterne. Director of Photography: Nicola B. Marsh. >> TITLE: [End credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/with-my-own-two-wheels As a tool for development, a simple bicycle can mean transportation, employment, even access to education and healthcare. With My Own Two Wheels weaves together the experiences of five individuals into a single story about how the bicycle can change the world, one pedal stroke at a time. Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/with-my-own-two-wheels Bicycle, Economic development, India, Ghana, Koforidua, World Bicycle Relief, Zambia, Disability, Health, Environment >> TITLE: Look for solutions, not problems. - Dan Eldon >> TITLE: Hubub Films Presents >> TITLE: With My Own Two Wheels >> TITLE: 5:30 AM, Chapola, Zambia >> FRED HANYINDE: My name is Fred Hanyinde. I was born here in Chapola in 1975. I am 35 years old. I got married in 1997. My wife's name is Emelda Chulu. She was born in 1983. We have four children. >> FRED HANYINDE: I am a farmer. The soil here is fertile. I grow many types of crops. I grow potatoes, corn, sunflowers, cotton, groundnuts, and peas. I also have a garden where I grow vegetables like tomatoes and cabbage. The most important things in my life are going to church, then being a caregiver, then football! These are things I love. >> TITLE: Zambia is roughly the size of Texas. It has an estimated population of 12 million. 1.1 million are infected with HIV/AIDS. Many of these HIV/AIDS patients live far from the nearest clinic. Their only regular care comes from volunteer caregivers, like Fred. >> FRED HANYINDE: I decided to become a community health caregiver because of my brother, who suffered from HIV/AIDS. The issue was very close to my heart. The Bible says that, "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, so you do unto Me." As a caregiver, my job is to visit and take care of the sick. The main problem with our clients around here is how they are kept in their homes. They are stigmatized. Most of them say, "The people around here don't want me." Their families tell them, "We are not the ones who gave you that disease. That is of your own doing." Sometimes families give patients their own plates, because the family is afraid that they will be infected as well. Because of this, patients are normally happy when we caregivers come along. We shake hands and do all sorts of things together. They become very free with us, and they tell us problems that they wouldn't tell their own families. >> TITLE: 7:15 AM, Koforidua, Ghana >> MIRRIAM ODURO: My name is Mirriam Oduro. I am 27 years old. >> MIRRIAM'S FATHER: She wants to explore. She is something like -- she is adventurous. Sometimes, when she wants to do something, I will even try to discourage her. But, she will have the courage to pursue. >> TITLE: In Ghana, people with disabilities are often stigmatized. Many find it difficult to fit in, let alone find a job. >> MIRRIAM ODURO: I was a kid, and I had a dream that a dog bit me. Then my mom told me that I started shouting, "A dog has bitten my leg there." The next day, I couldn't even stand on my feet. I was paralyzed. >> MIRRIAM'S FATHER: I found it very difficult to get even school for her. Because at the normal -- or at the regular school -- they didn't want to mingle up with people with crutches. >> MIRRIAM ODURO: When I was a kid, I found life difficult. At that time, I didn't want to come out. I didn't want many people [around]. I didn't want people to see me walking. >> MIRRIAM'S FATHER: Some people, when they see them, they admire them, they have sympathy for them. But some people too, when they see them, they just shun them. >> TITLE: 8:00 AM, Sone Sangvi, India >> BHARATI PHAKAD DATE: My name is Bharati Phakad Date. I am 14 years old. I live in Sone Sangvi. My favorite actor is Mithun Chakraborthy because he always plays a humanitarian, someone who helps other people. There are a lot of people who live on the streets. I will help them. There are so many people in this world who do not even get one meal a day. I will help them. >> TITLE: In India, 81 percent of girls attend primary school. Only 49 percent of girls attend high school. 46.4 percent of women are illiterate. Many women in Bharati's mother's generation were married by the time they were Bharati's age. >> TITLE: Bharati's Mother, Bharati's Father >> BHARATI'S MOTHER: My life, my generation, was full of darkness. If you are uneducated, then it is as if you only have one eye. >> TITLE: In 1998, Armene Modi founded Ashta No Kai to empower women in Bharati's community. >> ARMENE MODI [Founder, Ashta No Kai]: For about a couple of years, we only focused on adult women and literacy for them. And I noticed that many of the girls who came to the class were very, very young girls, with a mangalsutra, which is a gold and black beaded necklace that they wear around their necks, which in India is a symbol of matrimony. And they had babies on their hips, and I started to ask, "What's going on, and why are such young girls married off already?" And there's a famous Indian saying, "Why water a plant that is going to grow in a neighbor's garden?" >> TITLE: 9:00 AM, San Andres Itzapa, Guatemala >> CARLOS MACHIN: My name is Carlos Enrique Marroquin Machin. I am a native of San Andres Itzapa. I am 41 years old. My farm is three kilometers from here. We call it El Chibul, because it is much higher up than the town. Now, in the month of September, we grow beans, ejoteros, that is, green [unripe] beans to sell to the market. I also just planted huicoy, carrots, lettuce, corn, piligua. Also radishes and beets. We grow it all. They say I have the hand of God, because I have five children. My eldest daughter is 18 years old, Carlos is 17, Antonio is 14, Jenny and Carolinia are 11, and Christian is almost six. >> TITLE: Guatemala is still recovering from a long and brutal civil war. >> CARLOS MACHIN: When the armed conflict started, I was a child. I had a very painful experience. I was tortured, because I was accused of hanging out with the paramilitaries. After that, after growing up, I did not have the chance to have a childhood as my children do now. It was lost. >> TITLE: The civil war wreaked havoc on the indigenous Maya community. In the rush to rebuild, the residents of San Andres have paid a steep price. The air quality in the region is now so bad that many farmers can no longer work in their fields after 9 AM. Some, like Carlos, are looking for a new way forward. >> TITLE: 10:00 AM, Chapola, Zambia >> FRED HANYINDE: I used to walk. Whether the patient was near or far, I used to walk. Rain or shine, I used to walk. I asked the caregiver program for a bicycle, but they never gave me one. They said, "You are only using it for useless programs." But we needed to help sick people in the community, so we used to walk. >> TITLE: Caregivers like Fred often walk 15 to 20 kilometers to visit a patient. They must visit these patients two to three times every week. In 2005, World Bicycle Relief partnered with Rapids, one of the largest caregiver programs in Zambia. Their goal: To increase the effectiveness of caregivers by giving them bicycles. >> JOHAN BRUYNEEL [Board Member, World Bicycle Relief]: What I find so particular about it is that it's so simple. It's measurable, something that we take for granted, and that in other areas of the world is something that changes lives. One bike, it is 134 dollars per bike. And I know that that bike is going to go somewhere and it's going to change the life of not only one person, but probably of a whole family. >> TITLE: Fred is one of 19,000 caregivers who now make their rounds by bicycle. >> FRED HANYINDE: The bicycle helps me reach patients in good time. For example, if I go by bicycle to visit a patient at 7:00 AM, I can reach the patient early and come back early. The bicycle makes visiting patients easier. Now I can visit a patient as late as 4:00 PM and still make it home by sunset. >> TITLE: 12:00 PM, Sone Sangvi, India >> ARMENE MODI: In many villages, there were only schools until seventh grade. There were no high schools. So we worked in ten villages at that point of time, and there were only three high schools. So then I asked the parents, the mothers, "Well, what happens to the boys, how do you send the boys to school?" And they said, "Well, we give them bicycles." And I said, "Well, what about the girls," and they said, "Oh no, it's a waste of money to give a bicycle to a girl, she's going to turn around and get married. So I thought, my god, if it's only a bicycle that's keeping girls from going to school, let's go ahead and give it to them. >> TITLE: Thanks to Ashta No Kai's Bicycle Bank program, Bharati and her friends are now able to get to high school by bicycle. >> BHARATI PHAKAD DATE: I am going to Nimgaon Bhogi High School. I am learning in the ninth standard [grade]. I like mathematics because I like solving mathematical puzzles. The bike has been really useful. Now, the time that I save commuting to school can be used to study. Also, now I can ride to school with my friends. It is a lot of fun. >> BHARATI'S MOTHER: She now feels very motivated and enthusiastic to attend school. I have to make sure that my daughters get a good education. It is our duty. >> BHARATI PHAKAD DATE: I want to become a district supervisor, because then I can make big decisions, and also have the power to implement them. I would be able to make decisions regarding the welfare of the poor and downtrodden. I would be able to help transform society. I want to eradicate poverty from this country. >> TITLE: 2:00 PM, Koforidua, Ghana >> MIRRIAM ODURO: This is my bench, yes. I have all the tools that I need at my bench. >> TITLE: Mirriam is now a mechanic at Ability Bikes, a bicycle shop cooperative established by Boston-based Bikes Not Bombs and staffed entirely by disabled Ghanaians. >> DAVID BRANIGAN [International Programs Director, Bikes Not Bombs]: The first day, there was one young woman named Mirriam Oduro. They came up to me and said, "David, I want to be a part of this project." And I said, "Okay, that's great, you want to learn how to fix bikes." And she said, "Yes. David, I'm serious. I want to learn how to fix bikes." >> MIRRIAM ODURO: That day, they [the other mechanics] were laughing at me because I bent my [wheel]. So, when David taught me and I started doing it, I finished mine, and David came and checked it. He said, "Oh wow, you have done well!" They are sitting there [saying], "Mirriam, can you help me with my rim?" I said, "You are sitting there laughing at me. You want me to help you? I won't do that!" Then David told me, "Mirriam, you can help them." So I helped them. >> MIRRIAM'S FATHER: She is always adventurous. She wants to go beyond what everyone expects of her. She doesn't seem to be handicapped. She doesn't seem to be worried about her problem at all. >> DAVID BRANIGAN: It's a pretty amazing thing to have this aggressive male come with his bike and say, "Hey, my bike needs to be repaired. My wheel is going like this," right? And then everyone looks at him and they say, "Okay, we'll fix it for you." And then they take the wheel off and give it to Mirriam. And the guy's expression is like, "What? This woman, this disabled woman is going to true my wheel?" And what ends up happening is that she trues his wheel for him. And sometimes there are men sitting there, just watching, as Mirriam is repairing their wheel, something that they can't do themselves, and there's this female, physically disabled, mechanic fixing their wheel for this person. >> DAVID BRANIGAN: I know that her life is changed by it. I know that she now sees herself in the world as an influential person. She sees herself as having skills that other people don't have, that are valuable to her community, and even to the world. She sees herself as now representing other physically disabled people who were in her position before, without work, and in a position now to advocate for them, and for recognition of the enormous amount of unemployed disabled people in Ghana. >> DAVID BRANIGAN: She is a woman working in a field that is generally dominated by men. So she's even expanding the boundaries of women, and other women who are able-bodied look up to her as an example of how women can be in the world. >> MIRRIAM ODURO: It makes me happy. It helps me to achieve something. And I feel proud. My name is Mirriam Oduro. I am a mechanic. >> TITLE: 4:00 PM, San Andres Itzapa, Guatemala >> TITLE: In 1997, Carlos helped start Maya Pedal, an organization dedicated to creating environmentally friendly tools to empower rural Mayans. Their invention: the bicimaquina. >> CARLOS MACHIN: First of all, the bicimaquina is all recycled. We start from the bicycle. The bicycle is the fundamental part. To this we attach the old machines that used to be powered by other sources, like gasoline. With the bicimaquina we try to join together elements that have been discarded [bicycles] with elements that used to pollute. >> CARLOS MACHIN: First, the bicimaquina does not pollute the environment. Second, it fills the gap between the artisanal and the industrial. It is a middle ground, because it is going to allow the user to complete tasks faster. Third, it helps the economy quite a bit, because it reduces expenditures on fuel and energy. It helps to minimize the costs of both running and maintaining the machine. It is simple. >> TITLE: The community of Cruz Nueva has two bicimaquinas: a bicimolino (corn grinder) and a bicipulpar (coffee depulper). >> WOMAN 1: Oh God! It used to be a lot of work. We only ground at night, and could only grind a little at a time using our old tools. This is what we used before. But now that we have the bicimaquina, we don't use that one anymore. Now it is different. Yes, it has helped us a lot. With it I can strip corn very quickly to make my tamales. I can now grind my corn very quickly. Now grinding corn is a communal activity. The bicimaquina helps all of us. >> CARLOS MACHIN: It also helps the family to learn to use the resources that are at their disposal, that surround them. It helps them learn how to do things in new ways that don't pollute. They learn how to do things in a better way. >> MAN 1: We export coffee to the United States and, in another year, maybe Japan. The bicimaquina has helped facilitate this. Those two bicimaquinas help us to use less diesel or gasoline or electricity. It is a little better, no? Really, there's a lot of pollution. Those two help us pollute less. >> CARLOS MACHIN: For someone who hasn't seen a bicimaquina, the concept is impressive because they are astounded by what it can do. If someone has a heart attack, we are going to try to revive him or her. That is what we are trying to do with these bicycles. >> TITLE: 5:30 PM >> TITLE: 8:00 AM, Santa Barbara, CA, United States >> TITLE: Sharkey Esquives >> SHARKEY ESQUIVES: You feel the fresh air. You can feel how fast you are going. You feel like you're going a hundred, you're going, like, only ten, fifteen! You can feel all that wind coming to your face; you're feeling all fresh and everything. It feels good, better than a car. >> SHARKEY ESQUIVES: It all depends, the day and the mood. If I feel like riding my bike somewhere far, with my headphones, I go to my racing bike. It has blue tires, blue frame with some chrome on it. With the beach cruiser, if I feel like riding with my friends, with my homies, anywhere, I take my beach cruiser or my mountain bike, whichever one comes in handy. >> TITLE: Sharkey is a volunteer bike mechanic at Bici Centro, a community-run bike shop that sells refurbished bicycles and teaches patrons how to repair their own bicycles. >> ED FRANCE [Director, Bici Centro]: You have recreational road riders, who can generally afford bikes up to two, three thousand dollars, more. You have recreational mountain bikers, same deal, and those folks will tend to replace bikes every few years, even. You have the die-hard enviro bike commuters, but that group is not just the classic image we have of a bicycle commuter, the white, well-educated cyclist who's decided to simplify their life and to live environmentally, and thus they're going to bike. In Santa Barbara, at least half of that five percent of people getting around by bike are working-class folks who rely on that bike, probably not necessarily out of choice, because people ride whatever they can, you know? And again, that's half of our active bike commuting population. And so, our feeling at Bici Centro, as the group of founders, was that that group wasn't being served. >> ED FRANCE: I feel a lot of sympathy for people in Shark's position, because out of high school, the possibilities are really bleak. What do you do? Continue hanging out with the gang? He probably has some hard job prospects. >> SHARKEY ESQUIVES: It has kept me from the streets, from kicking it with my homies, kicking it with everyone, not knowing. Getting busted, getting locked up every time. Bici Centro has helped me in stopping it. I could be here, I could come here, and it?s kind of like a job. Come here, throw all my stress in here, and go home and just chill, and just pass out. It?s like a regular day, doing a regular job like a regular person. I've always been proud of working in here. Been helping a lot of people from different spots, people from a different world, different states, different age. You get the smallest kid to the biggest, oldest, like, "O.G." -- old man -- whatever! You could get anyone in here who doesn?t know anything about bikes, we teach them. >> SHARKEY ESQUIVES: My life has changed plenty. A lot of people know me better from working at Bici Centro. They'll be like, "Aren?t you that person who helped me fix up my bike?" I?m like, "Yes, I'm the one who fixed it." They'll be telling me, "Thanks for fixing it, it's running good." My name is Sharkey, I'm from Santa Barbara. I'm from Bici Centro, I'm a volunteer, and I?m 21 years old. >> ED FRANCE: This is just the same story over and over: people with enormous potential that are overlooked throughout the world. But we need our solutions that are intermediate. We have all these overpowering solutions. We want to have electricity! Well, we'll just dig up that mountain and we'll just make electricity, and we'll just run railroad cars and trucks. All we do is overpower things or neglect things. >> CARLOS MACHIN: We as human beings need to take care of the world, not the world take care of us. Because we have been given wisdom, understanding, and all this. >> DAVID BRANIGAN: The majority of trips that people need to take in their lives -- if you're in Guatemala, or Ghana, or in Boston -- are bikeable. >> JOHAN BRUYNEEL: If we have a problem with transportation, we wake up in the morning, we look at the sky, and we say, if it's cloudy, do we go by car, or do we take the bike? The transportation story or transportation problem in Africa is totally different. They don't have the choice. They either have to walk-- kids have to walk two to three hours to school and from school, or caregivers have to walk all day long, in the best circumstances they can see maybe two or three patients. It's a completely different view on what a bike can do. We don't see the use of a bike other than, we have the choice. >> ARMENE MODI: Having a bicycle and being able to access education can have such a huge impact on aspiration levels, on educational levels, on quality of life. >> DAVID BRANIGAN: That bicycle is increasing their mobility. It's increasing their ability to go places. It's broadening their scope of their life, of what resources they can access. >> JOHAN BRUYNEEL: Bikes have been part of my life, naturally, for always, and I've never thought about not having a bike. What a bike can do, to me, just made too much sense, and I couldn't afford myself to say, "I'm not part of this." >> ED FRANCE: It is a comprehensive development tool. Development that happens for an entire country starts with one person. And if every single person in that country begins to become empowered, and begins to have access to resources, the entire country's going to develop. >> CARLOS MACHIN: We know that we don't have to speak for the machine. The machine speaks for itself. >> FRED HANYINDE: You can go and see a patient and still make it home. The bike makes the work of a caregiver lighter. >> SHARKEY ESQUIVES: You fix that one up; he's going to tell his friend. His friend is going tell another friend. >> MIRRIAM ODURO: It gives you mobility to do something. >> BHARATI PHAKAD DATE: I was very happy when I got the bicycle. I felt really good riding my bike. >> CARLOS MACHIN: The machine speaks for itself. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-kemricdc-project A new home-based HIV testing and counseling program in Kibera is neutralizing the social stigma of being seen going into a clinic to be tested. The program builds on the idea that people will be more comfortable getting tested and receiving information about HIV/AIDS in the privacy of their homes. Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:57:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-kemricdc-project Kenya, Africa, Health, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kibera, AIDS, Youth, Education, Circumcision >> TITLE: KiberaTV >> WILFRED MASEA [Reporter]: KEMRI/CDC is a home-based counseling and HIV/AIDS testing group that has young men and women moving from door to door with an aim of educating youths, young men, and women on HIV/AIDS. As the rate of HIV/AIDS keeps on growing higher, it is said that 78 percent of couples in Kenya do not know their partner's HIV status. The result also indicates that 7 percent of people aged sixteen to sixty-four years are infected with HIV/AIDS. I have been tested, and I am HIV negative. Do you know your status? KEMRI/CDC, a home-based HIV counseling group, is here for you. Have you been tested? According to statistics, 1.4 million adults in Kenya are living with HIV/AIDS, which also indicates that 56 percent have never been tested, while 28 percent think that they are not infected with HIV/AIDS. CDC is working hard to transform and educate youth in Kibera through a dummy, and also educating them on ways to protect themselves. It is also proven that the medical procedure of male circumcision reduces the risk of getting HIV/AIDS. >> WOMAN [KEMRI/CDC Counselor]: When you use a condom with your partner, you will never doubt yourself on any infection, since you are using protection. We are also campaigning for voluntary male medical circumcision. It has been researched and proved that circumcised men have a reduced risk of contracting HIV by 60 percent. >> WILFRED MASEA: According to them, a large number of young people find it hard to get tested, and have a negative perspective towards the outcome of the results. But through home visits, many of the youths are able to express their views freely, feeling more comfortable being at home than going to health centers for the test. >> AMOS WANDERA [Student]: My name is Amos Wandera, I come from here in Kibera and right now I'm a student. Most of the time, initially, people always fear being seen going into a testing center, because their colleagues will believe that he doubts himself. But the initiative that the KEMRI people have taken to visit people in their houses gives more people the confidence to be tested because nobody will see you out going for HIV testing. You'll just be tested in your house, and there will not be any doubt at any particular time. It is confidential, not very public. >> WILFRED MASEA: This is also another way of educating the whole family on HIV/AIDS matters, matters that many parents do not like to share with their children. >> AMOS WANDERA: We are in another century, whereby we need to understand the reality about HIV/AIDS; we need to know our status so that we may live a good life. So being tested near your parents, near your wife, near your kid, it shows a positive picture of development in the developing world. Well, first of all, I was not tested when I was first going to be tested. I felt like I was scared, I really didn't want to make this particular move. But slowly, within my discussion with the counselor, I really gathered that confidence. And the last time, when she opened her kit, and I saw that it was only one line, which indicated that I'm negative, I felt like jumping up. I felt like I've been renewed, because I didn't trust that I was really negative. I always believe that everybody is positive unless proven negative. So that was the shoe I was in. But when I received that information I saw it myself that I was negative. It was like I was jumping from the seat I was sitting on, and said, "I've been born again. I'm new, I'm clean." So I was so happy. >> WILFRED MASEA: After going through the test, young girls, boys, men, and women, whether negative or positive, are educated on how to be faithful, having one partner, and also how to use protection. Wilfred Masea, reporting for KiberaTV, Nairobi. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-life-beyond-hiv Agneta Olouch, a primary school teacher in Kibera, was left alone to raise her children when her husband died of AIDS-related complications in 1995. When her health began to deteriorate rapidly, she discovered she was HIV positive herself. Out of this pain and hardship, she summoned the strength to start the Stawi Center, a community center for people of all ages living with HIV. Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:41:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-life-beyond-hiv Kenya, HIV, Health, Vertical transmission, Education, Health education, Kibera, Médecins Sans Frontières, KiberaTV, Hot Sun Foundation >> TITLE: KiberaTV >> AGNETA LUTA OLOUCH [Founder, Stawi Youth and Adult Center]: My name is Agneta Luta Olouch; I'm about 59 years old. I'm going to celebrate my 60th year this year. I am HIV positive, and I got healed when I went for medication because I used to be sick. But now when I got healed, I thought of starting a small project like Stawi. Stawi means, "to grow and prosper." At least bring people together. >> BENTA AGOLLA [Stawi Group Member/Teacher]: Stawi is composed of many groups. I'm in two groups at Stawi. I'm a member of the Post Test Club, that's a club that meets to share how they're living positive. >> AGNETA LUTA OLOUCH: Bring children together who are orphaned because of HIV and AIDS. >> BENTA AGOLLA: Also to play a role as teacher to the young children. I knew my status ten years ago when I was expecting my fourth child. There was a mandatory test for women who were expecting. So after that, I was just told, "you are positive." I broke down, I was in tears, and I thought I would die. >> AGNETA LUTA OLOUCH: There were aims of bringing people together to educate them on health education and treatment literacy, because some of the people, when they take medication they may not adhere. But when we come together for psychological support, we teach each other how to take medication. Those who have challenges, we share together. >> BENTA AGOLLA: After meeting Mama Agneta she counseled me, we talked together, and she took me for medication where I did prevention for mother to child transmission. >> AGNETA LUTA OLOUCH: The challenge we are facing so far with the group is that some of these PTC [Post Test Club] members, they are very weak and cannot afford things like nutrition to eat well. So if it could be my wish, we could have something to give them, like nutritional support. Some of them have many children who they cannot support. >> BENTA AGOLLA: ...I'm a mother of six. >> AGNETA LUTA OLOUCH: That's why we take them into the Stawi Children's Group, who come on Saturday to eat, and we give them psychological support. >> BENTA AGOLLA: The students are aged between two months and ten years. They feed here, they learn here. The basics: how to go to school, how to brush their teeth, how to comb their hair, the alphabet, the domestic animals, we do a lot. >> AGNETA LUTA OLOUCH: And that is not enough, because by the end of the day these children go back home. Usually, we are connected with MSF [Medecins Sans Frontieres] Belgium, the health clinic. They refer patients to us. We have achieved a lot, because I have seen people waking up from their sleeping beds and taking their medication without fear, without stigma. That's what makes me happy. >> BENTA AGOLLA: My daughter now is ten years. She's negative. >> AGNETA LUTA OLOUCH: I am a mentor to many of these people. They see that I was HIV positive, my husband died and left me with the children, and I educated them up to university level. So I tell them, why not you? And that one encourages them a lot. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-entrepreneurs Florence, Esnart, Ng'andwe and Precious all come from backgrounds of extreme poverty in rural Zambia. They've embarked on five months of intensive training in leadership and enterprise. With courage and determination, these young women defy the odds and establish their own successful businesses, proving that anything is possible. Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:41:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-entrepreneurs Zambia, Social entrepreneurship, Gender, Sub-Saharan Africa, Microfinance, Education, Social change, 10,000 Women, Mpika, Entrepreneurship >> TITLE: Camfed presents: A See Change Films Production, in collaboration with Goldman Sachs, 10,000 Women Initiative, and The University of Cambridge.>> TITLE: 150 young women from rural Zambia, from backgrounds of extreme rural poverty, are coming together to undertake an intensive training course. Over the next five months they will be taught leadership skills, social entrepreneurship, and how to become successful businesswomen. >> SIGN: Lubwe High School Educaiton Board>> TITLE: The Entrepreneurs>> BENJAMIN CHAMA [Camfed Zambia]: Lubwe is a rural community with no source of employment except for the fishing and maybe peasant farming. So I think that there isn't any money to go around. We would like to empower rural people through education, because I believe with all my heart that it is only through the giving of education that we can change the poverty cycle in our country.>> BARBARA CHILANGWA [Camfed Zambia]: Welcome all of you again, I know I welcomed you yesterday but I would also like to welcome you in a special way this morning because this now marks the beginning of this very precious course to all of us, because it is the first of its kind in Zambia. >> WOMAN 1: As you've heard already, they've introduced the Camfed program and our learning objective is to empower the young rural girls just like yourselves so that you don't have to struggle. Everyone, you are expected to write one expectation that you hope to achieve at the end of the three weeks. I want to learn how to start a business and to be a leader of different people. >> WOMAN 2: With the expectations you've given me I can predict you are ready to learn, isn't it? >> CATHERINE BOYCE [Course Leader]: The overarching theme of the course is leadership. People have to believe in themselves and their ability to affect change, to have the skills, to have the confidence, to have the vision to look around them and see opportunities where previously they had seen none. >> WOMAN 3: When choosing a leader, we have to see that this person has the qualities of a leader in them. >> WOMAN 4: Am I going to be a director? That is a leader who has a vision ahead of them. >> WOMAN 5: A leader must be honest, a leader must be with good behavior, and communicate. That's all. >> WOMAN 4: Why did you draw a picture of a man instead of a picture of a woman? Because we have taught you that we are leaders, I am also a leader, you are also leaders.>> BARBARA CHILANGWA: These young women will draw men as leaders because that is what they have known all their lives. At the family level, it is the father who is the leader. At school, it's mostly male teachers that are leaders and head teachers. So what this course will do is that it will break that perception. The communities will see for themselves that women can do the job and can do it well. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI [Trainer]: Good morning ladies. >> WOMEN: Good morning. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: How are you? >> WOMEN: Fine. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: So, today we are going to talk about our rivers of life. Each one of you should be able to write your rivers of life, should indicate on your river of life the worst things that have happened in your lives, and also the good things that happened in your life. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: In one of the sessions that we had with the young women, we were talking about the river of life so that people can come out of their situations. They can be very free to express themselves and also to share with others what they are going through. >> WOMAN 1: My life was going very good and fantastic. My father was working, my mother was not working. In 1996, my father died and my river started going down. >> WOMAN 2: And he has no money to pay for my school fees and buy my school uniform and he was telling me, "It's better you get married than to go to grade 8, me I don't have money." >> WOMAN 3: And I passed but I couldn't manage to go to grade 8 because my parents, they only cultivate. >> BARBARA CHILANGWA: The women in our program, the 150 of them, come from very difficult backgrounds. Most of them, I can say almost 80 percent of these girls will have lost either one parent or both parents.>> FLORENCE [Student]: My name is Florence and this is the river of my life. I was born in 1990. And in 1997 my dad passed away. He died. In 1998, I started staying with my mom. We only survived by using the money that dad left. And in 2001, my mom died also.>> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: They think that when they are coming from poor families, that's the end of their lives. So my role here is just to empower girls to be able to believe in themselves and also to feel like they can do something about it. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: Then my river started going down in 2001. That's when my father passed away. And when he died -->> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: When my dad died life was so difficult for us because my mother couldn't support us. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: I'll always remember this year, when my river went down and the water was even too cold for me. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: When I was working with Camfed, I was able to go back to school again because education is the only key to success. My dream was to bring back the life we used to enjoy with my father. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: And then I managed to build by mother a very big house that she's so proud of. And I'm also happy. I managed to build my mother that house when I was 22 years old. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: Now I know that there are a lot of challenges that the young women are facing, that the rural people are facing, so I want to become a Member of Parliament one day, and I know I'm going to become one. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: You can also do it. Despite where you are coming from, the sky is not the limit. If you just believe in yourself that you can do it, you can do it. If you've got that zeal and the self-determination to believe in yourself, and you know that one day you are going to achieve whatever your dreams will be, you are going to excel, and you are going to achieve that, okay?>> WINNIE FARAO [Social Entrepreneur]: The poverty that was haunting our families would just not allow us to go to school. We were not supposed to be educated and we were not supposed to look at ourselves as leaders, but as subordinate. The fact that we were not supposed to get any opportunities to go to school, but we got it, then we have to use it and use it to the maximum. >> WINNIE FARAO: As a social entrepreneur, this is what I think I can go and do in my community. This is how I think I can go and make an impact. >> WOMAN: For me, what I can do as a leader, I should first join the group like Cama (Camfed alumni group) and then support those people who are in need. >> WINNIE FARAO: I feel that it is very, very important for the young women to understand social entrepreneurship and to understand business entrepreneurship, because the world that we are living in today, the young women and the communities that they come from, they are the best persons to deal with the challenges that they are facing everyday. For a long time, communities were not able to deal with their own challenges because there were no energetic young people to lead that process. >> TITLE: To help students find solutions to challenges in the community, a group of international social entrepreneurs are assisting on a number of issues. One of these issues is overfishing. >> ANNA OURSLER [Global Footprint Network]: The numbers of fish in the lake are reducing because so many people are taking them. We are going to learn how to be a scientist, and really look through our own eyes at what is happening in the waters and with the fish at Lake Bangweulu. We're going to take three data points and measure all of these things because we are doing a study to see if we can put a fish cage, an aquaculture fish cage, in the middle of the lake where we can grow and harvest fish. They've gone through about ten different scientific experiments to measure the qualities of water, which is something that all of them learned and can now do perfectly. The results will actually be submitted to the government, to the Ministry of Natural Resources, as part of an environmental assessment. So I think in their confidence there has been a real change, but also their skills, their technical skills about how to be a scientist, how to take scientific measurements. >> PRECIOUS [Student]: I'm Precious. We used to live in Kitwe. In 2001, mom died, then after a few years dad also died. Then we started living with dad's older brother. After living there for about a year, he started treating us badly. We couldn't touch our books, we weren't allowed to. Instead we were told to start doing housework. We had to do all the housework while his children were in the bedroom reading. So that was a very big problem. I found that that problem just got bigger, so that's how we came here to live with grandma, dad's mom. My grandma is very old. Sometimes she is not able to work for very long. She can't go to the field and work for a long time. But we help her cultivate, when we go to the field we cultivate. Apparently, someone explained my problem to my headmaster. That's when I came under Camfed's support. After this, the teacher who was our mentor told me, "Precious, you should remain behind and attend this course that will teach you about social entrepreneurship." I couldn't believe it. I just started crying because I didn't expect that I could have such luck. >> ALAN JACKSON [Aptivate ICT Trainer]: What we'd like to talk about now is just to find out what experience you all have with IT. >> WOMAN: I don't know anything about computers. >> ALAN JACKSON: So the four of you have never used a computer before?>> ALAN JACKSON: We have to start sort of at the beginning. Here are some computers, here's how you put them together. Here's how they work, here's how you make your network of computers work, here's how you connect to the Internet, here's how you find out if something's wrong. There are a lot of cultural adjustments, a lot of things we take for granted that of course they will have had no experience of. >> PENELOPE [IT Teacher Trainee]: Before the beginning of this course I didn't have any experience with computers. We were just learning about computers, that they exist. But this is the first time I came across a computer, using it on my own. >> ALAN JACKSON: We're working with a small group, a group of four young women who will be running the resource center after this training course. >> PENELOPE: It is connected to the Internet. And that thing that you are seeing there, that's where the position of the satellite is. >> ALAN JACKSON: I think that they're getting the right flavor, or spirit, of IT, that they're going to be able to fix things themselves, they are going to be able to find out things for themselves. They are going to be quite empowered by this technology, and hopefully then empower a community with that same spirit. >> FLORENCE: I'm excited. Before, I never knew how to type anything on the computer, but today I've learned something I think. >> MATILDA [Student, 20 years old]:: You can also sell your goods through the computer. Me, I would love to know how they buy, like when they say, "I bought this through a computer." I would like to know how they buy things through a computer. >> NG'ANDWE [Student, Age 18]: Because my item is sugar, how can someone get their sugar from the computer? When we started learning, I'm telling you, it was interesting. And the studies were very different from what I was thinking so it was very interesting, and I even learned many things: how to be a social entrepreneur, how to help people, even this time I'm a role model in our community. I think I'll be teaching my fellow youths and the young ones and those who are in school. When I was in grade 2, in 1998, my father passed away. The way of living started changing, it was very difficult. When my dad passed away, it was very difficult for us to find books, pens, even the money to pay for our school fees. But my mom was a hardworking mother, so she was fighting for us. When the results come out and if I do well, I'm thinking of studying law. I'm thinking of studying law because a lot of people who have done law are men, so I want to be one of the few women lawyers so that I can fight for people's rights and women's rights. At least in law I will not be the way I am in this time, I think I'll be someone. >> LUNGOWE CHISHINGA [Human Rights Lawyer]: Why am I telling you these technical things? Because I want you to that if you are going to claim your rights, you need to know two things. One: where is that right guaranteed? Walia and Stephen have been married for three years, and they have two sons. So she's a 17-year-old girl who is a child and is a mother of two children. Is this strange? Do we find 17-year-olds in our communities that are mothers? >> BARBARA CHILANGWA: Most Zambian women grow up not knowing that they actually have rights. Most parents, especially when girls become of age at about the age of 15 for example, they already begin to consider them ready for marriage. >> LUNGOWE CHISHINGA: So you tell me, are any of Walia's rights violated? My lawyers, what rights are violated? >> FLORENCE: Choosing, a right of choice. >> BARBARA CHILANGWA: So we believe that ensuring that focus on a program that brings to their attention that they actually have rights about their own sexuality and their lives will change the way, first of all, that they now relate to members of the community, to their husbands, the members of their family, in the sense that they will go out there believing that they have rights and that no one should trample on their rights. >> WOMAN: My question is, for example, I'm a married woman and then my husband is committing adultery. I decide to consult the elders, and then the elders say, "A man's adultery does not ruin the home." Yet it is contributing to the risk of being exposed to many diseases. What step can I take? >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: There are a lot of myths surrounding women having sex, so I thought maybe I should speak about sexuality to the 150 women so they understand that they have the right to make choices about when they should have sex and who they should have sex with. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: Especially for us parents, it's very difficult to talk about sexuality to you at your age. I want to tell you, I come from a very big family. There were 11: five girls in my family and six boys. Today, I don't have any sisters; they are all dead from the HIV/AIDS virus. Only three of my brothers are alive. Perhaps if there had been condoms, they would have used condoms and today I would be seeing them. >> ESNART [Student, 19 years old]: I was just shocked by what he said, it brought a shiver down my spine and I thought like, maybe if there was someone, someone like us today, young leaders who would have talked to those people, maybe if they knew them, it would have been possible for them to be alive this day. I think now that we are not vulnerable because we've got more information about HIV and AIDS, and we know our rights also. I have to tell the other people, letting them know how dangerous this disease is. I was born in 1990, I used to stay with my biological mom and when she died I came to stay with my mom's older sister. She's my mom now. Her husband died when I was still at school. I've got three brothers and four sisters. I love them so much. Such that when I complete I just want them to have a good future. Before my mom died, she took my real father to victim support, but he didn't respond still. He just stays in Mansa there, but he works, yes. But I don't know why he doesn't support me. I don't know why he just doesn't care for me. Sometimes when I'm sitting I just dream that I wish I could have a big house where we could all live together, just give my family the life that they've always wanted. >> WOMAN: How are we going to get the overall risk? We can get the overall risk by multiplying the likelihood of the event by the size of the effect of the event. >> MAN: You are managing your projects, and you need to understand the project lifecycle and the project chart, which is a tool that will help guide you through whether you are progressing in a particular project or not. >> CATHERINE BOYCE: Training in financial management is a key part of the program. Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge is one of our partners for designing and actually delivering this program. The MBAT actually drew on resources, on tools, and on models for learning that are actually used by MBA students all around the world. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: We are all business ladies here, isn't it? And we are fully empowered with the skills and knowledge to be able to run our businesses successfully. We've learnt a lot of things: advertising, we've learnt about marketing, we've learnt about record keeping and everything. So we are fully empowered as young women in Mpika district to be able to deliver and run our successful businesses. Okay, between now and next week we should be able to plan on which business we want to engage ourselves in as we go back to our communities. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: Today we are going to do market research in Mansa district. In my group they have identified to do communication business, which they are very excited about. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: On average, how many cards are you able to sell in a day? >> WOMAN 1: I make 2 million K (USD$400).>> WOMAN 2: You make a lot of profit, oh my goodness!>> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: She's the only woman we have interviewed so far out of 11 men, just one woman. One of the things that she said was that this business was being run by men mostly, so she's very much excited to see the girls actually coming up with this brilliant idea for them to be able to set up their own businesses. So she's actually very much inspired by the girls.>> TITLE: After carrying out market research, all 19 groups found gaps in the market for social and business enterprises. >> NG'ANDWE: This is our business plan. The total cash inflow will be 1,100,000 in month one. >> CATHERINE BOYCE: We're introducing them to the business planning side: how to do a cash flow, how to financially plan expenditure and income over the time period. And they're actually preparing those plans right now and presenting them tomorrow morning in a competition. >> MATILDA: Our mission statement is as follows: to make communication accessible to all -->> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: We're doing very fine. So far the girls are practicing their presentation for tomorrow and they are very, very excited with all the brilliant ideas they've come up with. I think they are going to be winners because they worked very hard for this and they are very excited. We can't wait, we are so excited!>> MATILDA: I know that the competition will be quite tough, but I think at least we will manage to do something, I'm thinking we'll be the first ones. >> FLORENCE: How are you feeling? >> WOMAN 2: I'm feeling a bit nervous because I'll be presenting the market research plan to a lot of people in the plenary. >> FLORENCE: I'm also feeling nervous. The reason why I'm feeling nervous is because there will be judges and there will be a lot of people that side. Tonight we are going to write the mission statement. >> TITLE: Competition Day. If successful, each group will receive funding to start their own business or social enterprise.>> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: Hi ladies! Are you ready for today? I just want to encourage you to feel confidence and believe in yourselves, and just know that you can do it, because all of us have different projects, and I believe your project is the best! So just show them that. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: Okay, thank you very much everybody. This is a very special day. We have got our judges table there, and we are going to start immediately with group 12. >> WOMAN 1: And the name of our communication business is "Beyond Vision Communication" (BVC). >> MATILDA: This is our mission statement. We will be making sure that everyone access communication.>> ESNART: The current situation in Mpika is very worrying in the sense that there is an increase in child abuse, child labor, and street children. Our mission statement will be to provide vulnerable children age two to six years with basic education and good nutrition. >> WOMAN 2: We are going to open a restaurant by the name "Big Sisters." The restaurant will offer nshima, rice, chicken, beef, sausages, vegetables, kapenta, chips and bread with eggs. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: Let's give them a big hand. >> WOMAN 3: Our goal is to raise awareness in young women against sexual exploitation. >> NG'ANDWE: Us, "Future Fighters," have decided to undertake two projects respectively. One group will take hardware as a business project and the other group will take advocacy for persons with disabilities. >> FLORENCE: This is our budget; this is the description, number of days, quantity, unit cost and amount. >> MWANGALA MUKELABAI: What inspired you to go into advocacy? >> WOMAN 5: It's through education that people will know about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. We will be able to eradicate ignorance in Zambia. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: You've all done tremendously well, I think, in the various presentations. So we deserve a pat on the back ourselves, so we shall give ourselves a good hand for what we have done. >> NG'ANDWE: Before I presented I was feeling -- I even started shivering. But when I went to the stage I came up with that courage, I felt something. Then, it went just okay. >> TITLE: All 19 groups were successful in receiving funding to start their new enterprises. The 150 entrepreneurs will now return to their communities for four months. >> FLORENCE: I never imagined that I would be a business entrepreneur in my life at this tender age. When I start having my own money, first of all I'll start helping my family, I'll be buying food for my family, then clothes. I'll be helping other children in the community, I'll be a role model to them and people will be happy about it because maybe other people never used to think that I can do it but now I can.>> TITLE: Four months later. The entrepreneurs are returning to Lubwe for the final stage of their training. >> CATHERINE BOYCE: We weren't quite sure how far the young women would get with their projects, and what we found was that every single project team created a brilliant business plan, they set up a bank account, they managed their funds, and they all achieved impact, which was going to be one of the themes of the course, the impact that they achieved. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: This is a very beautiful morning and a very important day, just like any other day. Now, today we are going to display what we were doing in Phase Two. We are going to set up stalls, all those skills that we learned to persuade. The first half of the team will be going around and will be sticking stars to what they think is the value. >> FLORENCE: As you can see, this is our group name and number on that side. That?s the Kakabalika group 13, and the profit that we made was K200 thousand (USD$40). This is our financial records book. We are planning to continue this project because we've actually made profit. >> ESNART: I think everyone is doing a great job and everyone is putting in effort because it takes a lot of guts for someone to come up with something like this. I'm really impressed with everyone, I think they are all doing great. >> CATHERINE BOYCE: We actually have 19 separate enterprises: we have a preschool for vulnerable children, a loan scheme, we have three different groups communicating about the importance of education to young girls. We have several retail enterprises selling secondhand clothes, selling groceries, and selling mobile phone talk time. Huge diversity of enterprises. >> WOMAN 1: What are some of the impacts?>> WOMAN 2: You are going a long distance to buy talk time. For instance, here we have brought talk time very near, you are buying talk-time within the school. >> WOMAN 3: I think the group is so good and they've got pride and confidence. I think they are making a lot of profit since they are girls selling talk time. >> WOMAN 4: What we wish to achieve, especially in the rural community in Mpika, we want people to have big businesses. We want them to have big businesses, we want their businesses to grow, we don't want people to be staying home, and we want them to take their children to school. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: I've been going around to look at their projects, and I feel great about the achievement that they've made. I'm simply bowled over. I don't even have words to describe what I have seen, the amazing things that they were able to do: the financial records they were able to keep, and also the products, the impact that it has had on this society I think is indelible. I think it's fantastic. >> TITLE: One month earlier, back in their communities. Mpika Microfinance Scheme. >> PETRONELLA [Managing Director]: Our business is a business where we give loans on low rates so that everyone is able to afford to pay back. We decided to embark on this venture because we saw that most women were really vulnerable in Mpika, they couldn't manage. So we wanted to upgrade their standards of living. Some of them wanted to upgrade their businesses because we saw that some people had the passion for business. At the moment we are supporting eight women. We have eight clients. Each woman had a K200 thousand (USD$40) loan. >> PETRONELLA: Hello, how is work going? >> WOMAN 2: It's all right. >> WOMAN 1: How are you? >> WOMAN 2: I'm fine. >> PETRONELLA: We've come to see how your business is going, what you are doing, how far you've come, and how you've used the money we gave you towards your business? >> WOMAN 2: I feel very good about the loan you gave me. There is a difference in that in the past I didn't have a business, I wasn't selling anything. Now I am selling goods and I am making money. I am able to solve a lot of my problems on my own. >> PETRONELLA: Would you like to receive another loan? If so, how much more would you like to receive? >> WOMAN 2: I would like much more. Make it big; make it K1.5 million (USD$300). >> PETRONELLA: K1.5 million (USD$300)!>> WOMAN 2: Yes. >> WOMAN 1: Will you manage to pay us back quickly, with interest? >> WOMAN 2: I will do so very well! Very quickly! Easily with interest on top!>> PETRONELLA: And if you fail to pay back, what should we do to you? >> WOMAN 2: We will agree on what should be done. >> PETRONELLA: All right. >> WOMAN 2: I wouldn't fail to pay you back. >> PETRONELLA: How do you feel about all this? >> WOMAN 2: I feel joyful. >> WOMAN 1: Thank you. >> WOMAN 2: I thank you too. >> PETRONELLA: Our plan is that we'll get a loan from Microbankers Trust. We are planning to get a loan of maybe K5 million (USD$1,000) so we support fifteen women. And from that I think our business will keep on growing and the profits that we'll be making, we'll be giving to more women. >> WOMAN: I decided to use the loan you gave me together with my profit to buy my own sewing machine. So I bought a sewing machine. Also, that profit is helping me because I'm now able to pay my children's school fees. >> PETRONELLA: I feel very proud and I'm very happy that I'm able to solve big people's problems, women's problems. >> BARBARA CHILANGWA: They have had hands on practice, I think, by designing their projects, which they did. They have tried them out; they went and launched them themselves in the communities, in communities, where, before this program, they were looked down upon. >> PRECIOUS [Company Secretary, BVC]: As of now, I am in a position to take care of my grandmother because of our business we are doing, I'm not even nervous about my future, I'm just looking forward to it so that I can have my own bright future now. >> BARBARA CHILANGWA: They'll be received very well; they'll be accepted back in their communities because they will have proved the point that women are capable of leading programs, they're capable of solving problems, and they're capable of playing a role in the development of their communities. >> TITLE: The Great Ones Preschool>> ESNART: Our social enterprise is opening up a preschool for vulnerable children and our objectives are to teach 30 to 60 children in the first term. And when we teach them we aim at letting them know why basic education is important. >> ESNART: What's a preschool? >> CHILD: A preschool is a place where children are taken to be taught how to read, how to write, and how to count numbers, how to be disciplined. >> CHILDREN: Well done, well done, such a good girl. >> ESNART: It's also very good for a child to go to a preschool because it builds up a foundation. When that child goes to grade 1, that child will be able to count, write numbers, and that child will be very active. It's very interesting to explore a child's mind, just how they develop, how they learn, you just start remembering your childhood and it was very interesting and so inspiring and it made be proud. The children that we've enrolled here mainly are from vulnerable backgrounds, backgrounds where we find that their parents are dead; we find that they don't have all that much to sustain themselves. That's why if this preschool didn't exist these children would just be roaming around. >> WOMAN: Preschools that are here are private, but us here, we provide them with books, pencils, crayons and uniforms. Then they should just pay a certain amount, maybe if that parent can't afford to bring money and then that parent is a farmer or something like that, they can bring anything in terms of crops like maize, millet, cassava, or groundnuts. >> ESNART: And it's not always that all the children pay, it's not everyone who pays, and we don't chase those children away who don't pay. We allow them to learn because we are giving them an opportunity to shape up their future. >> WOMAN: I didn't know I could run a preschool for vulnerable children, helping vulnerable children and maybe in the future I could do more than we are doing to develop my country and maybe develop my community. A lot of people say that, "If you are poor, there is nothing you can do in the future." What I have learned is that even if you are poor, you can do something in your life. At least in the future, you can learn and you can become somebody one day. >> TITLE: Graduation>> BENJAMIN CHAMA: My prayer is that these 150 women will continue with the social enterprise, with the business skills that they have acquired. I know that we cannot just leave them like this. They will need support from all of us because this is a big thing that we have built, we have given them hope and the belief that they are able to do something on their own. >> BARBARA CHILANGWA: Good afternoon leaders. I overheard one of you talking, I don't think they knew that I was listening: "Now that this thing is finishing, what am I going to do?" There is no reason for any of you to despair. Camfed is committed to assisting you to get into that college of your choice.>> BARBARA CHILANGWA: We will support them if they decide to carry on with the projects that they have established, we will support them if they decide to go to college, we will support them in many ways to ensure that they have the independence that we want for all of them. >> ESNART: Yes, I feel that I'm a leader and I'm an entrepreneur. Firstly, I'll start by saying that I'm a leader because I know that leadership is not about leading everybody, like maybe in front, telling them, giving them orders, no. Leadership is about being who you are, being passionate about what you do, and also making others feel important, also knowing that you depend on other people for your success. And leadership is about working hard with others, being committed, and teamwork. I also believe that I'm an entrepreneur because I'm able to start up my own business, I'm able to run it smoothly, know whether I'm succeeding or I'm failing in my business. I think my future really holds so many things for me. I just feel that I will really achieve so many things. >> TITLE: Ng'andwe is working as an assistant IT trainer in the new IT Resource Center in Samfy. Next year she plans to study Social Work. Precious continues to grow Beyond Vision Communications. She uses the money she earns from her business to help support her family. Florence is studying Gender and Development Studies at the Evelyn Hone College of Applied Arts. She is proud to be one of the youngest female Managing Directors in her community. Esnart is now studying to become an accountant at the Zambian Institute of Management, Lusaka. "The Great Ones Preschool" is currently educating 68 vulnerable children. Since graduation, Camfed has supported the entrepreneurs with business mentoring and bursaries for Higher Education. In December, another 150 young women from rural Zambia will embark on the next Leadership and Enterprise course. Camfed International and the University of Cambridge - particularly the Cambridge Assessment Group and Judge Business School - collaborated to design this Leadership and Enterprise Training Program, which is implemented in Zambia by Camfed. The Goldman Sachs Charitable Fund and The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative made this program possible through their generous sponsorship. Camfed supports the education of girls and young women's empowerment in Africa. For more information about Camfed please visit www.camfed.org. >> TITLE: [End credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/braids-not-aids Tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world mean tailoring responses to the specific needs of each country and of the groups most vulnerable to AIDS. In Zimbabwe, hairdressers are trained to give advice on safe sex and the benefits of using female condoms through a program funded by the UK's Department for International Development. Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:08:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/braids-not-aids Zimbabwe, Health, HIV, AIDS, Chitungwiza, Kuwadzana, Female condom, Population Services International, Department for International Development >> VOICEOVER: As the economy in Zimbabwe begins to recover after years of chronic mismanagement and hyperinflation, there are also encouraging signs of a decrease in HIV prevalence. In a country where over one million children have been orphaned by AIDS, now an innovative HIV prevention program is showing remarkable success by using hairdressers to teach their female customers the facts about HIV and AIDS. But in a country with a collapsed medical infrastructure, the burden of HIV and AIDS is massive. There are around 60,000 deaths from AIDS each year, and an estimated 1,200 new infections each week. Experts in Zimbabwe say prevention through behavior change is the key to managing the spread of the disease. >> KUMBIRAI CHATORA [PSI Zimbabwe Deputy Country Director]: When we talk about behavior change, the key word there is changing. Changing from what you used to do to a new behavior. We want people to adopt safer sexual behaviors. It could be condom use, it could be knowing your status, it could be having fewer partners. All that for us is behavior change, anything that you do to protect yourself from HIV infection. >> VOICEOVER: But in a male-dominated society like Zimbabwe, reaching women with the correct information and empowering them to make decisions can be difficult. >> WENDY TAKUNDWA-BANDA [DFID Zimbabwe HIV Program Manager]: Generally women are the more vulnerable sex, and when it comes to making decisions related to sexual health, men are the dominant character. So women don't have much say. >> VOICEOVER: As a result, 60 percent of all people living with HIV in Zimbabwe are women. Dorothy Nyamukapa is a hairdresser in Kuwadzana, a low-income high-density suburb of the capitol Harare. Dorothy is one of 1,500 hairdressers that have been trained as an HIV peer educator in a program run by Population Services International and funded by the UK's Department for International Development. >> DOROTHY NYAMUKAPA: Because I am a woman it is very simple for me to approach them. I ask her which family planning she uses. When she told me, I started to introduce them to "Care.">> VOICEOVER: In this way, hairdressers like Dorothy have sold over three million female condoms in the last six years, preventing thousands of new HIV infections. Barbra Nyandika, a regular at the salon, began using the female condom with her husband Obit two years ago. >> BARBRA NYANDIKA: I went to my husband and told him about female condoms. Then he said I have to bring it so that he can see it. Then I have to introduce it to him and he said that it is very nice, that we have to continue using it. >> VOICEOVER: This initiative is spreading across Zimbabwe. Sylvester Nzaras runs a barbershop from his backyard in the commuter town of Chitungwiza, south of Harare. Here, men are also being exposed to the prevention message and the benefits of condom use. While huge challenges remain in Zimbabwe, the success of programs like this has contributed to a significant decline in HIV prevalence, a drop from over 24 percent to less than 14 percent over the last six years. >> TITLE: To find out more, please visit: www.dfid.gov.uk http://www.viewchange.org/videos/viewchange-hiv-prevention-looking-back-moving-forward Since the first official confirmed cases of HIV 30 years ago, millions have died, particularly in developing nations. But now there's hope in treatment and innovative prevention strategies. Take a journey to find out what's working in HIV prevention -- and providing hope for the future -- in this new half-hour documentary produced by ViewChange in partnership with PSI (Population Services International). Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:08:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/viewchange-hiv-prevention-looking-back-moving-forward HIV, Health, AIDS, Sub-Saharan Africa, Zimbabwe, Africa, AIDS pandemic, Reproductive health, Population Services International, Kenya >> DEBRA MESSING [Ambassador, Population Services International]: Next up: It?s the pandemic that has touched millions -- AIDS. Thirty years after the first confirmed cases appeared, where are we now? And what?s working in HIV prevention? Find out in this special report from PSI and ViewChange.org.>> VOICEOVER: ViewChange is about people making real progress in tackling the world's toughest issues. Can a story change the world? See for yourself in ViewChange: HIV Prevention - Looking Back & Moving Forward.>> DEBRA MESSING: I'm Debra Messing, Ambassador for PSI. It?s been 30 years since the Centers for Disease Control confirmed the first cases of HIV in the United States. Since 1981, more than 30 million people around the world have died of AIDS-related causes -- particularly in the developing world, where the disease has devastated entire families, communities and generations. But thanks to the medical advancement of antiretroviral therapy and progress in prevention, saving lives is now possible. Aid groups and governments have been working hard to bring innovative HIV prevention methods and tools to scale -- and it?s working. In Mozambique, one young relationship counselor is getting creative. Working with a local radio show, she is finding ways to make condoms exciting -- and even sexy. >> TITLE: Reclaim the Condom>> TITLE: Reclaim the Condom, tve, Mozambique>> VOICEOVER: Like all countries in southern Africa, Mozambique suffers from HIV/AIDS. Every year, millions of dollars are spent on prevention campaigns, including promoting condoms. But the battle is far from won, and one person thinks she knows why.>> SHEILA MANJATE [Sexual Health Counselor, North East Secondary School]: I don't know how many students there are, maybe eight thousand. To pick up condoms? I have the records here. Maybe a hundred per month. >> VOICEOVER: At the North East Secondary School in the capital Maputo, 22-year-old Sheila is a trained sexual health counselor. In her office, young people come to her with their intimate problems.>> BOY 1: I'm having a problem with my girlfriend. >> SHEILA MANJATE: And you did not use a condom?>> BOY 1: Often we didn't use it.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Because you trusted her?>> BOY 1: I risked it because I trusted her, but I mistrust her at the same time.>> VOICEOVER: The message is clear -- selling condoms as barriers against HIV can suggest couples don?t trust each other. So Sheila?s convinced it?s easier to sell condoms as contraceptives. Today in her office, she?s tearing down the public health posters. For Sheila, condoms are the main weapons against HIV/AIDS, but they must have the right image. The unbranded "white" condoms are the ones distributed in schools and clinics. Much better, she says, those more sexy, branded ones. >> VOICEOVER: Sheila lives at her grandma?s. A churchgoing Christian, she wants to train as a lawyer. She says what some in the big health agencies think privately.>> SHEILA MANJATE: The condom is too associated with HIV and so it has become stigmatized in the people's minds.>> VOICEOVER: She?s backed by market research, which shows trust in relationships is the main reason for not using condoms. Sheila knows sex and romance sell, so why not use them to promote condoms? She is working on a radio program to try her message on a wider audience. It's for 99FM, a popular national radio station. Today is the big sell. >> SHEILA MANJATE: I'm very nervous. I'm in the hands of God.>> VOICEOVER: Sheila?s off to see the head of the station. But will he buy her maverick message?>> SHEILA MANJATE: Our idea is to make a pilot program.>> NELSON CAMAL [Station head, SNYC 99 FM]: Yesterday I attended a Millennium Village ceremony in Chibuto. They had a box of condoms like this one. I didn't want to take any.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Exactly.>> NELSON CAMAL: But what are we going to say in the program? No to the AIDS condom, or are we going to say AIDS condom, yes?>> SHEILA MANJATE: No, our objective is to say yes to the condom.>> VOICEOVER: Not only have they given her airtime, 99FM has given Sheila her own team. Their slogan: "For Your Up Moments!" Public health campaigns find it difficult to link condoms with pleasure. But can you really sell condoms better branding them with sex than with illness? Early morning, and time to take the show on the road. Today to Xinavane, 100 kilometers north of Maputo. For her program, Sheila wants people to talk openly about their sex lives. She hopes their stories will reveal why they should use condoms. She's taking the message to the local school, to see how it plays. >> SHEILA MANJATE: Our mothers fell pregnant at the age of 14, 15, 16, 17; they lived their sexuality at the moment they felt the time had come. I want you to tell me: What do you do to live your sexuality, without having the same problems our mothers had? What did you say?>> MALE STUDENT 1: I use the condom.>> SHEILA MANJATE: You used the condom. Thank you. Ping pong, another one. What do you do?>> FEMALE STUDENT 1: Condom.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Condom. Who else?>> FEMALE STUDENT 2: Fidelity.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Fidelity. Who else?>> FEMALE STUDENT 3: Condom.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Condom. Who else?>> MALE STUDENT 2: Fidelity.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Fidelity. Who else?>> FEMALE STUDENT 4: Condom.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Condom. Who else?>> FEMALE STUDENT 5: Be faithful to my boyfriend.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Be faithful to your boyfriend? I have to be faithful to my boyfriend, but I also have to be faithful to the condom, because the day my boyfriend drops me, the condom will stay with me.>> TITLE: Sheila continues to encourage a change in the perception of condoms with young people in Mozambique. >> TITLE: ViewChange>> DEBRA MESSING: In India, where millions are living with HIV, reaching at-risk populations through peer education is crucial. And as this story shows, the most powerful messengers for HIV awareness come from unlikely places.>> TITLE: ViewChange>> TITLE: Peer education is a powerful tool in the prevention of HIV, but also in creating awareness and supporting those receiving care. >> MADAN KOIRALA: First I'm going to play soccer. I'm going to shoot two goals. Obviously we will win! I have many qualities. I am handsome. I am a role model for the people watching. >> TITLE: Madan>> TITLE: Element: Madan, Element, India>> MADAN KOIRALA: I was a drug user before. My ambition was to use drugs, and die. I am from Nepal. I came to Delhi just to use drugs. One of my friends sent me a message saying the drugs were good in India. I said, "Okay, let's go." I spent all my money. I was totally broke. I thought, "I'm going to die, I can't live any longer." Suddenly, I changed my mind. >> TITLE: New Delhi, India>> MADAN KOIRALA: I got a message that there is a rehab center where we can get treatment, and I said, "Okay," because I am a drug user and I needed treatment. I changed my lifestyle, and in the meantime I met my girlfriend, who is really cute! Life is not only for using drugs, eating food, and sleeping. >> TITLE: Millennium Development Goal #6: Stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and other major diseases>> MADAN KOIRALA: Now I am employed at Michael's Care Home, and I have to take care of HIV positive people who need treatment and help. Whether they're HIV positive or not, I always see them as a human being and in need of care and treatment. In India, people think that if you're HIV positive, you've got AIDS and you're going to die soon. Actually they're quite different. "AIDS" means you're sick, but being "HIV positive" just means you have the virus. Still people are very scared. They think that if someone's infected with HIV, we'll get infected too. No, we can't get it through the air, we can't get it from mosquito bites, we can't get it from kissing, and yet still there's all this discrimination. They're made jobless, homeless, and they're kicked out of society. Let them live! There are lots of examples of people who are very sick, and then they take the ARV medicine and live normally. This is anti-retroviral medicine, "ARV" medicine. >> MAN 1: It reduces the multiplication of the virus. >> MADAN KOIRALA: In India, only around twelve thousand people are getting this medicine. But there are over five million people infected with HIV. They should fight for them to get ARV medicine too. We need ARV medicine to be available free to everyone who needs it. Finish! There's something inside me that I can expose to the whole world. I am Madan Koirala, and I am HIV positive. >> TITLE: HIV+>> MADAN KOIRALA: If you look at me, can you make it out that I'm HIV positive? No, no one can tell. >> MADAN KOIRALA: The message for the new generation is: positive living, positive thinking. No discrimination and stigma. There is hope. Now clap your hands!>> DEBRA MESSING: Operating in 67 countries around the world, PSI is one global health organization at the forefront of HIV prevention. PSI believes that health services and products are most effective when they are accompanied by robust communications, which ensure that people are widely accepting and using prevention methods. And they?ve found that some of the best communicators about safer sex and HIV prevention are not necessarily the typical experts. For example, hairdressers in Zimbabwe are chipping in with their own straight-talk to patrons -- and have helped Zimbabwe cut its HIV infection rate by half. Last year, I traveled with PSI to visit one special salon in Zimbabwe where women are sharing life-saving information with one another -- truly unforgettable.>> TITLE: ViewChange>> TITLE: Braids Not AIDS, DFID, Zimbabwe>> VOICEOVER: As the economy in Zimbabwe begins to recover after years of chronic mismanagement and hyperinflation, there are also encouraging signs of a decrease in HIV prevalence. In a country where over one million children have been orphaned by AIDS, now an innovative HIV prevention program is showing remarkable success by using hairdressers to teach their female customers the facts about HIV and AIDS. But in a country with a collapsed medical infrastructure, the burden of HIV and AIDS is massive. There are around 60,000 deaths from AIDS each year, and an estimated 1,200 new infections each week. Experts in Zimbabwe say prevention through behavior change is the key to managing the spread of the disease. >> KUMBIRAI CHATORA [PSI Zimbabwe Deputy Country Director]: When we talk about behavior change, the key word there is changing. Changing from what you used to do to a new behavior. We want people to adopt safer sexual behaviors. It could be condom use, it could be knowing your status, it could be having fewer partners. All that for us is behavior change, anything that you do to protect yourself from HIV infection. >> VOICEOVER: But in a male-dominated society like Zimbabwe, reaching women with the correct information and empowering them to make decisions can be difficult. >> WENDY TAKUNDWA-BANDA [DFID Zimbabwe HIV Program Manager]: Generally women are the more vulnerable sex, and when it comes to making decisions related to sexual health, men are the dominant character. So women don't have much say. >> VOICEOVER: As a result, 60 percent of all people living with HIV in Zimbabwe are women. Dorothy Nyamukapa is a hairdresser in Kuwadzana, a low-income high-density suburb of the capitol Harare. Dorothy is one of 1,500 hairdressers that have been trained as an HIV peer educator in a program run by Population Services International and funded by the UK's Department for International Development. >> DOROTHY NYAMUKAPA: Because I am a woman it is very simple for me to approach them. I ask her which family planning she uses. When she told me, I started to introduce them to "Care.">> VOICEOVER: In this way, hairdressers like Dorothy have sold over three million female condoms in the last six years, preventing thousands of new HIV infections. Barbra Nyandika, a regular at the salon, began using the female condom with her husband Obit two years ago. >> BARBRA NYANDIKA: I went to my husband and told him about female condoms. Then he said I have to bring it so that he can see it. Then I have to introduce it to him and he said that it is very nice, that we have to continue using it. >> VOICEOVER: This initiative is spreading across Zimbabwe. Sylvester Nzaras runs a barbershop from his backyard in the commuter town of Chitungwiza, south of Harare. Here, men are also being exposed to the prevention message and the benefits of condom use. While huge challenges remain in Zimbabwe, the success of programs like this has contributed to a significant decline in HIV prevalence, a drop from over 24 percent to less than 14 percent over the last six years. >> TITLE: ViewChange>> DEBRA MESSING: But how will we really achieve large-scale change? One of the ways is by promoting HIV prevention methods that are easily affordable, highly effective and are able to show results now. Methods like voluntary male circumcision, which can reduce heterosexual HIV transmission by 60 percent. But first, grown men must be convinced to overcome their fears, as we see in this story.>> TITLE: ViewChange>> TITLE: PSI Botswana's Male Circumcision Campaign - TV Spot>> TITLE: Scaling Up Male Circumcision, PSI, Sub-Saharan Africa>> VOICEOVER: All right team: remember that we have to work at winning this match as a team. Circumcision cannot win this match alone. He needs the help of all of the defenders to keep HIV from scoring. >> TITLE: Men in Sub-Saharan Africa are choosing male circumcision (MC), a cost-effective method that reduces the risk of HIV infection in men by 60 percent. Beginning in 2007, PSI launched an unprecedented MC campaign supporting service delivery, communications, and advocacy efforts in Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These are the stories of men and families being impacted by male circumcision. >> FUNGAI CHIBAYA [MC Client, Zimbabwe]: My name is Fungai. Near where I stay, there is a very big billboard encouraging male circumcision, so I just decided one day that I should do it. I'm shaking a little bit, like goosebumps. I think the procedure is going to go well.>> TITLE: PSI provides pre- and post-procedure counseling in countries where male circumcision is offered. >> FUNGAI CHIBAYA: I've learned a lot about male circumcision. They say it has a 60 percent chance of HIV reduction. >> TAKAVINGWA KOMBONI [MC Client, Zimbabwe]: My name is Takavingwa Komboni. My wife encouraged me to come to MC because she actually thought it would be good for me to be circumcised. Some of my friends said, "You can go at your own risk." I'm curious to know what's going to happen after I'm circumcised. >> SYMPATHY MPOFU [Clinical MC Nurse, Swaziland]: The local anesthesia is given to assist him in reducing pain during the surgical procedure. The procedure starts with the doctor cutting and removing the foreskin. Afterwards we dress the patient with gauze. Then the patient is escorted to the recovery room to recover for 30 minutes. >> TAKAVINGWA KOMBONI: As you can see, I am now coming out of the theater room. The circumcision is over, and I feel like a man. It has been very good, and it is not as painful as I thought.>> FUNGAI CHIBAYA: The whole procedure was just fine. >> TITLE: Changing perceptions, one person at a time. >> JABULANI NCUBE [MC Client, Zimbabwe]: One of the best benefits is the reduction of the HIV/AIDS transmission rate. That gave me the zeal to go for it. I felt it would be the best opportunity for me to prevent myself, and the person that I love, from contracting such infections. >> STEVEN CHIKOMBERO [MC Client, Zimbabwe]: I've since introduced some of my team members to be circumcised. Everyone now knows that I'm proud to be circumcised. >> TITLE: Women are important partners in this process.>> KUDZAISHE CHIFAMBA [MC Client, Zimbabwe]; It opens up dialogue within the relationship, which is not common in our environment. >> MOLEBOGENG MADISHA [South Africa]: So this is both of our decision, and I decided to accompany him as a support system. I also heard about the importance of male circumcision. >> TITLE: Communication is key to male circumcision scale up. >> JABULANI NCUBE: What I learned is that people are not well educated. They have a belief that it's cultural.>> KUDZAISHE CHIFAMBA: Dialogue needs to spread further than just young couples. >> TITLE: By bringing services to scale within the next 10 to 20 years, male circumcision could significantly reduce the number of new HIV infections. >> JABULANI NCUBE: It is the right channel to reduce the HIV/AIDS pandemic in our nation.>> TITLE: Effective communication. High quality service delivery. Thirty-eight million by 2015: scale up male circumcision now, impact the future of HIV. >> STEVEN CHIKOMBERO: A lot of things have changed in my life. Besides the confidence that I have, I also feel much more secure.>> TITLE: ViewChange>> DEBRA MESSING: Targeting behavior is also crucial in HIV prevention. In Kenya, people are talking about Mpango wa Kando -- roughly translated into "having a long-term relationship on the side." It?s an all-too-common arrangement that also happens to be one of the riskiest behaviors for HIV transmission. But the government of Kenya, together with USAID and other groups, is using mass media to change this behavior and turn the tide of HIV transmission.>> TITLE: ViewChange>> JIMMI GATHU ["Mpango wa Kando" Spokesperson]: Are you married? So you're sitting with your husband, right? Do you know if he has a girlfriend?>> TITLE: Roughly 33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, twenty million plus in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya, one behavior is playing a major role in transmission: concurrent sexual partnerships. >> JIMMI GATHU: There is only one way to stop HIV from destroying your marriage. It's simple. Guys, leave your side arrangement. Avoid HIV. >> HIV and Concurrent Relationships, PSI, Kenya>> TITLE: PSI and the government of Kenya address this issue head-on through a groundbreaking communications campaign: "Mpango wa Kando." >> DR. NICHOLAS MURAGURI [Director, National AIDS/STD Control Program]: Forty-four percent of new HIV infections are attributed to people who are either married or are in partnerships. These people in partnerships also have other partners, who also have other partners, who are not using condoms. And therefore, the chance that in that network somebody has HIV -- it spreads like bushfire to the rest of the families.>> TITLE: Your spare wheel could have a spare wheel who has a spare wheel who has a spare wheel who has HIV. HIV now spreads fastest in marriages. Here's the reason why. >> JIMMI GATHU: I must admit that one of the things that surprised me was the aspect of also women playing a part in it. >> DR. NICHOLAS MURAGURI: We got a strong voice, people said, "No, no, no, you are condemning men only. Women also do that." So we made some TV spots for women as well. >> JIMMI GATHU: Mama, how are you? So you are in an outing of your woman self help group? So that man standing next to you is definitely not your husband, right? Do you know research shows nearly half of all new HIV infections are happening in marriages like yours?>> ERICK WAGA [Research Consultant for PSI]: Concurrent partnership really is a great factor in the spread of HIV because you find that these people, when they have these partners, trust comes in. So you find that these partners stop using condoms throughout all the partners. >> LUCY MAIKWEKI [HIV Deputy Director, PSI]: PSI Kenya started to take on the campaign boldly, because primarily there are very few organizations that do national level mass media communications.>> TITLE: Giving Kenya something to talk about. >> TONY NJUGUNA [Creative Director, SCANAD]: For this particular brief it became quite an interesting angle for social marketing. We?ve got a social responsibility to improve the lives of the people that we are trying to talk to.>> TITLE: Social marketing (so shel mar kit ing) n. 1. The application of marketing concepts and techniques to influence behavior among a target audience in order to benefit themselves and society. >> LUCY MAIKWEKI: We pre-tested various concepts, various taglines, various names and eventually we came up with Mpango wa Kando, which was what people felt describes this loving, long-term side relationship.>> JIMMI GATHU: Somebody needed to say something. And so we did. Shock transmits, then, to how important this campaign is. >> TONY NJUGUNA It makes sense, it's logical, and I think that's what really made the campaign work: that it's real; it's a social message. >> TITLE: Sparking conversations in the community. >> DR. NICHOLAS MURAGURI: The Mpango wa Kando campaign is obviously achieving its goal. Part of the goal was to start a debate, so you'll hear people discuss it in pubs, in family outings, in the church. These things were never discussed. >> TOM NGARAGARI [Behavior Change Communication Coordinator]: They identify with the campaign, and then now the discussion starts. The good thing is that they are coming together and talking about it and finding solutions to it. >> TITLE: Moving forward...>> LUCY MAIKWEKI: Looking at what will motivate people now to move from awareness to actual behavior change. >> TITLE: ...to prevent HIV/AIDS. >> DR. NICHOLAS MURAGURI: If you look around, all families, all Kenyans, don't want HIV. You cannot talk about the issue of HIV and not talk about concurrent partnerships. >> LUCY MAIKWEKI: For me, success in the long term for this campaign would be lower HIV prevalence amongst people in married, co-habiting relationships.>> DR. NICHOLAS MURAGURI: It's something that cannot be done overnight, it's something that we need to work on until it becomes a social norm change that discourages people from having concurrent multiple partnerships.>> TITLE: ViewChange>> DEBRA MESSING: Thanks to prevention and treatment, the global rate of new HIV infections has dropped by 25 percent between 2001 and 2009. Around the world, we?re learning lessons from innovators in every sector. We?re learning to adopt messages that equate change with something everyone wants -- a happier life. We?re learning to invest in local talent, because they know how to reach their neighbors and what motivates them to change. And on the soccer field -- or at the hair salon -- we learn that reinforcing the right messages about HIV/AIDS is making a difference. >> VOICEOVER: Want to learn more about HIV treatment, prevention, or anything else you saw here? Head over to ViewChange.org/TV, where you can watch, read, and get involved in projects that are making a real difference. Watch the films you just saw, and over 350 more from around the world, at ViewChange.org/TV.>> TITLE: [End Credits]>> TITLE: A co-production of Population Services International and Link TV. To read about PSI's HIV prevention programs around the world, visit www.psi.org. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/hiv-and-concurrent-relationships In Kenya, one specific behavior is playing a major role in the transmission of HIV: concurrent sexual partnerships. PSI and the Government of Kenya address this issue head-on through a groundbreaking communications campaign. Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:23:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/hiv-and-concurrent-relationships Kenya, Health, HIV, Behavior Change Communication, Sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS, AIDS pandemic, Public health, Population Services International >> JIMMI GATHU ["Mpango wa Kando" Spokesperson]: Are you married? So you're sitting with your husband, right? Do you know if he has a girlfriend?>> TITLE: Roughly 33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, twenty million plus in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya, one behavior is playing a major role in transmission: concurrent sexual partnerships. >> JIMMI GATHU: There is only one way to stop HIV from destroying your marriage. It's simple. Guys, leave your side arrangement. Avoid HIV. >> TITLE: PSI and the government of Kenya address this issue head-on through a groundbreaking communications campaign: "Mpango wa Kando." >> DR. NICHOLAS MURAGURI [Director, National AIDS/STD Control Program]: Forty-four percent of new HIV infections occur in people who are either married or are in partnerships. These people in partnerships also have other partners, who also have other partners, who are not using condoms. And therefore, the chance that in that network somebody has HIV -- it spreads like brushfire to the rest of the families.>> TITLE: Your spare wheel could have a spare wheel who has a spare wheel who has a spare wheel who has HIV. HIV now spreads fastest in marriages. Here's the reason why. >> JIMMI GATHU ["Mpango wa Kando" Spokesperson]: I must admit that one of the things that surprised me was the aspect of also women playing a part in it. >> DR. NICHOLAS MURAGURI: We got a strong voice, people said, "No, no, no, you are condemning men only. Women also do that." So we made some TV spots for women as well. >> JIMMI GATHU: Mama, how are you? So you are in an outing of your woman self help group? So that man standing next to you is definitely not your husband, right? Do you know research shows nearly half of all new HIV infections are happening in marriages like yours?>> ERICK WAGA [Research Consultant for PSI]: Concurrent partnership really is a great factor in the spread of HIV because you find that these people, when they have these partners, trust comes in. So you find that these partners stop using condoms throughout all the partners. >> LUCY MAIKWEKI [HIV Deputy Director, PSI]: PSI Kenya started to take on the campaign boldly, because primarily there are very few organizations that do national level mass media communications.>> TITLE: Giving Kenya something to talk about. >> TONY NJUGUNA [Creative Director, SCANAD]: For this particular brief it became quite an interesting angle for social marketing. We?ve got a social responsibility to improve the lives of the people that we are trying to talk to.>> TITLE: Social marketing (so shel mar kit ing) n. 1. The application of marketing concepts and techniques to influence behavior among a target audience in order to benefit themselves and society. >> LUCY MAIKWEKI: We pre-tested various concepts, various taglines, various names and eventually we came up with Mpango wa Kando, which was what people felt describes this loving, long-term side relationship.>> JIMMI GATHU: Somebody needed to say something. And so we did. Shock transmits, then, to how important this campaign is. >> TONY NJUGUNA It makes sense, it's logical, and I think that's what really made the campaign work: that it's real; it's a social message. >> TITLE: Sparking conversations in the community. >> DR. NICHOLAS MURAGURI: The Mpango wa Kando campaign is obviously achieving its goal. Part of the goal was to start a debate, so you'll hear people discuss it in pubs, in family outings, in the church. These things were never discussed. >> TOM NGARAGARI [Behavior Change Communication Coordinator]: They identify with the campaign, and then now the discussion starts. The good thing is that they are coming together and talking about it and finding solutions to it. >> TITLE: Moving forward...>> LUCY MAIKWEKI: Looking at what will motivate people now to move from awareness to actual behavior change. >> TITLE: ...to prevent HIV/AIDS. >> DR. NICHOLAS MURAGURI: If you look around, all families, all Kenyans, don't want HIV. You cannot talk about the issue of HIV and not talk about concurrent partnerships. >> LUCY MAIKWEKI: For me, success in the long term for this campaign would be lower HIV prevalence amongst people in married, co-habiting relationships.>> DR. NICHOLAS MURAGURI: It's something that cannot be done overnight, it's something that we need to work on until it becomes a social norm change that discourages people from having concurrent multiple partnerships. >> TITLE: PSI. Healthy lives. Measurable results. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/scaling-up-male-circumcision Male circumcision is a cost-effective procedure that reduces the risk of HIV infection in men by 60 percent. At scale, circumcision programs can play a major role in reducing the spread of HIV. Dialogue and communication are key to these men who have undergone the procedure. Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:23:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/scaling-up-male-circumcision Sub-Saharan Africa, Circumcision, Health, HIV, Africa, AIDS, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland >> TITLE: PSI Botswana's Male Circumcision Campaign - TV Spot>> VOICEOVER: All right team: remember, we have to work at winning this match as a team. Circumcision cannot win this match alone. He needs the help of all of the defenders to keep HIV from scoring. >> TITLE: Men in Sub-Saharan Africa are choosing male circumcision (MC), a cost-effective method that reduces the risk of HIV infection in men by 60 percent. Beginning in 2007, PSI launched an unprecedented MC campaign supporting service delivery, communications, and advocacy efforts in Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These are the stories of men and families being impacted by male circumcision. >> FUNGAI CHIBAYA [MC Client, Zimbabwe]: My name is Fungai. Near where I stay, there is a very big billboard encouraging male circumcision, so I just decided one day that I should do it. I'm shaking a little bit, like goosebumps. I think the procedure is going to go well.>> TITLE: PSI provides pre- and post-procedure counseling in countries where male circumcision is offered. >> FUNGAI CHIBAYA: I've learned a lot about male circumcision. They say it has a 60 percent chance of HIV reduction. >> TAKAVINGWA KOMBONI [MC Client, Zimbabwe]: My name is Takavingwa Komboni. My wife encouraged me to come to MC because she actually thought it would be good for me to be circumcised. Some of my friends said, "You can go at your own risk." I'm curious to know what's going to happen after I'm circumcised. >> SYMPATHY MPOFU [Clinical MC Nurse, Swaziland]: The local anesthesia is given to assist him in reducing pain during the surgical procedure. The procedure starts with the doctor cutting and removing the foreskin. Afterwards we dress the patient with gauze. Then the patient is escorted to the recovery room to recover for 30 minutes. >> TAKAVINGWA KOMBONI: As you can see, I am now coming out of the theater room. The circumcision is over, and I feel like a man. It has been very good, and it is not as painful as I thought.>> FUNGAI CHIBAYA: The whole procedure was just fine. >> TITLE: Changing perceptions, one person at a time. >> JABULANI NCUBE [MC Client, Zimbabwe]: One of the best benefits is the reduction of the HIV/AIDS transmission rate. That gave me the zeal to go for it. I felt it would be the best opportunity for me to prevent myself, and the person that I love, from contracting such infections. >> STEVEN CHIKOMBERO [MC Client, Zimbabwe]: I've since introduced some of my team members to be circumcised. Everyone now knows that I'm proud to be circumcised. >> TITLE: Women are important partners in this process.>> KUDZAISHE CHIFAMBA [MC Client, Zimbabwe]; It opens up dialogue within the relationship, which is not common in our environment. >> MOLEBOGENG MADISHA [South Africa]: So this is both of our decision, and I decided to accompany him as a support system. I also heard about the importance of male circumcision. >> TITLE: Communication is key to male circumcision scale up. >> JABULANI NCUBE: What I learned is that people are not well educated. They have a belief that it's cultural.>> KUDZAISHE CHIFAMBA: Dialogue needs to spread further than just young couples. >> TITLE: By bringing services to scale within the next 10 to 20 years, male circumcision could significantly reduce the number of new HIV infections. >> JABULANI NCUBE: It is the right channel to reduce the HIV/AIDS pandemic in our nation.>> TITLE: Effective communication. High quality service delivery. Thirty-eight million by 2015: scale up male circumcision now, impact the future of HIV. >> STEVEN CHIKOMBERO: A lot of things have changed in my life. Besides the confidence that I have, I also feel much more secure.>> TITLE: PSI. Healthy lives. Measurable results. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/phela-life Living with HIV presents daunting challenges to prospective parents. This intimate portrait of an expectant mother in Lesotho follows her brave journey as she carefully follows prevention protocols before, during, and after giving birth -- and goes on to teach others. Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:21:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/phela-life Lesotho, Health, HIV, Vertical transmission, AIDS, Southern Africa, Maternal health, Sundance Institute, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation >> TITLE: Phela (Life)>> TITLE: In Lesotho, southern Africa, almost 25 percent of the population is infected with HIV. Because of medical advances, community outreach, and education, people are not only living with HIV, they are having healthy children.>> TITLE: Thato is a treatment literacy trainer with an NGO in Lesotho. She uses film to discuss HIV and maternal Health issues.>> THATO MATSOSO: The film is about to start. Please come in. My name is Thato Matsoso. Some of you know me already. I came to talk with you. I don't normally talk about my own life, right? Since you've known me, I never have. But today I come with a film to share my personal journey.>> TITLE: Thato's Story. In 2006, Thato and her husband had their first child, a baby boy.>> THATO MATSOSO: He was very handsome. Very, very handsome. He just got sick, until one day I decided to take an HIV test. For him. And the results were positive. So that is when we realized that the baby was HIV positive. And that's when we also learned that we were HIV positive as well. So the baby was now very sick. And he passed away. I am not scared of having a baby. Yes, I'm not. I planned the baby. I didn't just ... we didn't just do the baby, like the first one. But this one we planned and the doctor was involved. And I knew what to do during my pregnancy, what to eat, what supplements to use. And I know what the baby will get, that the baby will get after being born, and I also know what kind of ARVs I have to get as well, so that the baby will be okay. >> TITLE: Thato will deliver her baby at a hospital in South Africa, where health care professionals are experienced in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.>> DOCTOR: See, it's a boy. You have to give him this particular medication. It is an ARV for babies, to help prevent HIV. You have to give it to him every six hours. Say it's 12 at night, the next dose is due at six in the morning. And so on. So using your cell phone, you can set your alarm, every six hours.>> TITLE: Six weeks later>> THATO MATSOSO: Today we are going to get the baby's results. My baby's results. But all I know is that I took every precaution that I was supposed to take, so I don't know what the results will come out saying, I don't know. The baby's health seems to be okay at the moment. >> DOCTOR: Well, the tests say that he is totally healthy. The test for the antibodies can't tell us for sure if the baby is infected or not. The baby could still have the mother's antibodies. With the PCR test they check for the virus itself. The results arrived yesterday. Dr. Tsili Mosia, the pediatrician, confirmed the results. The PCR is negative.>> THATO MATSOSO: Are you sure? >> DOCTOR: Yes. This is good news.>> TITLE: With careful planning and precautions, Relebohile was born HIV negative; both his parents are HIV positive.>> THATO MATSOSO: The film is over. By showing this film and being here together with you, I really want to encourage young women to keep up your spirits, that there is still life after finding out you are HIV positive. And with whomever you meet, at home, and amongst your friends, you should talk about it.>> WOMAN: We are really delighted with today's session. It uplifts not only young women but also us, the elderly. Honestly, sincerely, this is a big day for me. I am happy. Thank you very much.>> TITLE: Community education and improved health care are important steps towards reducing HIV infection rates in Lesotho. As Thato continues her community work, Relebohile is a perfectly healthy young boy.>> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/element-madan Madan left his home in Nepal to move to New Delhi for the sole purpose of accessing cheap, powerful drugs. Just as he was on the brink of death, he found a rehabilitation center and got clean. Now he's devoted his life to helping those with HIV and AIDS, and is spreading a message of hope to the younger generation. Fri, 24 Jun 2011 08:04:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/element-madan India, HIV, Millennium Development Goals, HIV positive people, AIDS, Antiretroviral drug, Health, Nepal, New Delhi, tve >> TITLE: Element>> TITLE: Who's counting?>> MADAN KOIRALA: First I'm going to play soccer. I'm going to shoot two goals. Obviously we will win! I have many qualities. I am handsome. I am a role model for the people watching. >> TITLE: Madan>> MADAN KOIRALA: I was a drug user before. My ambition was to use drugs, and die. I am from Nepal. I came to Delhi just to use drugs. One of my friends sent me a message saying the drugs were good in India. I said, "Okay, let's go." I spent all my money. I was totally broke. I thought, "I'm going to die, I can't live any longer." Suddenly, I changed my mind. >> TITLE: New Delhi, India>> MADAN KOIRALA: I got a message that there is a rehab center where we can get treatment, and I said, "Okay," because I am a drug user and I needed treatment. I changed my lifestyle, and in the meantime I met my girlfriend, who is really cute! Life is not only for using drugs, eating food, and sleeping. >> TITLE: Millennium Development Goal #6: Stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and other major diseases>> MADAN KOIRALA: Now I am employed at Michael's Care Home, and I have to take care of HIV positive people who need treatment and help. Whether they're HIV positive or not, I always see them as a human being and in need of care and treatment. In India, people think that if you're HIV positive, you've got AIDS and you're going to die soon. Actually they're quite different. "AIDS" means you're sick, but being "HIV positive" just means you have the virus. Still people are very scared. They think that if someone's infected with HIV, we'll get infected too. No, we can't get it through the air, we can't get it from mosquito bites, we can't get it from kissing, and yet still there's all this discrimination. They're made jobless, homeless, and they're kicked out of society. Let them live! There are lots of examples of people who are very sick, and then they take the ARV medicine and live normally. This is anti-retroviral medicine, "ARV" medicine. >> MAN 1: It reduces the multiplication of the virus. >> MADAN KOIRALA: In India, only around twelve thousand people are getting this medicine. But there are over five million people infected with HIV. They should fight for them to get ARV medicine too. We need ARV medicine to be available free to everyone who needs it. Finish! There's something inside me that I can expose to the whole world. I am Madan Koirala, and I am HIV positive. >> TITLE: HIV+>> MADAN KOIRALA: If you look at me, can you make it out that I'm HIV positive? No, no one can tell. >> MADAN KOIRALA: I'll break your camera! >> MADAN KOIRALA: The message for the new generation is: positive living, positive thinking. No discrimination and stigma. There is hope. Now clap your hands, yeah. >> TITLE: Millennium Development Goals: Eight goals for a better world by 2015. Everyone counts. www.element-tv.net>> TITLE: Element. For more information, visit http://www.tve.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/house-call-in-hell Overcrowding, poor sanitation, and a general lack of funding in Haiti's National Penitentiary have caused it to become one of the worst in the Western Hemisphere. Reporter Antigone Barton and videographer Stephen Sapienza take a first-hand look at these conditions and an American doctor working to correct them. Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:42:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/house-call-in-hell Haiti, Health, Port-au-Prince, HIV, Physician, Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Education, Sexually transmitted disease, Beriberi, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting >> TITLE: Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Port-au-Prince, Haiti>> DR. JOHN MAY [PHYSICIAN]: My name is John May; I'm a physician in internal medicine. I've been practicing for more than 15 years in the field of correctional healthcare. I'm the chief medical officer for a company in Miami, that's my full-time job. My other life is volunteer service. I'm looking at how we can bring some of the skills and systems that we have in place, that are effective and functional in the United States, to developing countries. >> TITLE: In the wake of a massive crackdown on organized crime and urban gangs, Haiti's National Penitentiary is a dangerously overcrowded powder keg. Poor physical conditions contribute to cases of physical and sexual abuse, and the rates of tuberculosis and HIV are far higher than the national norm. >> DR. JOHN MAY: We flew into Haiti this morning to continue our work at the prison. I go to the National Penitentiary every two months or so, sometimes more frequently than that, to follow up on some patients and try to deliver care and make steady improvements in the system there. The prison is officially designed for about 1,050 persons; today's population is 3,054 inmates. >> DR. JOHN MAY: This is the Titanic Building, it was built just a few years ago with international funding, but it never had any provision for plumbing. The thought at the time was that people could leave their cell areas and go out and use the toilets, but it's so crowded now they have to keep it locked down almost all the time. So you'll see the waste all over the floor and the water as they hose down the areas, but the smell will be obvious. To urinate you have to go through the bars, to defecate you have to put it in a plastic bag and toss it out. This will be the focus of the intervention now. >> DR. JOHN MAY: Ask him how many are in here now. >> MAN 1: Forty-seven. >> DR. JOHN MAY: The intention was that the inmates would be able to leave the cell areas and go to the latrines, go to an outdoor area where they've got some pits and access water that way. But because of the crowding and the fact that there are very few staff persons to maintain a safe environment, they're locked down in these rooms and the rooms are mostly all small, different sizes maybe, 20 by 20 room designed for twelve people and some have 50, and 60 and 70 persons all crowded into them. >> DR. JOHN MAY: These rooms -- ask how many people are in this one.>> MAN 1: Sixty-seven. >> DR. JOHN MAY: There's no running water, no plumbing, they're allowed out maybe an hour a day to shower or maybe get some exercise. >> DR. JOHN MAY: Soap is very important; it's a commodity that the inmates really need and appreciate. Unfortunately soap is heavy but we at least bring one suitcase full of soap. I always, before the trips, run to the flea market or a discount store and fill a suitcase with soap that we can distribute. Walking into the prison with the soap can be really overwhelming, and at first it threw me back, I was afraid we were going to start little riots because everyone clambers for it. It's a sad thing to see the frustration and the intensity with which they want just a simple bar of soap. I don't think we'll cause riots with the soap, and we haven't, and I've come to appreciate that somehow this place has not blown up. It seems like it's really on the teeter to explode. How all these people can be cramped in such a space under such conditions, and still there's stability there, it's a fascinating thing to study and figure out. They're still clinging on to hope. When you can provide something as small as a bar of soap, it gives someone some hope. >> DR. JOHN MAY: We're not sure what he has. He started with Beriberi. You can find it in the literature in World War II, in the camps prisoners would get Beriberi. It started emerging here a few years ago, and a simple thiamine pill or injection could cure it, but I don't think he got the replacement quickly enough, that's why he has the swelling in his feet now. I think the opportunity was missed to reverse it. It could have been cured easily with just a vitamin, a thiamine. >> DR. JOHN MAY: Infectious diseases are a huge concern in the prison. Many come in with infectious diseases, and then crowded in these tight areas the diseases can flourish. Mostly we're talking about tuberculosis, scabies. We had an enormous problem with scabies. Certainly sexually transmitted infections and HIV are prevalent throughout the prison. >> DR. JOHN MAY: When was your last test, when did you say you had it? A year ago? Here, or in the States? What was the result then? It was negative? Okay. These are rapid tests, they are preliminary, it's not a final, but it's concerning me that the preliminary test is positive. But we have to do more tests with the samples that I took. >> DR. JOHN MAY: Tuberculosis, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, are things that if not properly managed within a medical setting can develop drug resistance, they certainly will spread to others, and most of these inmates are going to go out into the community. If we're not addressing the problems, then we're actually incubating and creating a worse problem, and it will flourish and we'll spread this to the community. >> TITLE: In August 2007, a private donor gave $25,000 to Dr. May's organization to launch a cleanliness initiative at the prison called "Titanic Plus." http://www.viewchange.org/videos/talking-hiv-in-jamaica Stigma and discrimination are fueling the HIV epidemic in the Caribbean. Join poet and writer Kwame Dawes as he explores the issues surrounding HIV-related stigma in Jamaica and speaks with the people who are most affected. Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:42:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/talking-hiv-in-jamaica Jamaica, HIV, Kwame Dawes, Kingston, AIDS, Portmore, Health, Education, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting >> KWAME DAWES: Hello, my name is Kwame Dawes. I?m a poet and a writer. I was born in Ghana and grew up in Jamaica. There are two Jamaicas. There is the Jamaica that the tourists know, that many Americans know. That?s the Jamaica of the North Coast, of the beaches, the waterfalls, the all-inclusive hotels, the partying. But there is a second Jamaica -- that is the Jamaica on the South Coast. This is the Jamaica of Kingston; it is the Jamaica in which people live day to day, eke out a living. It?s a Jamaica that knows wealth, it also knows poverty, it knows violence, but it also has a brash, smart energy. It is where the music is created in Jamaica, and it is to this Jamaica that I?ve returned to explore the issue of HIV/AIDS. >> DR. PETER FIGUEROA [Director, National HIV/STD Control Program]: If we look at the adult HIV prevalence in the population, we estimate 1.5 percent, and it has been steady over the past eight to ten years. Let?s use the analogy of South Africa, where in the early nineties their prevalence was one percent, certainly under two percent, and literally within a few years it just exploded up to about 20 percent. So it?s very important to recognize that it?s a sexually transmitted infection and once it is in your population it has the potential to spread very rapidly. >> RUTH JANKEE [Jamaica National Building Society]: When you talk to people about HIV and AIDS, they just don?t see it as an issue. The belief is that it?s something still, for them -- okay, maybe it?s not a gay disease anymore. We?ve kind of gotten over it. If you?re a man and have it there are still questions about your sexuality. But many people still have the underlying belief, no matter how much information you give them, that it?s certain kinds of people, you know, you have to be wild and crazy in your sexual behavior, or at least have multiple partners. But it?s an issue, and it?s endemic, it?s widespread, it?s not just one sector of society. It?s uptown, downtown, all ages and stages. Everybody is infected or affected. >> KWAME DAWES: We met with university students and some graduates and I asked them questions about HIV and AIDS, I asked them questions about what they knew, what their thoughts were. They were lively; they had a lot to say.>> KWAME DAWES: What area do people perceive to be in?>> MAN 1 [Student]: As he was saying: the gay community, prostitutes. That?s the perception. Where there is a lot of sexual intercourse, a risky lifestyle. Although we?re in a risky lifestyle, we won?t admit it, but that?s what we perceive to be the risky lifestyle. >> WOMAN 1 [Student]: That?s why I think the disease is spreading so rapidly. Because I have this stigma against you, I think I?m better than you so I can?t catch it. I?m educated so I can?t get AIDS. I?m only going to have sex with one partner so I can?t get AIDS. >> WOMAN 2 [Student]: I think that the majority of the population has basic information about how it is contracted, but the problem lies in translating that basic information into a change in behavior. >> WOMAN 3 [Student]: You have some guys in Jamaican society that are not using a condom. They don?t like it, it itches, they?re allergic, ?Baby I just want to feel the real you.? Guys have these lines. ?But that?s not sex, that?s artificial sex, let?s have real sex, skin to skin.? And girls will believe this and they will have sex with them. They?ll have unprotected sex with them simply because they fear losing them. >> KWAME DAWES: After a while I began to wonder, what does it take to change sexual behavior in a highly sexualized country like Jamaica? And I also wondered, who was taking on this mission? >> TITLE: Claude McKay High School, Kingston, Jamaica>> GLENDON ASPHALL [Jamaica AIDS Support]: I remember when I just found out I was HIV positive. The doctor came into the office and said, within five years a person with HIV will be fully blown, that means I?ll start to get sick, get skinny and all of that. I?m with somebody and my girlfriend is HIV positive, and that does not mean that we are going to have unprotected sex, because I?m on medication and my girlfriend is not on medication. And so, my HIV is more advanced than hers. If I have unprotected sex with her, she can surpass me in terms of stages. If I have many viruses in my stage, she can pick up my viruses. But this is my fate and what I have to do now is accept it and move on. Not that my dreams have been shattered, because we are working on our house, and we plan to get married next year. >> TITLE: Community Health Care Clinic, Greater Portmore, Jamaica>> WINSOME KEANE-DAWES [St. Catherine HIV/STIs Prevention and Control Program]: The greatest challenge I have is individual persons acknowledging their risk. Not just for HIV, for any STI, to get them to acknowledge the risk, take responsibility. It must be human nature to keep blaming other people for our problems.>> KWAME DAWES: So do you have any idea how you contracted the disease? >> WOMAN 1: Not really, but I know -- I?m not saying it?s my fault and I?m not saying it?s the other person?s fault, because I?m supposed to take responsibility for myself, so it?s both of us. Because if I was protecting myself I wouldn?t have ended up with AIDS, so I can?t put all the blame on him. >> WINSOME KEANE-DAWES: It started with about two people, then three, and we built on that. Just by having them in a room where they can exhale and be themselves, they don?t have to hide and be fearful. Just by having them come twice a month and meeting, sharing their experiences, and realize that, ?Hey, I?m not alone in this thing, there are so many of us.?>> WINSOME KEANE-DAWES: Can I just add that I find that persons who have family support do much, much better? Sometimes the HIV positive persons tend to underestimate their relatives. >> MAN 1: When I first found out, I had strokes on my right side. At one time I could not walk, not talk. But since coming here, I can walk and talk. >> KWAME DAWES: I?ve been coming to Jamaica very regularly ever since I left. You engage the country, you engage people. I?ve met many people who I remained convinced are courageous. I?ve also met people who have reminded me about the resilience of Jamaicans to survive and to struggle to survive in difficult times. I?ve met people who have used what is their sickness to create something useful for themselves. So I?m left with a sense of hope and possibility.[END CREDITS] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/sex-workers-confront-hiv Confronted with the horrific realities of HIV/AIDS, sex workers in the Dominican Republic have banded together to create a united women's movement. They help increase awareness of prevention techniques, resources and safety, as well as serving as volunteers in a revolutionary HIV vaccine trial. Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:42:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/sex-workers-confront-hiv Dominican Republic, HIV, Health, AIDS pandemic, Sex worker, Prostitution, Education, Gender, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, LinkTV Picks >> TITLE: At least 70,000 of the Dominican Republic?s 9 million people are HIV positive. Female sex workers here are reported to number as many as 130,000. The HIV rates among sex workers here runs three to 10 times higher than in the general population. Some 80 percent of sex workers work in bars, discos, and brothels, and 20 percent work the streets, tourist beaches, and ports. >> JULIANA [Founder, MODEMU]: Of all the towns, it has the fourth most sex workers. I don?t have a real estimate of the number of sex workers in Haina. There must be at least a thousand sex workers here, because La Haina is a town with income. We have a port, where tourist ships dock. There?s a manufacturing area -- a lot of industry. So, there?s money, and where there?s money, there?s sex work. Well, in this country it is very difficult for a woman to get a job. The only options available are being a housekeeper, working in a factory, or live with a man (cook and clean for him in exchange for food and housing), or sex work. >> JOCELYN [Sex Worker]: I?ve been doing this for 10 years. I gave birth to my child, Rosy, the one who?s 11. When I saw I had nothing -- she had no milk, her dad left and abandoned me -- a friend of mine said, ?Come with me to the port.? When I went, a Honduran sailor fell for me and gave me $100. Here we have a port, where ships and sailors come through. That?s who we work with. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn?t. I?m tired of doing this work; I want to leave this life, because I don?t want to keep doing this anymore. It?s not something you choose to do, but out of necessity. Seven people live in my two-bedroom house: my three kids, my sister and her child, and my niece. Around here, there is a lot of crime, a lot of drugs. My kids are here, but I want to move. My children can?t grow up in this environment. >> JULIANA: I?m not doing sex work now. I work on behalf of sex work. I started MODEMU [Movimiento De Mujueres Unidas] 14 years ago. People were saying all sex workers infected people with HIV. So we got together, and seeing the problems that the women had, we came up with the idea to form a united women?s movement. And we went to the streets to work with our fellow sex workers. Sex workers working with sex workers. It was the same language. >> DR. ELLEN KOENIG [Instituto Dominicano de Estudios Virologicos]: MODEMU does get money on certain programs. They apply for grants and USAID has not helped very much because the American government doesn?t want to work with sex workers. But the European community, the Canadian equivalent of AID, other groups will fund studies or work for them. So in that way they have gotten money to finance some of their programs that they have under way. >> JOCELYN: Can I get a ride? I?m a member of MODEMU, so I go give speeches to girls in the business. I go out three days a week to talk to girls about HIV/AIDS prevention. When we went to Semana Santa, I went to the El Sifon Bar to teach the girls the correct use of the condoms. There are many men who don?t like to use a condom. Many will offer you $100 to have sex without a condom. We say no. No condom, no sex. >> DR. ELLEN KOENIG: A female sex worker cannot protect herself unless the man wants to protect himself. There is a female condom, but it is very uncomfortable and it?s about five to ten times more expensive than the male condom. So the woman is really at a disadvantage in this game. They realize that with this disease, they have to work to help solve. >> SIGN: Laboratorio>> JULIANA: There was a test of a (HIV) vaccine for sex workers. Because it targeted high-risk people, they called MODEMU to provide sex workers. So Ellen called MODEMU, MODEMU sent six representatives. I was one of them. I was also part of the study. >> DR. ELLEN KOENIG: In the Dominican Republic, our first study showed the highest levels in men who have sex with men and the Haitians, and this probably continues on today. So when we were picking people, the idea that the Haitians might be good, but they were doing vaccine trials in Haiti. The men who have sex with men, I believe they can find easily in places like the United States and these men in the United States are very dedicated to helping this. They felt that the female prostitute here would probably be a good candidate, and when they saw the number who had other sexually transmitted diseases they figured that this was a very susceptible population and one that would be adequate and might give us some good results as far as the HIV vaccine goes. >> JULIANA: The vaccine -- it?s a trial for the vaccine, but it?s the most promising so far. But if the vaccine turns out to work, it won?t be for our benefit. We are taking a chance for the sake of science, for our grandchildren, for future generations. >> DR. ELLEN KOENIG: These women are the real heroines of the AIDS epidemic because they are giving their bodies and their time to help us try to solve this problem. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/carriers Carriers is a compelling tale of five lorry drivers, their dreams, their lifestyles, and the parallel economy that links their lives to the rest of Indian society. The social exclusion of 6 million Indian truck drivers pushes them to risky behaviour and addictions. Watch the trailer on this page or the full documentary live on NDTV Profit or <a href="http://profit.ndtv.com/" target="_blank">profit.ndtv.com</a> 16/17 July Sat 10pm/Sun 5pm IST. Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/carriers India, HIV, AIDS, Sexually transmitted disease, Bollywood, NDTV Profit, Link TV Presents the World http://www.viewchange.org/videos/life-on-the-edge-reclaim-the-condom Sheila Manjate is launching a campaign to "reclaim the condom" from the public health agencies. She believes that people are more likely to use condoms if they are marketed as sexy contraceptives as opposed weapons against HIV/AIDS. Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:15:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/life-on-the-edge-reclaim-the-condom Mozambique, Health, Education, Chibuto, Maputo, Condom, Reproductive health, Life on the Edge, HIV, AIDS >> TITLE: Reclaim the Condom>> VOICEOVER: Like all countries in southern Africa, Mozambique suffers from HIV/AIDS. Every year, millions of dollars are spent on prevention campaigns, including promoting condoms. But the battle is far from won, and one person thinks she knows why.>> SHEILA MANJATE [Sexual Health Counselor, North East Secondary School]: I don't know how many students there are, maybe eight thousand. To pick up condoms? I have the records here. Maybe a hundred per month. >> VOICEOVER: At the North East Secondary School in the capital Maputo, 22-year-old Sheila is a trained sexual health counselor. In her office, young people come to her with their intimate problems.>> BOY 1: I'm having a problem with my girlfriend. >> SHEILA MANJATE: And you did not use a condom?>> BOY 1: Often we didn't use it.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Because you trusted her?>> BOY 1: I risked it because I trusted her, but I mistrust her at the same time.>> VOICEOVER: The message is clear -- selling condoms as barriers against HIV can suggest couples don?t trust each other. So Sheila?s convinced it?s easier to sell condoms as contraceptives. Today in her office, she?s tearing down the public health posters. For Sheila, condoms are the main weapons against HIV/AIDS, but they must have the right image. The unbranded ?white? condoms are the ones distributed in schools and clinics. Much better, she says, those more sexy, branded ones. >> VOICEOVER: Sheila lives at her grandma?s. A churchgoing Christian, she wants to train as a lawyer. She says what some in the big health agencies think privately.>> SHEILA MANJATE: The condom is too associated with HIV and so it has become stigmatized in the people's minds.>> VOICEOVER: She?s backed by market research, which shows trust in relationships is the main reason for not using condoms. Sheila knows sex and romance sell, so why not use them to promote condoms? She is working on a radio program to try her message on a wider audience. It's for 99FM, a popular national radio station. Today is the big sell. >> SHEILA MANJATE: I'm very nervous. I'm in the hands of God.>> VOICEOVER: Sheila?s off to see the head of the station. But will he buy her maverick message?>> SHEILA MANJATE: Our idea is to make a pilot program.>> NELSON CAMAL [Station head, SNYC 99 FM]: Yesterday I attended a Millennium Village ceremony in Chibuto. They had a box of condoms like this one. I didn't want to take any.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Exactly.>> NELSON CAMAL: But what are we going to say in the program? No to the AIDS condom, or are we going to say AIDS condom, yes?>> SHEILA MANJATE: No, our objective is to say yes to the condom.>> VOICEOVER: Not only have they given her airtime, 99FM has given Sheila her own team. Their slogan: "For Your Up Moments!" Public health campaigns find it difficult to link condoms with pleasure. But can you really sell condoms better branding them with sex than with illness? Early morning, and time to take the show on the road. Today to Xinavane, 100 kilometers north of Maputo. For her program, Sheila wants people to talk openly about their sex lives. She hopes their stories will reveal why they should use condoms.>> SHEILA MANJATE: How was it, the first time, the first child?>> FARIDA: It happened when I was fooling around. I cannot lie about that.>> VOICEOVER: Sex and birth control, says Sheila -- that's why condoms were invented. It's common ground that brings partners together when talk of HIV can drive them apart. She's taking the message to the local school to see how it plays.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Our mothers fell pregnant at the age of 14, 15, 16, 17; they lived their sexuality at the moment they felt the time had come. I want you to tell me: What do you do to live your sexuality, without having the same problems our mothers had? What did you say?>> MALE STUDENT 1: I use the condom.>> SHEILA MANJATE: You used the condom. Thank you. Ping pong, another one. What do you do?>> FEMALE STUDENT 1: Condom.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Condom. Who else?>> FEMALE STUDENT 2: Fidelity.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Fidelity. Who else?>> FEMALE STUDENT 3: Condom.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Condom. Who else?>> MALE STUDENT 2: Fidelity.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Fidelity. Who else?>> FEMALE STUDENT 4: Condom.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Condom. Who else?>> FEMALE STUDENT 5: Be faithful to my boyfriend.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Be faithful to your boyfriend? I have to be faithful to my boyfriend, but I also have to be faithful to the condom, because the day my boyfriend drops me, the condom will stay with me.>> VOICEOVER: Sheila's taking her message to people that may never have seen sexily packed condoms before. But will her approach shock? AIDS campaigners are now finding out that infections are increasingly within married couples. So can Sheila find a reason for introducing condoms in a married relationship? Sheila and colleague Arthur are going to try and persuade David, along with shining his shoes.>> DAVID TOVELA: No, no, I never used a condom, and I will never use it. With Moses, I say, meat on meat, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.>> SHEILA MANJATE: A woman, when she gets pregnant, needs a time to recover and for the child to grow before she can fall pregnant again. This is a condom. There is this one, and this one. This is a mixture of three different types: this type, that type, and the other type. So you try and the one you like most you start using always.>> VOICEOVER: Later, time for a call to David. >> SHEILA MANJATE: Oh, so you've decided to use them. You loved it? >> VOICEOVER: Perhaps another condom convert.>> SHEILA MANJATE: So when your wife falls pregnant, you don't have to abstain, just use the condom.>> VOICEOVER: Sheila?s found different reasons for condom use in each of her interviews, even though no one mentioned AIDS. She takes her findings back to the National AIDS council. But with the scale of the pandemic, can they risk abandoning the public health message?>> DIOGO MILAGRE [Executive Director, AIDS Council]: Unwanted pregnancy is a localized problem. AIDS is a central problem.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Of the government.>> DIOGO MILAGRE: The central problem of today is that I have an infection rate of 16 percent. I have got one million and six hundred thousand people infected, and that could compromise the development prospects of the country. That is the central problem.>> VOICEOVER: For those responsible for mitigating the impact of the pandemic, Sheila?s message may be far too risky. It is a message on the edge of the debate. But the debate may be moving her way.>> SHEILA MANJATE: Probably it is necessary for me one day to invite Mr. Diogo to take off his suit, put on shorts, a T-shirt, a pair of flip-flops, and enter the communities, and take with him the message of pregnancy, abandoned women, drop-outs, sex after pregnancy, and make those messages the image of the condom, and solve the problem based on the problems of the people.>> TITLE: For more information, please visit: http://www.bullfrogfilms.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/life-on-the-edge-silk-ceiling-part-1 Ritu Bhardwaj is a star to the neighborhood kids of New Delhi. Not only does she help with their homework, she's a glamorous TV reporter. Her next big report is a documentary about the "silk ceiling" that hangs over many Indian women, narrowing lives and frustrating talent. Mon, 16 May 2011 09:25:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/life-on-the-edge-silk-ceiling-part-1 India, Gender, HIV, Delhi, Ayu Utami, Life on the Edge, Gender equality, tve, Auto rickshaw, LinkTV Picks >> TITLE: New Delhi>> VOICEOVER: In the apartment she shares with friends, 25-year-old Ritu Bhardwaj is expecting visitors. It's three in the afternoon, the kids are leaving school, but these kids are not going to play. One day Ritu wants to work for UNICEF. She's already helping underprivileged kids. Three days a week, she helps them with their homework. Ritu herself comes from a modest background in Haryana state, but here, she's already a star. >> KIRAN: When I grow up I will be just like you.>> MONIKA: I want to be like you when I grow up.>> VOICEOVER: Why Ritu seems so glamorous? She's made it, and in a country that doesn't always favor ambitious girls, no matter how hard-working. This small town girl is now an up-and-coming journalist on national TV channel News X.>> RITU BHARDWAJ [TV journalist]: This is Ritu Bhardwaj reporting on India's "Silk Ceiling.">> TITLE: Silk Ceiling>> RITU BHARDWAJ: In the smaller cities, like where I am from, the girls are basically facing, like, feticide, infanticide and discrimination, illiteracy. There are many problems they are facing. But in the metro cities like Delhi and Bombay, the basic things they are suffering are the right to survival or right to security. >> VOICEOVER: We gave Ritu a sneak preview of a new UN report about women in Asia: "Power, Voice And Rights." It shows women have a worse deal than men in politics, the law, and jobs, even when economies are booming. We followed Ritu as she made a film about the report for News X. There's plenty more source material in the papers. >> VOICEOVER: She starts by heading for Delhi's red light district. Ritu's chasing the story of "Rekha," as the press are calling her, a woman campaigning on HIV and child abuse who's been revealing the secrets of life in the sex industry, the sex trade where exploitation is most visible and shocking. At 25, Rekha's the same age as Ritu and has her own kids. She was rescued from a brothel in the red light area on GB Road. She became destitute in an earthquake in Latur, 1500 kilometers away. She was effectively held captive for seven years, and now battles with AIDS. Unlike many women here, Rekha has decided to tell her story. >> RITU BHARDWAJ: Where are you from, and how did you get here?>> REKHA [Former sex worker]: Well, I met this woman who told me that I would have to do what they wanted or else they would kill me. I insisted that they should let me go back home to Latur, and then they started to beat up my kids. When they started doing that, I was forced into this work. I was HIV positive, and at the same time I was also suffering from TB.>> RITU BHARDWAJ: Do you think that women are still weak in India and have not got rights in comparison to the men?>> REKHA: It is really tough for uneducated women, and many times there is no support for them from their families, especially if there are three or four children to be fed at home. >> VOICEOVER: Sad stories so far. But Ritu wants to show both victims and role models. So she's here to tell the story of Sunita. There are 40,000 auto rickshaw drivers in Delhi. Former child bride Sunita, who'd fled a violent marriage, was the first female auto rickshaw driver. >> SUNITA [Auto-rickshaw driver]: My whole family is uneducated. I have been driving an auto rickshaw for five years and some of my family does not know this. Society asks many questions. They ask me, "Why do you wear this work dress? Why are you in a man's role?" And, "You should behave like a traditional Indian woman!" I don't care for what society says, I let them say what they want. I am not the old Sunita, who wouldn't dare to leave the four walls of her house. >> VOICEOVER: Reverence for women -- in their right place -- goes back a long way in India. It's the festival of Navratri. For nine days men and women celebrate the incarnations of a female goddess. Warrior, mother of the universe. TV reporter Ritu's back in the office. She wants to widen her film out. Ritu's been talking to fellow filmmakers in Southeast Asia's most populous country: largely Muslim Indonesia. They've been sending her their own stories, the most high profile, a message from Ayu Utami. She's the leading novelist who shocked many Indonesians with the frankness of her language, by mixing political and gender issues and by making this personal declaration.>> AYU UTAMI [Novelist]: I choose not to get married, and I declare outwardly that I will never get married unless the marriage law is revised according to gender equality. >> TITLE: Indonesia's taxation law assumes the husband is the primary income earner. Marriage law assumes women are housewives (source: IFC)>> RITU BHARDWAJ: She's a very confident and very brave girl. Her thinking is really nice. In the society she's been a role model.>> VOICEOVER: Ayu's political message: even when women do have a stake in the economy, lack of political clout means they're easily manipulated. And subject to all kinds of discrimination.>> AYU UTAMI: Without the political power, without even access to decision-making, the woman's strength in economic life becomes vulnerable to being manipulated by others.>> VOICEOVER: Polls show that when women are selected as candidates, people will vote for them. But less than one in five of Indonesia's elected lawmakers are women. Perhaps that's less surprising when you consider one in seven adult Indonesian women still can't read or write. Back in Delhi, TV reporter Ritu knows the problems. Now she wants answers. And she's found some in Gujarat where some women are defying traditional roles. In Jambur village, women used to live -- well, much like women have done for centuries right across Asia.>> RITU BHARDWAJ: What was it like earlier and what happened next?>> NATHI BEN [Villager]: Our life was very tough. We had just one set of clothes; we'd go to wash it by the river. We'd first wash our clothes and after those dried we would wash our under-garments. After this we would head home and arrange for the firewood and then make the chappatis. Our husbands would come home and complain about the food not being ready. >> VOICEOVER: Ritu's here to meet the woman they like to call 'Hirbai Ben Lobhi' -- "Diamond of the Forest." The Forest Diamond and her friends formed a cooperative. Their savings fund businesses -- their businesses. Opposition, yes, but diamonds don't fade away. >> RITU BHARDWAJ: Did the people in the village try and help you or try and stop you?>> HIRBAI BEN LOBHI: Yes, they did try to stop me, but I didn't stop. I asked myself, "What do women need the most?" If women need money, and they don't have any property, the land belongs to the men and the houses also belong to the men. I figured then I need to ensure that the women also own some property. That way they at least have some confidence in themselves.>> VOICEOVER: Now, unusual in South Asia, 900 village women hold assets in their own names.>> HIRBAI BEN LOBHI: Today, through our women's cooperative bank, the women have access to money and the men come and ask their wives if they can borrow some money -- say 1000-1500 rupees. >> VOICEOVER: Jambur, Ritu finds, is a thriving village thanks partly to Heer and the cooperative. Money from the co-op even helps the village school. If more women went to school and got paid jobs, it's been estimated the Asia-Pacific region could be 90 billion US dollars a year better off. >> ZILU BEN: Thank God I am a woman! If I were a man I would have done nothing. It's because I am a woman that I can accomplish so much. I am happy to be a woman; I don't want to be a man! http://www.viewchange.org/videos/stepping-out-of-the-shadows-aravanis-in-india There is a long recorded history of transgender people in India, yet they have been harshly discriminated against since the days of British rule. Today, there are a significant number of people born with male bodies but who identify as female. Aunt Noori, undaunted by stigma, has emerged as a leading figure in India's fight against HIV/AIDS. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:38:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/stepping-out-of-the-shadows-aravanis-in-india India, HIV, AIDS orphan, Tamil Nadu, United Nations, Gender role, Transgender, Discrimination, Gender, AIDS >> VOICEOVER: She's known as Aunt Noori, a loving woman to these AIDS orphans, but Noori's life has been marked by years of pain.>> NOORI: In my mind, I know that I'm a woman. But as a transgendered person, I have suffered a lot in society.>> VOICEOVER: Like other transgenders, Noori considers herself female even though she was born with a male body. In southern India, people like her are called "aravanis." Born in a village in southern India, Noori started to display a feminine behavior at the age of ten. >> NOORI: My neighbors made fun of me, telling my father, "Your son is like a girl." He used to beat me badly. >> VOICEOVER: When Noori was 13 years old, her parents, upset by her behavior, stripped her, then poured sugar syrup on her, and left her tied to a tree with an army of ants on her body. A neighbor took pity on her, gave her clothes and told her to leave the village. That was the last time she saw her family. Like many aravanis, Noori was forced to leave home, eventually settling in Chennai, the capital of India's southern state of Tamil Nadu. Life was not easy. At one time, transgenders were accepted by society, says Asha Bharathi, a leading activist for aravani rights.>> ASHA BHARATHI: In the ancient days, there were transgenders. I can give you very good proofs from the literature, from the history that we were treated equally in the society. Because of our transgender and sexuality we were not discriminated. The discrimination started only after the British rule.>> VOICEOVER: Under colonial rule, Indian leaders passed a law prohibiting homosexuality. The law is still in effect in India today. Aravanis are often subjected to harassment and discrimination. >> ASHA BHARATHI: Why do we have discrimination? And we are punished for the fault of nature. Why should we be penalized? We are not special creatures come to earth from any other planet. Do we have two horns? We are like you.>> VOICEOVER: There is no official census on transgenders in India. Some conceal their identities and lead a double life. Others live openly. Some aravanis, choose castration as a definitive way to become a woman. Outcast by society, transgenders face lives of poverty and discrimination. To survive, many transgenders turn to commercial sex work. Noori was one of them. In 1987, she became infected with HIV. When she publicly disclosed her health status to a newspaper, she was rejected, once again, this time by her fellow aravanis. >> NOORI: They said, "Why did you go to the media? You're hurting our profession!" They tried to pour gasoline on me and burn me alive.>> VOICEOVER: That was the turning point in Noori's life. Ostracized by other aravanis, she abandoned sex work to become a peer worker to help those afflicted with HIV/AIDS. A country of one billion people, India ­- in its efforts to halt the spread of the AIDS epidemic ­- is reaching out to the communities most affected by HIV/AIDS. Supriya Sahu is the project director of the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society.>> SUPRIYA SAHU: We need to bring them out together, build their capacity, get them trained in some kind of vocational trade, so that they are economically independent.>> VOICEOVER: In 2001, with support from UNAIDS, Noori founded her own organization to provide care, not only to aravanis, but also to anyone struggling with HIV. It now provides care to over 1,700 people living with HIV. Patricia Chan prepared this report for the United Nations. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/farming-school-for-aids-orphans-in-mozambique The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program have set up an innovative school system with a focus on agriculture for AIDS orphans in Mozambique. There are thought to be more than 470,000 orphans in this country, and in these schools they are given the chance to learn farming skills so they will be able to grow their own food in the future. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:12:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/farming-school-for-aids-orphans-in-mozambique AIDS, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique, Subsistence farming, Food and Agriculture Organization, AIDS orphan, Agriculture, Africa, Agriculture & Food, Education >> VOICEOVER: The beat of a drum, dancing, and singing -- a brief escape from a harsh reality. These children here in rural Mozambique are but a handful of the 11 million AIDS orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa. What happens to them now, with no parents to teach them how to farm their land and no parents to protect them? A key to their survival is subsistence farming, and that's exactly what they're learning here at one of the nearly 30 "Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools" throughout central Mozambique. Kids learn hands-on lessons in agriculture: how to prepare fields, sow, irrigate, and harvest. Tradition is passed on as they're taught about indigenous crops and the power of medicinal plants. It's all about becoming independent and self-sufficient, say these classmates. >> ZACARIAS MANUEL: Since we've been learning new things here we've been doing them back home too, and we're getting good results. >> VICERNE BAPTISTA: So now we are teaching other people too. >> VOICEOVER: But the children here are taught about more than just the basics of farming. Through counseling and dance, they're learning to build new self-esteem and a new type of family. And lessons in basic business skills offer a first step toward a future as working farmers. It's a model that has seen early success, a model that has now spread to Kenya, Namibia, and neighboring Zambia. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations prepared this report. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/team-up-south-africa The Grassroot Project is a Washington DC-based organization that pairs college athletes with at-risk youth to educate them on HIV/AIDS awareness. Grassroot Soccer is a similar organization, teaming athletes with youth in developing countries and using soccer as a tool to teach HIV/AIDS prevention. Team Up South Africa brought kids from these two groups together to share their experiences and what they've learned. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:49:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/team-up-south-africa South Africa, Grassroot Soccer, Soweto, Johannesburg, AIDS, Change Makers, Education, Health, HIV >> COLESILA: There is one thing that I want to say. There is a difference between HIV and AIDS. HIV is a virus and AIDS is a disease.>> TYLER: Sometimes it's overwhelming to talk about stopping AIDS or wanting to end poverty. It?s overwhelming to think there?s not much that you can do, but these kids really can do a lot and they really can have an impact on their communities.>> COLESILA: I?m Colesila and I?m with Team Up 2010. >> FRANCISCO GARCIA: My name is Francisco Garcia, I?m from Washington, DC, and I?m 14. >> COLESILA: It's nice to meet the Team Up team because it was the first time for me to see them.>> FRANCISCO GARCIA: They are not shy to show their expression, they would dance and teach me new things, they would teach me their language. Zulu, by the way.>> TYLER: This is a pilot right here. This is an idea that we have had for almost a year now, and it's amazing to see it actually happening. I think it's incredibly powerful and incredibly important for programs like this to take place, especially when there is so much stigma. Sometimes you can feel like your world is so small and for them to be able to come halfway around the world and to interact with kids who are just like them in another part of the world and facing the same issues is incredibly powerful. >> COUNSELOR: So your test came back negative for HIV.>> BOY: Yes.>> COUNSELOR: Wait up, wait up. I want to make sure you keep doing everything that you are doing and I want you to come back every six months. Okay?>> BOY: Okay, I understand.>> COUNSELOR 2: We can fight HIV by working together.>> COLESILA: I think it's very important because I need to tell people more about what I?ve learned.>> TYLER: The idea behind the programs involved in this, Grassroot Soccer and The Grassroot Project in DC, is that both use sports as a way to sort of break the ice and also as a really creative metaphor to teach important life lessons and also important life saving information about HIV.>> FRANCISCO GARCIA: Yesterday?s experience playing with the orphanage and seeing their happy faces, knowing that they were enjoying their time, I probably won?t ever come back here so I did all I could and made sure they had the best time of their life.>> TYLER: Overall I think that sports are a universal language, they cut across differences within Soweto, within Johannesburg, within South Africa and they also cut across differences in the United States. It?s a great resource to tap to talk about really serious issues like HIV/AIDS to sort of break the ice. I think that athletes have such a huge power to reach kids about serious issues and issues that are taboo because a lot of kids want to grow up to be an athlete. They want to grow up and keep playing sports and so they want to learn what athletes are interested in and what they care about and I think if you can engage an athlete on an issue like this it has so much power. Really the goal is to continue this concept of a team because these kids have a lot of challenges and I think if anything they?ve built incredible relationships that may not exist in their families, that may not exist in their schools or with their teachers.>> COLESILA: I think they are different because of their language but in skin they are not different. >> TYLER: It's also about changing this issue in your community and going beyond your own behavior and trying to help other people in they way you?ve been helped.>> COLESILA: I wish to build my support team with my school, with my school classmates, and then make a group and then we tell more people information about HIV.>> FRANCISCO GARCIA: I basically became friends with everybody from Soweto. >> TYLER: When I was talking to these kids before we left, a lot of them thought that this was a service project, that they were going to be helping these kids out. But I think in a lot of ways the kids in South Africa have helped the kids in DC maybe more so than the opposite way. >> FRANCISCO GARCIA: Just because a person has HIV or AIDS, that doesn?t mean you can?t be friends or play with them.>> COLESILA: There is no problem that cannot be solved.>> TYLER: In order to make any big change we have to understand what it takes to make a bold decision and then to be strong in any situation. You guys have all shown that.>> COLESILA: It?s very important because when you are in a bad situation you have to be resilient. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/changing-behavior-changing-lives PATH created the lively, interactive Magnet Theater group in Kenya to help individuals and communities examine and alter risky behaviors involving sex. Individuals like Nelson, who became motivated by what he saw to get tested for HIV and change his ways. Wed, 02 Mar 2011 09:54:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/changing-behavior-changing-lives Kenya, HIV, AIDS, Magnet Theater, ViewChange Online Film Contest, Health, AIDS pandemic, PATH >> TITLE: Changing behavior, saving lives>> VOICEOVER: These are the sounds of a tragic reality in western Kenya. Coffin making is a booming business because of the AIDS pandemic. Some communities here suffer the worst rates of both HIV infection and poverty in the entire country. How do you reach people here with HIV/AIDS information, and encourage change in risky behavior? PATH's answer is the innovative Magnet Theater, a hybrid of lively, interactive entertainment and crucial HIV prevention strategies. Nelson Sakwa first saw Magnet Theater in 2002, when it opened near his soft drink stand in the town of Mumias. Back then, he and his friends gave very little thought to their lifestyle.>> NELSON: I would go with women -- even maybe three in a week, because by then I was not married. And even at the time I got married, I could at least sometimes sneak out once in a blue moon. >> VOICEOVER: Nelson was the ideal candidate for Magnet Theater's message. Here's how it works: the facilitator calls the audience together; actors then play out a common social dilemma.>> JANET SHAURI [PATH program staff, Kenya]: The characters will be people that anybody could relate with, people within that community could relate with those people. And then the story, the plot, it is something that everybody can identify with. >> VOICEOVER: For example, a young girl considers marriage to an older man. Should the parents allow it, since the man has money? Should the couple go for HIV testing first? The action freezes, the facilitator asks, "What should these people do?" Suggestions are called out and everybody is drawn in. >> JANET SHAURI: It really helps because now it helps them to reflect back into their lives, and later on be more conscious of their actions.>> VOICEOVER: The actors are specially trained volunteers performing in the local language, easing the taboo on talking about sex, and promoting healthy choices.>> NELSON: It really showed me some outside world. Then I decided to start changing my life.>> VOICEOVER: Day after day at his shop, Nelson watched Magnet Theater and asked questions of PATH's staff. He gradually realized his behavior had put him and his wife at risk of contracting AIDS. Finally, he considered voluntary testing and counseling, known as VCT.>> NELSON: Then I started to think about that so much. That's when I went to VCT.>> VOICEOVER: It was a critical turning point. Nelson's HIV test, to his great relief, was negative.>> NELSON: It was great. In fact I jumped up in the counseling room. And I decided to change my behaviors directly from that day. I'm also telling other guys and my friends to change their behaviors. I've really spread the message. >> VOICEOVER: For that, he credits Magnet Theater. >> NELSON: It opened up my brains to know what is in the outside world, the real thing in life about HIV and AIDS.>> VOICEOVER: Today, Nelson owns a small restaurant, is a husband and father. He provides neighbors with PATH materials to spread the word. He's even spoken out on the radio. Through Magnet Theater, Nelson Sakwa has become a community leader and an unsung hero in the fight against AIDS.>> NELSON: Life is precious. So I decided to be open, and just tell people what is happening. My wife was very happy, and my parents also. And now they are also trying to pass the message across to other people, because it's like a message which is spreading and spreading.>> INTERVIEWER: How does it make you feel inside to know that you're passing this information and helping others?>> NELSON: I'm proud, of course. I'm very proud.>> TITLE: PATH: A catalyst for global health. www.path.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/love-and-life-live-on-air <p>In Uganda, where sex education is clouded by myths and misunderstandings, one young radio journalist is giving it to the people straight. Follow Doreen on her mission to spread the word about safe sex, and find out how she confronts the same issues in her own life.</p> Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:32:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/love-and-life-live-on-air Uganda, HIV, Kampala, Safe sex, Sex education, Sexually transmitted disease, Reproductive health, Birth control, HIV/AIDS in Uganda, Marie Stopes International >> TITLE: Love and Life: Live on Air >> RADIO HOST: Hey yo, what's up guys? This is the Straight Talk radio show. It is fun, educative and hilarious. Stay tuned. >> RADIO CALLER 1: Dear Straight Talk radio: If I put toothpaste on my penis before sex, will my girlfriend get pregnant? >> RADIO CALLER 2: Dear Straight Talk: I've missed my period for two months. Am I pregnant? >> VOICEOVER: Uganda, in east Africa, has many problems relating to sexual and reproductive health. In lots of cases, young people's lack of sex education is to blame. >> MAN 1: Is it true that if you drink a lot soda and have sex with an HIV-infected person, you cannot get the virus? >> VOICEOVER: Doreen is 20 and works for Straight Talk as a radio journalist. Her job is reporting on sex and relationship issues, although she's never slept with anyone herself. >> DOREEN [Radio journalist, Straight Talk]: These are letters from my listeners. They write in telling me their stories, sometimes they have questions about relationships, about sex. You can see this one, it says: "I had my fellow student who I used to sit with and she was beautiful and attractive. After sex I started feeling a lot of pain on the fore part of my penis." Straight talk is an organization whose mission is to give information to adolescents so that they can be able to make informed decisions about reproductive health. I did different interviews with different people. This is from someone called [inaudible] telling me the first time she had sex. >> VOICEOVER: Doreen and her producer Charity are working on their next show, and their theme is of particular interest to Doreen: having sex for the first time. >> CHARITY [Radio producer, Straight Talk]: What do you imagine about first time sex? >> DOREEN: Lots of things. >> CHARITY: Like what? >> DOREEN: I'm still scared about sex. >> CHARITY: No, don't get scared. I know you're scared, but time will come. I thought about sex, but time came when freely from my heart I said, "I think I should have it." So if you're scared, don't do it. >> DOREEN: What is the truth about the first time to have sex? >> VOICEOVER: Doreen sets off around Kampala interviewing young people about their first sexual experience. >> RADIO CALLER 1: Dear Straight Talk radio: I am a 14-year-old boy at secondary school. I always feel like having sex. I want to have sex with somebody. Am I too young? >> RADIO CALLER 2: Dear Straight Talk: I have a boyfriend. He wants "live" sex. And for me, I want to use a condom. Since I don't know his status, what should I do since I love him? >> VOICEOVER: She's arranged to interview Jackie about her first time. >> JACKIE: The way I lost my virginity actually changed my life. It was pressure that led me to lose my virginity. The pressure that I had because I thought it was real love. >> DOREEN: So you guys met, and you get into a relationship with him, and then... >> JACKIE: Because I loved him, I decided to give in for him. Giving in, actually I thought that things were gonna be more better. Unfortunately things were worse. And I got pregnant, he ran away. >> VOICEOVER: Jackie gave birth to a boy. But her troubles weren't over. >> JACKIE: When my child died... >> DOREEN: How old was he when he passed away? >> JACKIE: He was 11 months. When he died I decided to go and have an HIV test and it was bad for me. >> DOREEN: Jackie, What made you think of taking an HIV test after your child's death? >> JACKIE: Well, I was not myself. I used to feel sick. My dad told me, "Why don't you go for an HIV test?" >> DOREEN: Did you use a condom in your first relationship, or the first time you had sex? >> JACKIE: No. I didn't use a condom in my first relationship. >> DOREEN: How different do you think it would have been if you had used it? >> JACKIE: I think it would have been safe. I wouldn't have got pregnant, I think even the virus. Because you know, a condom protects you from various things. >> RADIO HOST: Don't go anywhere. Be here or nowhere. Stay tuned. >> RADIO CALLER 1: Dear Straight Talk: my boyfriend asks sex all the time. What can I do to stop him? >> RADIO CALLER 2: Dear Straight Talk: is it true that if you have sex once, you do not get pregnant? >> DOREEN: I'm going to Marie Stopes to see someone that can talk to me about how to prepare for having safe sex for the first time, yeah. >> SIGN: Marie Stopes Uganda, Namuwongo Health Centre. >> DOREEN: I work with Straight Talk Foundation; I'm a journalist for young people. And I'm trying to do different interviews about having sex for the first time. >> BEATRICE NYAMAIZI [Family planning nurse]: That's very good, because we get so many younger girls who come in for advises, they come in to ask what they should do. >> DOREEN: How do I make sure that I am safe as a young girl? >> BEATRICE NYAMAIZI: Think about family planning. Family planning they solve their various issues. But all in all, family planning doesn't protect you from AIDS or STDs. So you should ask about condom use until when you have decided that you want to get children. >> DOREEN: And then something else you were talking about, inserting the implants and the coil. Would you do that for me as student? >> BEATRICE NYAMAIZI: Yes, of course. It's not for only married people. Even students. You may have sex and when you don't want to have pregnancy, so I can do it for you. >> DOREEN: Thank you very much. >> DOREEN: Well I really learned so much: the different family planning methods. I learned about the fact that even me -- a young girl, a student who isn't a married woman -- I can access the health facilities. And it's really fine; it's not the thing I always thought. I really realize that even if I chose to have sex now, I can be safe. >> VOICEOVER: With her assignment finished, Doreen has everything she needs to make her show. And make a decision about her own love life. But tradition and religion will play an important part in whatever choice she makes. Tonight, she's celebrating her cousin's wedding with her family, and it's really got her thinking. >> DOREEN: Right now I really feel like I ought to wait until marriage. I think it will be more exciting. >> PATIENCE [Doreen's cousin]: Honestly, I think you do it with someone you love. I don't know if it's about marriage or whatever, I think it's about who you love. >> DOREEN: Doing it with someone I love after marriage, that's my opinion. Honestly. >> VOICE: Ah, yes, wonderful! Beautiful. Hug times one, hug times two, hug times three. Can you separate? >> DOREEN: What is the truth about the first time you have sex? I have talked to quite a number of people about this and I have learned a lot. Everybody's story is unique. And they all have different perspectives about sex. But on the whole, I think that what is important is that you feel ready, that you feel secure, and that you have safe sex. This is Doreen broadcasting from Straight Talk studios in Kampala. Hope to be with you next week, same time, same station. Keep safe. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/living-proof-ethiopia-holy-water-healing The majority of Ethiopians are strongly devout Christians or Muslims. Ethiopia is also a country besieged by HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. The prevailing belief is that Western medicine is in conflict with religious practice, which results in people seeking spiritual healing but foregoing modern medicine. Dr. Solomon Zewdu of Johns Hopkins University seeks to change that dynamic so that religion and medicine can coexist peacefully and both can be used to heal. Wed, 02 Feb 2011 09:18:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/living-proof-ethiopia-holy-water-healing Ethiopia, HIV, AIDS, Medicine, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Tuberculosis, Living Proof, ONE Campaign >> TITLE: Challenge: Millions of Ethiopians suffer with TB and AIDS. Many travel to a holy mountain seeking a cure. >> TITLE: Solution: Offer treatments near holy sites. Can science and faith work together to save lives? >> DR. SOLOMON ZEWDU [Johns Hopkins University, PEPFAR]: A lot of people all over Ethiopia define themselves through two books: the Bible and the Koran. They base their whole life on it. >> TITLE: There are holy water springs throughout Ethiopia. Entoto Mountain is one of the most sacred sites, drawing 100,000 each year to the healing power of its water. >> DR. SOLOMON ZEWDU: I was apprehensive. First time I went down there I had a lot of people telling me that I was going onto holy land, and talking about medicine was not gonna be something that was gonna be taken kindly. >> TITLE: Dr. Zewdu is Ethiopian-American. He returned to his homeland to help treat the millions dying from HIV & TB. >> DR. SOLOMON ZEWDU: The challenge that we initially experienced was the fact that folks felt like, in order to be respectful to their faith, they had to completely be dependent on just the healing power of religion. And they were under the impression that Western medicine would be something that would be contradictory to the actual practice of religion. >> MAN 1: We believed it was forbidden to take the medicine and the holy water at the same time. >> DR. SOLOMON ZEWDU: I had to go look for somebody of authority and knew what they were talking about when it came to religion. >> PATRIARCH ABUNE PAULOS [Ethiopian Orthodox Church]: I know my people are very devout to their religion. So whenever something comes to them, unless they are being informed by the clergy, people, they will be hesitant to do so. >> DR. SOLOMON ZEWDU: The offer we put in front of him was the patient or the follower does not have to make a choice. They can do both. Could you endorse us in getting this message out? >> PATRIARCH ABUNE PAULOS: I told them the holy water and the medicine are the same, and they were never opposed to each other. The scientists who made the medicine, who created them? God. As far as I am concerned, they both came from the same God. >> TITLE: With the blessings of the Patriarch, Dr. Zewdu initiated HIV care and treatment services on Entoto Mountain.>> DR. SOLOMON ZEWDU: The clergy has actually incorporated into their morning sermon that there is a hospital a kilometer and a half away from here that will give you free counseling and testing. If you require medicine, you'll get started on medicine for free. >> TITLE: Before the clinic opened, dozens were buried every day. Now dozens are treated daily.>> MAN 1: Now we get the benefits of the antiretroviral drugs and the blessings of the water. >> DR. SOLOMON ZEWDU: And it?s directly saving lives. Otherwise, all of these individuals would be dead. This is just the start. Every faith should be able to benefit from the medicine and the spiritual component of their religion, and the healing power of their religion. >> TITLE: Living Proof: Real Lives. Real Progress. >> TITLE: Global partners fund the Entoto clinic. The organizations are working with Ethiopian clergy to spread this model across the country. >> TITLE: Living Proof: Real Lives. Real Progress. www.one.org/livingproof http://www.viewchange.org/videos/living-proof-cote-divoire-a-father-and-son-love-story When Kevin fell ill with HIV, his father took him to the hospital instead of shunning him. His father's love, together with the help of antiretroviral medications, saved his life. Now, Kevin helps other families cope with the disease, giving them the support that his father once gave him. Tue, 01 Feb 2011 09:10:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/living-proof-cote-divoire-a-father-and-son-love-story HIV, Côte d'Ivoire, AIDS, Antiretroviral drug, West Africa, Dimbokro, Public health, Social stigma, Living Proof, ONE Campaign >> TITLE: Challenge: Cote d'Ivoire has the highest HIV infection rate in Western Africa. And social stigma prevents thousands from being tested and treated. >> TITLE: Solution: Support local programs that provide free screening and medicines. >> TITLE: Can they also transform lives? >> KEVIN'S FATHER: When you bring a child into the world, the child must bury his father. It's not the father who buries the child. It's up to me to help him until the day I die, so he can bury me. >> TITLE: Cote d'Ivoire >> KEVIN'S FATHER: The night I thought my son was going to die, he was so sick he couldn't get up. I picked him up, and I carried him from the village. A trucker, thank God, came by, and I begged him to take us to the hospital. He didn't want to do it, so I begged him, and said, "My son is dying." Kevin didn't see me, but I cried. But I didn't let him know. My son never knew I cried. >> SIGN: Ministere de la Sante et de l'Hygiene Publique et Soeurs de la Charite de Sainte Anne; Centre de Sante Urbain, N.D.A. [Ministries of Health and Public Hygiene and Sisters of the Charity of Saint Anne; Urban Health Center, NDA] >> SISTER FELICITY [Nurse, NDA Clinic, Dimbokro]: The first time Kevin came to the clinic, he was critical. He could barely talk. >> SIGN: Vous etes infecte par le VIH? Les medicaments ARV ameliorent votre sante et c'est GRATUIT. [Are you infected with HIV? ARV medications improve your health and it's FREE.] >> KEVIN'S FATHER: I knew it could be HIV. I asked that they give him the test. I wanted to know. >> SISTER PAULINE [Director, NDA Clinic, Dimbokro]: Most of the time, parents in this situation distance themselves, blame their child who is suffering, accuse them. >> KEVIN'S FATHER: The nun called me and told me, "Your son has HIV." How could I be ashamed of my son? If my son had to die, he would know that he had a father who loved him. >> KEVIN: When I started following the treatment, I began to regain my health. I began to feel well. >> KEVIN'S FATHER: It's the ARVs, the antiretrovirals are the reason Kevin is here today. He keeps going, and he follows through. >> KEVIN: If my father had rejected me, I would not be here. >> DR. JOSEPH ESSOMBO [Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation]: When Kevin overcame the pain related to his HIV infection, he decided to serve other people facing the same challenges. >> KEVIN: I decided to do this work at the clinic because I told myself that there are other families that perhaps don't have the same father I did. I decided that I, too, would be at their service to give them the support that they need. >> DR. JOSEPH ESSOMBO: My hope is that Kevin will be strong enough, Kevin will live long enough, to teach other people how to deal with the HIV/AIDS disease, how to cope in situations where there is a high level of stigma, to teach us that our program should not only be designed to provide drugs, but empower people, so that they can better serve the community. >> TITLE: Living Proof: Real Lives. Real Progress. >> TITLE: At the start of this decade, 2,000 people received treatment for HIV in Cote d'Ivoire. Now, over 50,000 are in treatment. >> TITLE: Living Proof: Real Lives. Real Progress. www.one.org/livingproof http://www.viewchange.org/videos/first-generation-growing-up-with-hiv Young people make up half of all new HIV infections, but one group has been living with the virus longer than most. In Romania in the 1980s, thousands of babies and children were infected because of unsafe medical practices. They are now coming of age and entering adulthood, full of life and hope for the future. Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:04:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/first-generation-growing-up-with-hiv Romania, HIV, Rodica Matusa, Speranta, AIDS, Constanţa County, World Health Day, Child, HIV positive people, Health >> TITLE: First Generation: Growing up with HIV. A film by Tina Nguyen>> ION [HIV survivor]: I found out about my disease in 2002. This disease is like an enemy. I'm fighting an enemy. And no matter how many pills I take, I might not win. My body is struggling with the virus, even though I seem physically fine. >> TITLE: Young people make up half of all new HIV infections. >> TITLE: Romania's children were among the first to become infected. >> TITLE: Now, that generation is entering adulthood. >> SIGN: Infectia HIV. SIDA. >> DR. RODICA MATUSA [Ex-Chief of Infectious Disease]: This is a very special logbook. I recorded the names of all 1,720 children infected with HIV in Constanta County. Believe me, I can remember every single child. I can see their faces in my mind. I remember them vividly, even the faces of the dead children, as many have died.>> TITLE: With U.S. researchers, Dr. Matusa helped build the world's first pediatric AIDS clinic. >> TITLE: She also runs a group home for Romanian teens with HIV.>> DR. RODICA MATUSA: My conviction grew when I saw their will to live. The more they want to live, the stronger my conviction. >> TITLE: AIDS-fighting drugs are helping young people live longer. >> TITLE: But what will life be like for them as adults?>> ION: Nine of us who live in this house have HIV. I was infected in the hospital, when I was a baby. I was told my parents left me when I was a year old. In Romania, the discrimination is very serious. >> TITLE: Ion has lived at Dr. Matusa's group home for eight years.>> CROWD: Happy birthday! Come in. [Singing] He lives many years, to many years. Who will live to many years? >> DR. RODICA MATUSA: Be well. We won't forget all we've been through together. And now onward. >> ION: Today, I made it to 18 years, and I can't believe I made it. Until I die. Have birthdays like this until I die. That's what I want to believe. >> TITLE: Ion has left the group home to try to make it on his own. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/africas-daughters In Uganda, most girls never get to attend high school, and even fewer graduate. But attitudes are changing. This film follows two hard-working young female students, Hoctavia and Ruth, whose education is giving them hope for the future. Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/africas-daughters Uganda, Education, Female education, AED, Iganga, Africa, East Africa, Kampala, High school, Sub-Saharan Africa >> TITLE: In Uganda, 16 of every 100 children go to high school. Seven are girls. Only three will graduate. This is the story of two girls beating the odds. >> TITLE: Africa's Daughters>> HOCTAVIA [Student]: My father was a polygamous man, so he had very many wives, and so he ended up having many children. When I was six months old, he was shot dead, and then, by that time, my mother had already gone. So she left me. So when my dad died, I had no one to take care of me. I came to realize that I was an orphan when I was in primary two, and it was second term. So, I really felt bad and I cried a lot. I almost stopped going to school because of that. >> TITLE: Pallisa, Uganda. Hoctavia's birthplace>> HOCTAVIA: When my father died, my grandfather took me up, but then he was too old, and so, Cecilia said, like, "Give me this baby. I think I can take care of her." >> CECILIA [Hoctavia's aunt]: That is enough. Now, what you do, get the saucepans around. Mix. It is easier. >> HOCTAVIA: Let me first give these small ones here. As they eat, I'll look for the saucepans. For the big ones.>> CECILIA: I'm a mother, more than even her real mother. I used to tell her that I didn't want her to be a housewife, ordinary housewife. At least, she should be someone. She should get an education that will help her to be a lady who will be able to look after herself. >> HOCTAVIA: When I was in the village, I didn't like doing work. The rest of the kids in the village could not go to school. They would stay at home, play the whole day. Sometimes, I would also dodge school, remain back at home, and play. >> CECILIA: Do you remember, do you remember the time, the time you people bundled your clothes and put in the basket? Do you remember? And you were trying to take off. >> HOCTAVIA: I remember that. >> TITLE: Hoctavia is one of 31 children. >> HOCTAVIA: Most of my sisters have not been educated. They dropped out of school due to certain circumstances: no money, sometimes pregnancies, and so on. So they don't have the money to do what they want. The men just beat them up. So I really don't like that kind of life for myself, and I feel, if I got the education, I can make it best with whatever I want to do in life. >> TITLE: Naguru go Down. Kampala, Uganda>> TITLE: Ruth, 17 years old>> RUTH [Student]: Mommy usually tells us that, "There's a reason for you to go to school, because I want you in the future to be better people." We shouldn't go through the life that she has faced. >> MARTHA [Ruth's Mother]: When you lose your husband, they don't grab, actually, the children. They grab the things, maybe the land, if the man had a plot, the house. It's just bad habits in the culture, because I think I'm entitled to something. I've always done so many petty, petty things. I've always made curtains and sold. I work for many hours. But one thing I know is my sewing machine gets us, for all their requirements, for all their medical attention, for all their dressing, for all the food. >> RUTH: Looking after four of us is such a big challenge to her. The kind of work that she does not really make her be able to earn all the money that we would need for school. It's a burden. My dream is to be a neurosurgeon. Before my father actually passed away, I wanted to be a teacher. But then, the illness that my dad got really put that pressure on my heart that in the future, I should be a doctor to save so many people who had ... who would have fallen victims of what? Circumstance, and end up in death, just like my dad. >> MARTHA: The children are still young, and I really still need to put more money on them for education. I've always instilled in them they should actually be better off than me to avoid the cases of not having it. >> TITLE: Tororo Girls School. Tororo, Uganda>> HELEN [Teacher, Hoctavia's cousin]: I come from a family of teachers, where both mum and dad are teachers, and they would tell us, "Our purpose of taking you to school is to see that you lead a better life than just the one that we are leading." >> CECILIA: It's a good thing, actually. Think about hotel management. >> HOCTAVIA: I've always thought about it. >> HELEN: Hoctavia came to live with me when she was nine. I knew she would have also jumped out of school at an early age, just as her other stepsisters did. It comes from our traditional culture, our Ugandan societies. Your father thinks you should be the last to go to school because you are a girl. So, when they see themselves, they think they are not very, very important, and they will not realize much out of themselves. >> HOCTAVIA: It's like there was no one to inspire me, but when my aunt took me, I saw a different life. People wake up in the morning, go to offices, smart and so on, so I said, "I think this is what I should also be." But secondary education is expensive to us here. After primary, I didn't have any hope of joining secondary and so on, but my aunt helped me. She told me, "Work very hard. If you work very hard, get eight aggregates [straight As], I'll take you to a secondary school, and I'll take you to Iganga S.S." >> TITLE: Iganga Secondary School. Hoctavia's Boarding School>> TEACHER: So, there are various views on the origin of AIDS in Uganda. In the early '80s, it spread from Congo and most especially the Katanga region to Uganda. >> HOCTAVIA: When you educate a girl, it's almost like educating a whole nation. It's like you enlighten the brain. We come to realize that we are actually not nothing, as people think, that the girl child is nothing, but that's when you realize your ability. You come to know what you can really do. My combination is "HELD," that is history, economics, literature, and divinity. Those are the subjects I do. Charlotte Bronte's classic story of passionate and forbidden love has thrilled and horrified generations of readers. Looks to be interesting.>> TEACHER: There will be no struggle. There will be no rebellion, because we already know that rebellion only breeds what?>> CHILDREN: Revenge.>> TEACHER: Was he right?>> CHILDREN: Yes.>> TEACHER: Will you continue?>> HOCTAVIA: I like literature. It's my favorite. Literature almost is like news, but a different way of bringing it up. If you read "King Lear," it teaches about different characters we have in the society, their behavior. That's why I like it. It makes me think a lot. Helen struggled very hard to make me join this school. After that first term, she could not afford all the fees. I went back home, and I wrote an application. And, by good luck, I was picked ON, and I got the sponsor second term. I feel so good that there is someone to pay the fees, so it's up to me to utilize the opportunity and really work to my best. >> MARTHA: There's been hardly no money coming in. It's expensive sending Ruth to school. Because, the money, like if it's about 500,000 [USD$300], it could be something that I make in about two and a half months. You really don't sleep. You find you're up early. As early as two you're up, and you stay awake trying to see what, what should I really do? >> RUTH: I was basically worried, worrying from morning to sunset, how will I surely get to go to school? >> MARTHA: There is this saying, one time I made up for myself. I said, "For the sake of these children to be better than what I am now, I just must work." Let's go and pick the long ruler, and, what, the sugar, and the Blue Band. Where are we going next?>> RUTH: To go pick the juice. >> MARTHA: The juice. And that is how much, 5,800 [USD$3.30]?>> RUTH: I wanted to go to Ndejje Senior Secondary School, reason being they perform well. The sciences are very good. >> GIRL: That cupboard is bad. You sleep there.>> RUTH: If I didn't have the scholarship, I really don't know whether I would be in school. They want to sponsor you and uplift you, so that you can be somebody. >> WILSON NSUBUGA [Deputy Headmaster, Ndejje Senior Secondary School]: This is a coeducational kind of school, and it is ranking among the first 20 schools in the country. We have about 1,206 students, and about 800 are boys, and about 400 are girls. >> RUTH: People say when you do sciences, things are hard and all that, but I think when you put your heart into it, surely things can shift. >> WILSON NSUBUGA: This school has been able to produce doctors. We have also been able to produce lawyers. We have produced teachers. And the good thing with this place is that the student who comes here and works hard automatically makes it. >> TITLE: 6 a.m. Study hall>> SIGN: Dining Hall>> TITLE: 10 a.m.>> SIGN: Science Laboratories and Classes>> TITLE: 1 p.m.>> RUTH: Now we scientists have a lot to do. Yes, the scientists. >> TITLE: 4 p.m.>> SIGN: Advanced Level Physical Chemistry>> RUTH: You must be time conscious all the time. So I really have to struggle, and every time I think of, surely, I have to be a neurosurgeon, you get, actually, sometimes tired, because the day has been so hectic and long, but then, in your brain, there is something that tells, "You have to be this," so you increase the guts to read and all that. >> TITLE: 10 p.m.>> NAOME MENYA [Headmistress, Iganga Secondary School]: About 50 percent finish secondary education. Because, in the African context, the girls will go off and get married. We want to sensitize every parent, whether rural or urban, to get the value of educating a girl child. Not to have the girl child as an asset, an economic asset in the home, but to be treated equally, like the counterpart of the boy child. >> STEPHEN MUGABI [Mentor]: Do you really know your goal and target? >> HOCTAVIA: I'd like to become an accountant, a business manager. Mr. Mugabi, he's my mentor, and I really like him a lot, because he's someone who is so caring. When I'm at school here, he calls me, guides me, on what I'm supposed to do, on what is expected of me. >> STEPHEN MUGABI: One thing: if you want to be a person who is successful, you must be disciplined. And then, the other one is determination. Hoctavia is a person I came to know when she was just in S1 [eighth grade]. She was a little bit a timid person with a lot of problems. But, you know, as we have gone through the four years of secondary education, well, she's a person who can adjust very fast, a person who is ready to learn. >> HOCTAVIA: It's really nice to be very many in the dormitory. People come with different stories, different ideas, from home, from class, from personal experience, so, when you meet together, you have a lot to talk about. This one tells you about the other place, tells you about this, tells you about their culture, dances for you the way they dance. I feel happy dancing, and to me, it is an exercise, because it's vigorous. At the same time, I enjoy it. I show my flexibility, so it's almost about joy. I feel inside me is only happiness. >> NAOME MENYA: They need confidence-building, self-esteem, and also, of course, good discipline. You must be able to identify which is right and which is wrong, and how do I go about with the challenges in life. >> TITLE: HIV/AIDS Play>> HOCTAVIA: Just leave me alone. I don't feel like giving you water. I don't feel like giving you water. Please.>> BOY: I'm on my knees. >> NAOME MENYA: One way is to intensify counseling and guidance programs. Another one is sharing with their peer groups. >> HOCTAVIA: You want my water?>> BOY: You see, you're very beautiful. I've admired you.>> HOCTAVIA: If you want my water, you see this book? >> BOY: Yes. Yeah, yeah. It's a book I've seen. I've seen. >> HOCTAVIA: You have seen? So, education first. Education first. >> BOY: Okay, okay.>> HOCTAVIA: Then a wedding ring. >> BOY: A wedding ring, eh? A wedding ring?>> HOCTAVIA: I'll give you my water then. >> BOY: A wedding ring?>> HOCTAVIA: Yes. >> BOY: Okay, yeah, >> HOCTAVIA: I've seen people die, my own cousins dying of AIDS, my own uncles. The disease is really terrible, so I feel I need to participate in the sensitization of other girls. So, it's like you're helping the nation. You're helping those who don't know. >> NAOME MENYA: Students like Hoctavia, I would call them very lucky, because perhaps, if there had not been a good samaritan behind them, all that brain would have been wasted. We are quite grateful for these organizations that come in and really lend a hand. So, it has given them hope. It has given them hope. >> HOCTAVIA: If I was home in Pallisa, right now I think I would be having something like three or four children. I would be somewhere in the garden, maybe digging. I'd just be doing household work. So that's why, at least, I keep myself in school and focused. >> RUTH: When you educate a girl, you're bringing up better mothers in the future, and also, we can better help in the decision-making of the country. It should not only be the men to do that decision-making, but it should be for everybody. >> MARTHA: We need to continuously tell them they have the potentials to make it. They are very brilliant children. So, I think it's important for parents to send girls to school. A mother who is educated works in any place, whether in a peace mission to Sudan. They will stand together with the men. They will be lawyers. They will be magistrates. Because I don't think whether there is anything which is less when you put a girl and a boy together. I think they are the same. >> TITLE: This film is dedicated to Hoctavia and Ruth, and all the girls around the world who have big dreams and are determined to achieve them.>> TITLE: Hoctavia and Ruth are still in school. They are on track to graduate in late 2008.>> TITLE: Still, there are millions of girls who will never move beyond primary school. >> TITLE: Studies show that societies reap many benefits when girls are educated at the high school level. >> TITLE: They include healthier families, decreased infant mortality, greater civic participation, lower rates of HIV/AIDS, and less poverty. >> TITLE: Filmed in Uganda with participants from the Ambassadors' Girls' Scholarship Program, a Presidential African Education Initiative.>> TITLE: An AED Production>> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/living-proof-ethiopia-the-barbershop After testing positive for HIV, one Ethiopian woman refuses to give up. Instead, she takes out a small loan to start a business and support her family, while also vowing to educate her community about HIV. Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:14:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/living-proof-ethiopia-the-barbershop Ethiopia, HIV, Africa, International Women's Day, AIDS, Sub-Saharan Africa, Living Proof, ONE Campaign, Health, Porn >> MESTAWIT: I opened a barbershop four years ago because I don't want to be dependent on charity. Just because I have this virus does not mean I can't earn a living. >> TITLE: Thirty-three year old Mestawit found out she was HIV positive after her husband died. >> TITLE: Nazareth, Ethiopia>> MESTAWIT: I knew that my husband had HIV because of his symptoms. When I suggested that the family all go and get tested he refused and he hit me for even suggesting such. >> TITLE: With free ARVs and seed money she opened her barbershop in a busy marketplace>> MESTAWIT: I am making enough money to pay the rent and take care of my children. Have you ever been tested?>> CUSTOMER: Yes, I was tested. I was HIV-free.>> MESTAWIT: I don't keep my HIV status a secret from any of my customers. I would like to see people's attitudes shift. I want those who did not have any prior knowledge about HIV to be able to say, "Now I understand." I do not want others to be victims of the virus. I tell them to be monogamous in their relationships, to practice abstinence and to use condoms. I'm not ashamed to talk about this. I want the community to look at me and learn from my experience. I want the next generation to have an HIV-free life. I am able to work and raise children. I am alive and that's what makes me happy.>> TITLE: Living Proof: Real Lives. Real Progress.>> TITLE: In 2009, 444,700 HIV-positive Ethiopians received care and support; 245,600 were women. >> TITLE: Living Proof: Real Lives. Real Progress. www.one.org/livingproof http://www.viewchange.org/videos/tumaini-letu-our-hope In the villages of western Kenya, AIDS has robbed hundreds of thousands of children of their parents. This film follows the lives, struggles, and indomitable spirit of three women left to care for these orphans, as they fight to give the children a chance of a better future. Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:40:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/tumaini-letu-our-hope Kenya, AIDS, HIV, AED, Siaya, World Health Day, International Women's Day, Orphan, Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa >> TITLE: We know that AIDS has taken a devastating toll on sub-Saharan Africa. Millions have died, and the lives of millions more hang in the balance. What we don't often focus on is the impact the disease has on the survivors. AIDS isn't only about the dying. It's also about those left behind, their struggles and their spirit.>> TITLE: Rural communities in western Kenya have been hit hard by HIV/AIDS.>> TITLE: Hundreds of thousands of children have been robbed of their parents.>> TITLE: Those left to raise these orphans struggle to survive. >> TITLE: But their lives are not without hope. >> TITLE: Tumaini Letu: Our Hope>> LIVINGSTONE AMOTH [Village Chief, Siaya, Kenya]: That's left very many of us. It's left very many widows. So, there's a very big challenge over the HIV, but the most one is orphans, and bringing these children up becomes very difficult. Most of them cannot even go to school. Most of them cannot even go to health centers, because they don't have the cash for treatment. So most of them die. >> TITLE: Vihiga, Kenya>> RASOA KIVAIRU: My name is Rasoa Kivairu. I am taking care of 10 grandchildren whose parents have died. Rachel is four years old. Diana is also four. Anthony is about 12. The parents of these children got sick, and I took them to the hospital. They diagnosed TB and found out they had AIDS. I was deeply sad: my children dying of AIDS and leaving me with their children. >> TITLE: Three of Rasoa's six children have died of AIDS. >> RASOA KIVAIRU: I am an old person, around 65 years old. I was the only relative who could take care of them. I decided to raise them instead of letting them roam the streets. When I was stronger, I'd do farm work for less than a dollar a day. Then I would buy maize meal to make porridge. I don't have any other means to get food. It's luck if I find food. If not, they stay hungry and drink water. When I was depressed, I would kneel down and cry to God, "You feed the birds. How about me?" >> TITLE: In 2001, a program began bringing Kenyan villagers together to help one another. "Speak for the Child" trains local women to mentor caregivers in raising healthy children.>> COMMUNITY MENTOR 1: To my caregivers, I normally give them love and encouragement. >> COMMUNITY MENTOR 2: I give them hope, and I encourage them to look after the orphans >> RASOA KIVAIRU: The mentors teach us a lot. They also visit to see how you're doing. If they find you depressed, they encourage you. They encouraged me to plant vegetables. So, when I prepare a meal, I also cook vegetables from the garden. And I feed them to the children to make them strong. >> CHILDREN: Amen.>> RASOA KIVAIRU: They also had frequent malaria attacks, and I would treat them without success. >> TITLE: Children in the program receive malaria treatment and free basic medical care. >> TITLE: Nurses dispense deworming pills. >> RASOA KIVAIRU: I gave each of them the medicine, and the worms came out. I was very thankful. Now I am at peace. They gave me blankets, insecticide-treated nets, and medical record books for the children, and I felt good. That is why I am a bit stronger. >> TITLE: Kakamega, Kenya>> TITLE: Even for younger women, caring for these children is overwhelming.>> ANNA KHAUTU [Mother of five]: When I wake up, I thank God for taking care of me during the night. My greatest worry is how I will feed my children or clothe them. When my husband was alive, I had no problems. He provided food for the children. I stayed home, took care of the children, and cooked the food he brought home. We were married for 14 years. >> TITLE: In 2000, Anna's husband became very sick. No one knew what was wrong with him.>> ANNA KHAUTU: He eventually passed away. After we buried him, I went for an HIV test and counseling. I found out I was HIV positive. Then I knew he died of this disease. >> TITLE: Margaret. Anna's mentor>> ANNA KHAUTU: When people know you are HIV positive, they do not want to get close. They avoid close contact for fear of getting infected. Before Margaret started visiting, I was struggling on my own, planting and selling vegetables. The children's existence was pathetic. They were naked. They had no clothes. They had no blankets. Now that the project is here, my children are eating well. Margaret taught me to keep my compound clean. I dug a compost pit to dispose of the trash. I used to place my dishes on the ground, but I've learned to use a dish rack. My children no longer have diarrhea, because they are using clean dishes. AIDS brings a lot of suffering. Healthy and strong people become emaciated. When you get sick, you should seek medical attention. It will help you take care of your children longer. >> TITLE: Siaya, Kenya >> TITLE: When orphans stay in their villages with family, the loss of a parent is easier to bear.>> TITLE: Anna Aredo and her four nephews>> TITLE: Each boy has lost one or both parents to AIDS>> TITLE: And the youngest, Moses, might be HIV positive. >> JANET [Anna's mentor]: How are the children?>> ANNA AREDO: They are well.>> JANET: It is important to feed the children a balanced diet. There are three food groups. There is protein for building the body. There are vitamins, and there is food that gives us energy. >> ANNA AREDO: Protein is difficult. I have only beans and small fish. The children want meat, but I cannot afford meat. >> JANET: If you cannot afford beef, then buy small fish. >> TITLE: Anna cooks the small fish. >> ANNA AREDO: The way I cook it, not the way other people cook it: I wash it with warm water, then I put a lot of oil, so I try to fry it a bit. Then I add milk, because I want it to be a little bit more nutritious. We are trying to give a balanced diet to Moses. A little improvement is there, because he is not a healthy person.>> SOPHIA OWUOR [Mentor]: They need a lot, as orphans. Most of these women, they don't have jobs. It's only the farms which take care of them. We have support groups where they talk about their problems. >> WOMAN: I'll buy seeds so we can grow vegetables. >> ANNA AREDO: The caregiver support group, when we go to the meeting there, we are talking together. We give our ideas. We see where somebody goes wrong, and we correct it. Let us love and help each other, especially those in great need. That spirit will be a real source of support for us all. >> ANNA KHAUTU: My hope is for my children to go to school, complete primary, secondary, pass the exams, and find jobs, so they can build a decent house. >> TITLE: Eclay, Anna's daughter>> EVERLYNE MUSAVA [Preschool teacher]: Before the program paid her preschool fees, Eclay was sent home a lot. She is doing well. I'm sure she'll be promoted to first grade.>> PIUS OMONDI [Second grade teacher]: The most important thing, when a child loses her father or mother, is to give him or her support in life. We want to educate these children so they can get a better future when they grow up. Because they are actually orphans, and, when we leave them just that way, where will they land? So, we have to get them an education so we prepare them for their future. >> ANNA AREDO: You see them laughing, the way the laugh. The children, when they are satisfied, see the way they play and the way they laugh. You know they are okay. >> TITLE: "Speak for the Child" began supporting 500 orphans. Five years later, there are more than 9,000 orphans in the program. >> TITLE: "Speak for the Child" is a program of the Academy for Educational Development. www.aed.org>> TITLE: This film would not have been possible without Rasoa Kivairu, Anna Khautu, and Anna Aredo sharing their personal stories with us. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-melinda-gates-what-nonprofits-can-learn-from-coca-cola <p>At TEDxChange, Melinda Gates makes a provocative case for nonprofits taking a cue from corporations such as Coca-Cola, whose plugged-in, global network of marketers and distributors ensures that every remote village wants&mdash;and can get&mdash;a Coke. Why shouldn't this work for condoms, sanitation, vaccinations too?</p> Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:40:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-melinda-gates-what-nonprofits-can-learn-from-coca-cola Melinda Gates, TED, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Africa, HIV, Coca-Cola, Non-governmental organization, Health, Marketing, Development aid http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-witch-doctor <p>When a Kenyan man discovers he is HIV positive, he turns to a traditional healer for help. But what advice will the witch doctor dispense? This light-hearted film has an important message about the relationship between modern medicine and folk treatments.</p> Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:38:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-witch-doctor HIV, Health education, Witch doctor, HIV positive people, Traditional medicine, Kenya, Sexually transmitted disease, Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Health >> TITLE: X Media Kenya presents >> TITLE: The Witch Doctor >> SIGN: Liverpool VCT, Care & Treatment. LVCT. Building Partnerships, Transforming Lives >> SIGN: Please note: All HIV services are free >> WOMAN: Have a seat, please. Mr. Omau, first of all, I'd like to congratulate you for coming in voluntarily, and, like I said, you can still live a normal, healthy, productive life with HIV. Is there anything you'd like to know? >> MR. OMAU: No, there's nothing. Just tell me. >> WOMAN: The results are clear, and you're HIV positive. >> MR. OMAU: What do you mean I'm positive? >> WOMAN: It just means that the virus is active in your body. But it does not automatically mean that you have AIDS. >> WOMAN: Let me advise that you go to a hospital and have your T-cell count taken so that we can immediately start you on ARVs. This is our brochure. It has everything that you need to know about how to live positively with HIV. >> SIGN: An astrologer: Dr. Salim from Mombasa, astrologer for health problems, bad omen, a lost person, finances, broken marriage, impotence, 0711555555 >> DR. SALIM: Come in, my son. Tell me what ails you. >> MR. OMAU: I want you to help me. I've been unwell for quite some time now. I had this persistent cold, and, after that, I developed some swellings. Now, they want me to take this T-count test for HIV. I'm sure there's another way of doing this. >> DR. SALIM: Definitely. Yes, most definitely. >> MR. OMAU: We can do it traditionally or spiritually, but please, just tell me what you want me to do, and I'm going to do it. >> DR. SALIM: We shall consult the ancestors. >> MR. OMAU: What do I have to do? I hear if I sleep with a virgin, I can cleanse myself. Oh my god! >> DR. SALIM: Give me your right hand. Connect with your ancestors. Yes! >> MR. OMAU: No, I won't do some of these sacrifices. Stop it, please! There are some things I can't do. I won't cut anybody's genitals, and I won't drink any albino's blood. >> DR. SALIM: But you might have to! What then? You cannot back out now. Please will you hold this with you left hand. This is how you will connect with your ancestors, from your head to your heart right down to your feet. Clean! It is now too late to go back. The ancestors have spoken. Your answer is right here. Yes, young man. Let us go, let us move now. Ancestors. Do not worry, young man. You see, as the pamphlet says, you can still live a fully productive life even if you are HIV positive. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/2-things-involved <p>An HIV epidemic is ravaging Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. At Embangweni Hospital, in the rural northern region, a skeleton staff serves a catchment area of over 120,000. But this small group of devoted healthcare workers uses all the tools at its disposal, including theatre and music, to educate their communities.</p> Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:39:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/2-things-involved HIV, Malawi, Sexually transmitted disease, AIDS, Embangweni, Sub-Saharan Africa, World Health Day, LinkTV Picks, Health, Education >> TITLE: Embangweni Hospital, Malawi >> SIGN: HIV test provided at this hospital, from Monday -- Friday >> TITLE: 2 Things Involved >> MAN: On Earth, two things involved. You are either born a women or a man. If you are born a woman, you are safe. If you are born a man, two things involved. >> TITLE: 1. Umoza. HIV Educational Theater. >> MAN: If you kill someone ... oh no, sorry, oh yes. If you kill someone, you are safe. I'm stuck. >> MAN 2: When you come to Earth, there are two things involved. You either get STIs or HIV. When you get other STIs, you are safe, but when you get HIV, there is one thing involved: you will develop AIDS, you will die. The end. >> MAN 3: The name of our group is Umoza Youth Organization. Our group started in late '99. The objectives of the group are to fight against HIV/AIDS, to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS. >> MAN 4: So, we tried to make some songs. >> MAN 5: Mainly, we perform drama before people get the testing. >> MAN 3: People get entertained well. They get the message. >> TITLE: Rural Clinic & Testing Center >> TITLE: 2. Sinda Jazz Band. HIV Educational Music. >> MAN 6: This leg, these deposits, is stage four of HIV and AIDS. So if ... I know if I could have taken the drugs earlier than this, I think I would have not come to this extent, but just because it was too late. So, I used to say, if I can find my friends, I can see their expression is not good. I used to say, please, guys, go to the hospital, just so that they should discover you, the earlier the better. God also gave me a talent of composing songs, so I've got a task of composing songs and spreading the message and teaching my friends songs and the like. This song is "Chemwari Chemwari," and it is advising some already that they should take care of themselves, just because, at this time, the world is full of HIV and AIDS. So, this is the number. >> MAN 6: If you contract HIV and AIDS, there are two things involved: you can stay longer or die. If you die, you are safe, but if you stay around, there are two things involved. >> VOICE: And you can improvise. >> MAN 6: There are two things involved. If you follow the instructions for the doctor ... or joining groups, which are involved in HIV and AIDS ... something like that. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/srey-neth-victim-to-survivor Srey Neth was forced into prostitution in Cambodia at the age of just 14. After suffering horrific brutality at the hands of her pimp and customers, she was rescued and given a second chance at life by an organization that works with victims of sex trafficking. Her story is shocking, but also inspiring, as she talks about how she hopes to help other girls make the same journey from victim to survivor. Wed, 15 Sep 2010 07:44:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/srey-neth-victim-to-survivor Human trafficking, Cambodia, Non-governmental organization, Violence against women, Sexual violence, Prostitution, Child prostitution, International Women's Day, Sexual assault, HIV >> SREY NETH: My name is Srey Neth. I am Cambodian. I am a victim of sex trafficking. I do not know my father. My brother, he gambled and left home. We were poor, and so my mother sold me to a neighbor, a pimp. I was 14. I lived in a place called "the building," where I served drinks for the first week. I didn't know; I thought I had a job to help my family, but the other girls told me things. Later, the pimp sold my virginity for USD$300. I lost my choice. I lost my voice. I lost myself. >> SREY NETH: I was worth nothing to them but money. Some nights, I was sent out with one or two customers. Some nights, he kept me in, where I saw 10, 20 customers. When I didn't want to have sex, they beat me. Sometimes, they electrocuted me. I could have run, but I was afraid, and my mother had made a contract. I am a good daughter. I do not want to hurt my mother. >> SREY NETH: Then, there was a man, a foreigner. He took me in his car to the forest. He was drunk, and he did things to me that hurt badly. Then one night, I was taken to a hotel to see another customer, but it was the police and a non-government organization. I was very afraid. I thought they would make me work more, but instead they took me to a shelter. I was safe. I could not leave, but no one could hurt me there. >> SREY NETH: And then I found out I have HIV. One of the men, he gave it to me. For many, especially in Cambodia, HIV means death. But for me, I am lucky. At the center, I have a second father and a second mother. James, he made sure I have healthcare and antiretroviral drugs. He gave me a chance at life. Siya held my hand and showed me how to live again. She took me to the pagoda and told me the stories of Buddha. She told me the stories of the time of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, when she worked the rice fields for 18 hours every day, and many died. She showed me how to forgive and how to love, first myself, and then others. >> SREY NETH: I live with other girls who have stories just like me. I know the other girls are afraid. They are angry. I know they feel that there is only one thing left for them, and I know, late at night, they hurt just like I did. But like TCI [Transitions Global] gave to me, so will I give back to them. I want to help the others, to protect them from the pimps and the brothels. I am Srey Neth. I am a survivor. It has been five years, but I have found my home. I have found my voice, and I am finding myself. >> TITLE: www.timmatsui.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/dollar-a-day-strongest-link <p>In the shantytowns of Cape Town, South Africa, the local healthcare system has been stretched to near breaking point by the impact of HIV. But volunteers from both the healthcare profession and the local community, are fighting back and giving hope to ordinary people.</p> Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:52:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/dollar-a-day-strongest-link HIV, Cape Town, AIDS, South Africa, Poverty, Non-governmental organization, A Dollar A Day, Antiretroviral drug, HIV positive people, Africa http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-bicycle <p>In many rural parts of Africa, people live far from their nearest medical centers and have no means of transportation. This is why groups like Dignitas International are promoting a community-based approach to administering drugs and treatment to HIV patients, a technique that's already paying dividends.</p> Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:57:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-bicycle Dignitas International, HIV, James Fraser, Malawi, Zomba District, James Orbinski, Antiretroviral drug, Médecins Sans Frontières, World Health Day, Tuberculosis >> TITLE: National Film Board of Canada presents The Bicycle >> TITLE: 1 in 5 people in Zomba District, Malawi are infected with HIV. >> TITLE: But only 3 in 100 know their status. >> PAX CHINGAWALE [Dignitas community-based volunteer]: We are going to see a patient who is very, very ill, but has not been given counseling in HIV activities. Her village thought it was due to witchcraft. So they started consulting traditional healers. The strings around the ankle and the wrists are tied by tradition healers. They believe those will drive out the evil spirits. I have seen many people dying. Unfortunately, it was before the availability of ARVs. >> TITLE: Anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) treat AIDS and are affordable. >> PAX CHINGAWALE: It's my job to convince everybody and to tell everybody so that they can go and get themselves tested. We cannot disregard the traditional healers. Three-quarters of the people in this area believe in the traditional medicine. Traditional healers use razor blades for cutting tattoos. It's also a medium of transmission. So we educate these people that they shouldn't use one razor blade for several people. We have to work with them to cooperate with them to advise them that, if they suspect a patient to be HIV-infected, they cannot see that kind of disease. It's better for them to refer back to the central hospital. >> BRUNO JAMESON [Dignitas Prevention Officer]: Traditional healers, the chiefs, all the influential people in the community, people that are at the heart of the spread and at the heart of the prevention of the disease, it's a job that really involves the roots of where this epidemic is spreading from. >> TITLE: Pax rides his bike over 20 km a day seeing patients, from house to house. >> TITLE: Pax discovers Doreen lying in her hut. >> TITLE: Her family has disowned her. >> TITLE: Pax asks for our vehicle to take her to hospital 23 km away. >> PAX CHINGAWALE: Doreen's case is worrisome. It's common around the surrounding area that if you are HIV positive, you are sick, they feel you deserve it. It's somehow like a punishment. I feel very sad knowing that I'm also HIV positive, knowing that I could also be facing the same kind of situation. >> TITLE: Zomba District Central Hospital >> DR. KEVIN BEZANSON [Dignitas Head of Mission]: So she's had this wound for three months? Two months? Can she sit ... Can she sit forward a bit? You told her it's going to hurt a bit, yeah? Yeah. Yeah. Sorry, my ... It's straw, yeah, straw-colored. Again, it's typical of tuberculosis. If she had been identified earlier, sent earlier, worked up properly earlier, she'd be on TB treatment. Probably by now we could start her on ARVs. >> TITLE: Dignitas runs an ARV clinic at this hospital. >> DR. KEVIN BEZANSON: We have a team that's working in the clinic. It works ... Everything works imperfectly, but it works. And we have three nurses who are absolutely dedicated. We have two clinicians who are working very hard. We've got 700 people on treatment, 700 people, and not all of them have done perfectly, but more than 600 of those are alive and well. >> PAX CHINGAWALE: We had some of them written off as dead. But the ARVs have reversed the situation. There is tremendous change. >> TITLE: Timothy is Dignitas' 230th ARV patient. >> TIMOTHY [Dignitas ARV patient]: I am one of the beneficiaries of the ARVs. I feel very, very great to be back to my working place. Because I didn't dream of going back to my working place, knowing the situation in which I was. But this time there's a very big improvement. >> LUCY [Dignitas ARV patient]: Now I'm looking healthy. At first I was not like this. I was very thin and I was even failing to walk even to uphold myself if I wanted to stand, yeah. But now I can take everything, I eat everything which was impossible for me to eat. Yeah. >> ALICE KADZANJA [Dignitas nurse]: When I come to them and I speak to them that I'm also HIV positive, and you know, I carry my drugs in my bag every day and I just pull my bottle ... >> INTERVIEWER: Did you tell them about your status? >> ALICE KADZANJA: Yes, I did. She knows. You can see, she's laughing. She knows. That was the first thing I told. Now this one, has brought the elder sister to come. Because after seeing me, how healthy I am, then she was encouraged. >> PAX CHINGAWALE: Now if we have so many people counseled to go for VCT testing and they do not access the ARVs, it would be disastrous to them. Their hope, only hope of survival, is the availability of ARVs, which are being provided here at the central hospital. >> DR. KATHERINE ROULEAU [Dignitas Medical Advisor]: We have a huge role to play in the distribution of ARVs and the treatment of patients within the hospital setting. But in fact what we hope to, what we intend to do is actually bring the care of patients with HIV to the community where they actually live, rather than expecting them to come to hospitals where the resources are so stretched to begin with. >> JAMES FRASER [Dignitas Executive Director]: Health care systems on their own will not be able to respond. We have 50 percent of all health care posts there vacant. You have nine nurses in the whole hospital for everything. You have, I think you have one doctor for a whole hospital, a central hospital, a referring hospital for four of the districts surrounding Zomba. >> DR. KEVIN BEZANSON: There's no way Dignitas can do this alone. From the village through to here everyone, we have to start working at this together. >> TITLE: Pax visits another one of his patients at the hospital. >> PAX CHINGAWALE: There is a very good connection because Dignitas actually relies on us in the field. And we also rely on Dignitas to assist our patients. >> DR. KEVIN BEZANSON: Someone like Pax or the people working with him are in the village. They're the ones going house to house to house to house looking at patients. >> JAMES FRASER: Groups that are made of people like Pax are the ones who are actually going to be supporting people in their communities and he actually plays a central role in the model of community-based care. >> PAX CHINGAWALE: Since ARVs are supposed to be taken for life, the role of the community home-based care is very vital because we will be looking after these patients right there at home. >> TITLE: Pax is responsible for more than 20 villages. >> TITLE: Dr. James Orbinski accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for Médecins Sans Frontières in 1999. >> TITLE: Now he is the president of Dignitas International >> DR. JAMES ORBINSKI [President, Dignitas International]: I think the next big, important question is community-based care. What specifically can we do to help home-based care workers do a better job? Are there problems with incentives, for example? This is always a problem. >> PAX CHINGAWALE: I was coming to that. >> DR. JAMES ORBINSKI: I'm sure you were coming to it. [laughter] >> VOICE: Just mention the word ... >> PAX CHINGAWALE: But the biggest problem with home-based care is the transportation system. >> DR. JAMES ORBINSKI: Transportation. If you had one ambulance, one bicycle ambulance, how would you get that to the various places in this catchment area? >> PAX CHINGAWALE: In this catchment area, the people would be aware that there is coming the bicycle. >> DR. JAMES ORBINSKI: And then they would go to Zomba and you would bring it back. >> TITLE: Without a bicycle-ambulance, many patients can't get to the hospital at all. >> DR. JAMES ORBINSKI: So are we going in the vehicle now? Okay, let's go. It would be nice if it would be as simple as opening a bottle of pills and giving the person the pill and watching them swallow the pill. That is a very, very important part of community-based care. It's treatment. It's a very, very important part, but it's not everything. It's everything around that. So you already knew that you were getting sick. And your second husband, where is he now? >> TRANSLATOR: He's dead. >> DR. JAMES ORBINSKI: He's also dead. You've had a very tough time, eh? Over the years. Yeah. So you're very, very precise in terms of when you take your tablets. >> ROSALINA [Dignitas ARV patient]: Yes. >> DR. JAMES ORBINSKI: And how do you feel now? >> ROSALINA [Dignitas ARV patient]: I'm very good. >> DR. JAMES ORBINSKI: I'm very good. That's great. That's great. It means building networks of people like Pax. It's really the next big revolutionary idea in terms of containing and controlling the epidemic in a way that respects people. Community-based care is about finding, using, and supporting existing structures. >> JAMES FRASER: Everyone has friends, families, neighbors who have died from the disease. What they're doing is they're helping their friends and their families and their neighbors die more comfortably, because they don't have the technology, they don't have the drugs that will actually keep people alive. If we can harness this energy, organize it, train it, and then link it to the health care system, and then we do research so that we can figure out what aspects of the model can we take from Zomba, bring it to South Africa, bring it to India, bring it to Nigeria, wherever. This will be the next key, the next big step forward to be able to increase access to treatment and keep people alive. >> PAX CHINGAWALE: Every minute of my life is full of HIV activities and I've seen a change in many people now. They respect me, and they themselves are questioning whether they have HIV/AIDS or not. So there is a very big impact. >> TITLE: Doreen died two days later. >> TITLE: She was 24 years old. >> TITLE: Dignitas is ordering a locally made bicycle-ambulance for Pax. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-real-lady-killer <p>Cervical cancer kills more than half a million women worldwide every year, and is the leading cause of female cancer deaths in the developing world. New low-tech screening programs have begun to reduce cancer deaths but campaigners like Sarah Nyombi, a politician in Uganda, want to see more.</p> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:29:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-real-lady-killer Cervical cancer, Uganda, Sarah Nyombi, Africa, Developing country, Health, Vaccination, HPV vaccine, PATH, Vaccine >> TITLE: Kill or Cure >> SARAH NYOMBI: In our African culture, you know, they will think they are bewitched. Sometimes women don't know what's wrong with them and they are in huge amounts of pain. So to avoid burdening their families they take themselves to remote areas such as this to die lonely. It is a tragedy. >> TITLE: The Real Lady Killer >> VOICEOVER: Sarah Nyombi, a Ugandan politician, is on a mission. She's trying to halt a silent killer stalking her country, from which every woman in Uganda is under threat. It's called cervical cancer and in the developing world it's the leading cause of female cancer deaths. >> SARAH NYOMBI: It is a horrible cancer, it kills hundreds and hundreds of thousands of women each year, it's not a nice way for women to die >> VOICEOVER: Today Sarah, a former nurse turned women's health campaigner, is visiting Margret Makakoni, a lady whose mother died of cervical cancer. >> MARGRET MAKAKONI: I feel week and drained. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Mmm, of course. It must be the constant reliving of the memory. >> VOICEOVER: Sarah knows exactly what Margret's going through. She's also lost people she loves. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I have known lots of people who have really died of cervical cancer. My auntie, the pain she was going through. Her children couldn't help, we couldn't help, so really we were devastated. >> VOICEOVER: Cancer kills more people than AIDS, TB, or malaria. And there could be an even greater number of cancer victims who don't know what it is they're suffering from. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I have heard about stories about people, but not even knowing that they're dying of cervical cancer. They think that patient was bewitched. In Africa there is that bewitching belief in our heads. >> VOICEOVER: In March this year, as part of her efforts to dispel such myths, Sarah travelled 4,000 miles to Oxford in the UK, to see how the cancer is dealt with in the developed world. Here, screening is widely available and last year, a vaccine which could cut cervical cancer deaths by 50 percent worldwide, was introduced into schools. The vaccine prevents two types of a virus called HPV, known to cause 70 percent of all cervical cancer cases. HPV is sexually transmitted, but unlike HIV, condoms can't prevent it entirely. It infects most people at some stage of their lives, so the aim is to vaccinate girls before they're exposed. In the UK, girls are vaccinated at the age of 12. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I'm going to a school to really interact with girls who have been vaccinated with the HPV vaccination, and to see and find out how they really found it. >> VOICEOVER: Just like in Uganda, knowledge about the cancer is limited. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Did you hear about cervical cancer before? >> ALICE B [schoolgirl]: No. At primary school they told us a little bit about cancer but not cervical cancer. >> SARAH NYOMBI: OK, just other cancers. >> BOTH SCHOOLGIRLS: Yeah. >> VOICEOVER: But when they heard that cervical cancer affects almost half a million women each year, they all wanted the vaccine. >> ALICE B: I think it was popular here. I think everyone wanted to have it, it wasn't just the parents pushing them to do it but I think they wanted to have it. >> SARAH NYOMBI: The students themselves wanted it for themselves. >> SCHOOLGIRL: And I think anybody who didn't was soon convinced by everyone who was like, this is going to save our life in the future, this is a good decision to make. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I had a good time chatting with the girls. This is a vaccine which has that appeal to almost all girls in this world. So if every girl could have it, it would be wonderful. But the affordability ... it is so expensive. >> VOICEOVER: In Uganda, the government hasn't been able to afford to include the cervical cancer vaccine in its national program so far. To buy it privately here would cost at least USD$300, almost the same as the average Ugandan earns in a year. In two districts of the country, however, a project is underway which could change all that. An American NGO called PATH has organized for 12,000 girls to be vaccinated. >> DR. AISHA JUMAAN [Director, HPV vaccine project, PATH]: This is a demonstration project, to demonstrate how the vaccine can be introduced into a country. >> VOICEOVER: They've launched similar projects in India, Peru, and Vietnam. The aim is to show governments around the globe ways in which the cervical cancer vaccine can be delivered in the developing world. One of the things the project hopes to discover is whether a vaccine for young girls will be accepted here as it has been in the UK. In Uganda, it's targeted at young adolescent girls like Aisha. This morning, she's on her way to school where the vaccinations are taking place. Because the vaccination prevents a sexually transmitted infection, there are fears people will be suspicious. >> DR. AISHA JUMAAN: There is a stigma that people think if you give girls a vaccine that protects them against a sexually transmitted disease then you are encouraging them to start sexual activity. >> SARAH NYOMBI: If you bring it, a vaccination, to girls who have not even been exposed to sex, it was like you are now making them think about sex at that early age. >> VOICEOVER: It's something Sarah's worried about, so she's heading to Aisha's school to see for herself how the vaccine is being received. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I really want to see what's going on there and I believe it to be of great importance to Uganda and the whole of Africa. >> TEACHER [to class]: What are we immunizing against? Hands up if you know the answer. What was that? >> SCHOOLGIRL: Cervical cancer. >> TEACHER: Well done, give her a round of applause. >> SARAH NYOMBI [to schoolchildren]: Do you know who's going to be vaccinated for the first time? Are they here? Put your hands up. They will check your vaccination cards. Boys are not vaccinated, only girls. >> VOICEOVER: Everyone, it seems, wants to be vaccinated. And fears that injections for young girls would be viewed with suspicion have proved unfounded. >> DR. EMMANUEL MUGISHA [HPV Vaccine Project Manager, PATH]: We haven't had any negative issues. Instead we are seeing the opposite, that there is much more demand for the vaccine. Many parents ended up lying about the age of their daughters, so even if someone was 13 they would say she's 10 so that they can be vaccinated. >> VOICEOVER: It's Aisha's turn, and as a former nurse, Sarah knows all the tricks. >> SARAH NYOMBI: The medical personnel was telling me that they don't inject on a hand regularly used so there is no excuse for these children to go back to class and say, 'Teacher, I cannot write because my hand has been ...' So, there is no excuse. >> VOICEOVER: All the girls have been told what they are being vaccinated against, but Sarah soon discovers Aisha knows a lot more about cervical cancer than her classmates. >> AISHA [schoolgirl]: Why is it when you have cervical cancer you start bleeding? >> SARAH NYOMBI: You know that because you have seen it? >> AISHA: Yes. >> VOICEOVER: Two years ago, Aisha's mother died of cervical cancer. >> AISHA: My mum started bleeding and vomiting. >> SARAH NYOMBI: So she was vomiting, and bleeding from her private parts? >> AISHA: Yes. After that, she passed out. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Was she taken to hospital? >> AISHA: Yes, she was. Later they took her to a herbalist called Mawenjje who told them if they took her to hospital again she would die. She kept seeing the herbalist but eventually died. >> VOICEOVER: It isn't the only tragedy Aisha has to deal with. On the same day the crew is filming, her cousin Betty dies of malaria. She is buried the next day. Malaria is just one of the health crises with which Uganda has to do battle. Premature death is common here. But it doesn't make losing someone any easier to bear. Each year, the Ugandan health budget is USD$143 per person. The cervical cancer vaccine is USD$300. The next morning, Sarah and the local health worker, Justine [Kajura Justine Makityo], pay their respects to Aisha's family. Her mother's death, like so many others, never made official cancer records. But there's no doubt what killed her. >> MUSA: She was 46 years old and the bleeding went from bad to worse. I was advised to go to Nakaseke to see Dr Mawenjje. He told me to take her back home and visit him regularly for the medicine. But her condition deteriorated. She couldn't walk. Then she kept getting weaker and weaker. I am terrified of cancer after everything I saw my wife go through. I'd rather die from AIDS than have cancer. >> VOICEOVER: He's relieved a vaccine might be able to save his daughters from the same fate. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Mr. Makah wanted all girls in his house vaccinated, from age 1 to age 16, because what he saw and what he went through was so horrible. >> VOICEOVER: By the time the PATH project finishes in 2011, 12,000 girls will have been vaccinated. But families like Aisha's, and thousands of others, will continue to suffer if the government isn't able to keep on vaccinating. Back in her office in Kampala, it's something of which Sarah is acutely aware. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Yeah, there is a lot of work to be done. After this trip, I feel there is a lot of work to be done. HPV vaccine is very expensive. So we have a meeting of members of parliament tomorrow to get an update of the progress of the vaccination of these young girls. I would really wish to get as many women as possible to know about this cancer and get screening and tested early, not really end up dying like my aunt did. >> TITLE: Kill or Cure >> VOICEOVER: Sarah Nyombi is a politician and former nurse. Today, she's visiting a hospital in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Sarah is visiting the gynecological ward where almost a third of the beds are filled with people suffering from cervical cancer. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Greetings to you all. My sympathies for your illness. >> VOICEOVER: It's one of the few places in the country that keeps any cancer records. Each year, cancer causes more than seven and a half million deaths globally. Seventy percent of them are in the developing world. >> DR. EMMANUEL MUGISHA [HPV Vaccine Project Manager, PATH]: But even then that's the tip of an iceberg. Those are the few individuals who are able to go to the hospitals and get recorded. But many of the cancer patients actually don't. Whenever somebody hears of the word "cancer," it means "death." So they go back to their villages and die. So those are not recorded at all. >> VOICEOVER: Here at Mulago Hospital, most patients with cervical cancer are admitted in the advanced stages, when there's little that can be done to help them. Rehema Namusisi is 35. She's been diagnosed with stage III cancer and is waiting to begin radiotherapy. >> REHEMA NAMUSISI [cancer patient]: When I'd wash myself it felt sore. Stuff used to come out of me. It felt like ants crawling on my skin. On the 20th they sent me to the wing where they expose you to electricity. >> SARAH NYOMBI: And do you feel any better? >> REHEMA NAMUSISI: I'm in a lot of pain. >> VOICEOVER: She might not seem it, but Rehema is one of the lucky ones. If cervical cancer isn't caught early, it kills: a quarter of a million women each year. Rehema might have been diagnosed in time to save her life. Most aren't. Across town, for one day only, a center for free cervical cancer screening has been set up to try and spread the word that women over 25 should be regularly checked for pre-cancerous lesions. Even if the vaccine is introduced here, it only protects against the two most dangerous types of HPV and cannot help the millions already infected, so screening is still vital. In wealthier countries, a test called a Pap smear has seen rates of cervical cancer fall dramatically. But such a high tech, expensive service isn't widely available in the developing world. Here, the best option is to try and introduce alternative, low-cost methods such as VIA [visual inspection with acetic acid], the method being used today. Vinegar, applied to the cervix, highlights any abnormalities, which can then be removed with cryotherapy, or freezing. When treated at this stage, cure rates can be 85 percent or higher. Back in the hospital labs, Sarah is finding out about future screening possibilities. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I would like to know, if a woman wanted to be screened, what are the options? >> DR. EMMANUEL MUGISHA: There are newer options which are about to be ready, such as the careHPV which basically tests for the virus. So you can test about 90 women at a go. It can run on a car battery so it doesn't require an electricity supply. >> VOICEOVER: It's hoped, in conjunction with VIA, the test will help screening to become widely available in the developing world. Uganda is one of the first countries to conduct field evaluations of the test. But, as well as screening, Sarah wants the vaccine introduced nationwide too. This morning, she's organized a meeting for MPs to try and galvanize support. >> SARAH NYOMBI: We organized this meeting to really reach out to the members of parliament. Cervical cancer is not to do with doctors only. >> VOICEOVER: Overwhelming opinion is that the vaccine should be introduced in Uganda. >> MAN IN MEETING #1: Madam chair, when do we have the mega-plan of ensuring that we roll it out all over in the whole country? >> WOMAN IN MEETING #1: We should try to catch up different corners of Uganda. >> WOMAN IN MEETING #2: As much as we need to roll out to other districts but even we have to look at the way how it's going to be sustainable. >> VOICEOVER: First, they have to work out how to pay for it. >> MAN IN MEETING #2: He put the question, "How much would be involved?" It is us who is going to pass the budget. >> VOICEOVER: But the Ugandan Ministry of Health will struggle to afford the vaccine alone. >> VOICEOVER: Hope lies in an organization called the GAVI alliance. >> DR. AISHA JUMAAN [Director, HPV Vaccine Project, PATH]: The cost of the vaccine for many of the developing countries is very expensive. GAVI [Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation] helps poor countries purchase vaccines at a subsidized price, like the HPV vaccine. They [governments] may be able to pay 20 cents per dose, where GAVI takes care of the rest of the price. And GAVI is able to purchase quite a bit of vaccine, and therefore are at a very good position to negotiate a better price for the vaccine than individual countries are able. >> VOICEOVER: Four thousand miles away, in Oxford in the UK, a conference on cervical cancer is being held at the university. GAVI's chief executive, Julian Lob-Levyt, is going to be there. And so is Sarah. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I hope now Julian is here, I will talk to him about this program in Africa, the taking up of the HPV vaccine by GAVI. >> DR. EMMANUEL MUGISHA: Yeah I think it's high time they hear from the politicians. >> VOICEOVER: GAVI has expressed an interest in adding the HPV vaccine to the list of those it already supports. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT [CEO, GAVI Alliance]: Yes, I'm here because GAVI has recently made a decision to explore the use of vaccines, including a vaccine against cervical cancer. In terms of effectiveness it's an astonishingly effective vaccine it gives very high protection. >> VOICEOVER: But the current global financial crisis might make any commitment impossible. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: We don't know yet how deep or how prolonged that crisis is going to be, or [what] the impact will be on development budgets. And essentially GAVI relies on the development finance from the rich countries of the West. So we won't really know that situation until 2010. >> VOICEOVER: It's something Sarah is keen to talk more about. >> SARAH NYOMBI: So, it's nice meeting you and I'm glad that you are here. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: Well, I think the good news is our board has recognized, mid-November last year, the need, and the board has made a decision that GAVI should now explore the support to HPV vaccine introduction. >> SARAH NYOMBI: So how long will that take? >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: It's all going to happen in the next few months, so that should happen fairly quickly. We're then going to want to look at countries for the feasibility of introduction, so we'll be looking for early adopter countries where there's strong political commitment. >> SARAH NYOMBI: OK, like Uganda? >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: Absolutely, absolutely. >> SARAH NYOMBI: So the funding really is so crucial to Africa, and Uganda in particular, so it's glad I met you and I will keep following you up and ... >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: Yeah, and you should chase me up on this one. [laughs] >> SARAH NYOMBI: It really went so, so well that the journey was worth it, and I've talked to Julian, the CEO and president of GAVI, it's really exciting, and there is really hope. >> VOICEOVER: Back in Uganda, Sarah is determined to keep up the momentum of her cervical cancer campaign. Over 500 people have turned up to an awareness march, and Sarah is optimistic about the future. >> SARAH NYOMBI: My hope for the women of Uganda is that everyone gets aware that there is cervical cancer amongst us and that it is preventable. I'm a believer. I believe in God and I know God loves his people. These things will happen. >> TITLE: [end credits] >> TITLE: rockhopper TV http://www.viewchange.org/videos/democratic-republic-of-congo-find-a-word-for-it <p>Rape is a weapon that costs nothing, but it can cause as much damage as a bomb. We travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to interview Dr. Denis Mukwege, one of the few doctors in the country willing to treat rape survivors, to discover the truth behind one of the world's greatest unreported evils.&nbsp;</p> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:37:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/democratic-republic-of-congo-find-a-word-for-it Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sexual violence, Effects and aftermath of rape, South Kivu, 2009 Eastern Congo offensive, Systematic rape, Panzi hospital, War rape, Denis Mukwege, Rape >> TITLE: Women on the Front Line >> ANNIE LENNOX: It threatens the lives of more young women than cancer. It affects one in three women worldwide. It leaves women mentally scarred for life. 'It' is violence against women and girls. According to the UN, this brutality is on the rise. Our series comes from the frontline of the hidden war on women and girls. The field of conflict is just as likely to be the home as the brothel. This time on Women on the Front Line we are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where rape is a weapon of war. Since 1999 over 5 million people have perished, making it the deadliest conflict since the Second World War. >> HONORATA KIZENDE: Sometimes, when they said that you were the most beautiful woman, it was a disaster! They put you in the middle of everyone, on a cross, with your head down and your legs spread and they raped you in that position. And the others had to cheer them on and dance around you. >> DR. DENIS MUKWEGE [Director of Panzi Hospital]: It's a weapon that costs nothing, but which can cause as much damage as a bomb. >> VOICEOVER: This is the story of two of the thousands of women in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo who have been victims of systematic rape. There has been a war here for a decade. According to the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian relief agency, the conflict and its fall-out, such as disease and malnutrition, have killed an estimated 5.4 million people in Eastern Congo. Estimates of the number of victims of sexual violence vary, as some women are so traumatized and ashamed they don't want to admit to having been raped. >> TITLE: Find a Word for It ... >> TUMAINI: They killed the women who resisted them, by cutting their throats and throwing them in a mass grave. Sometimes, they pushed those who were still alive into the grave and threw boiling water on them, or burned them alive. >> VOICEOVER: The conflict in Eastern Congo started after the Rwandan genocide, in 1994. Fleeing revenge from the new Tutsi government, nearly a million Rwandan Hutus crossed over to Eastern Congo. Among them were the Hutu militias, called the Interahamwe, who had taken part in the genocide. In 1998, the Congo was reeling from a year-long civil war. The Interahamwe joined other militias fighting for territory and mineral resources. This conflict escalated into a full-blown war, drawing in armies from eight surrounding countries. Underlying it all was a struggle for control of the minerals such as gold and diamonds. A peace agreement was signed in late 2002, but despite the presence of the biggest United Nations peacekeeping force in the world, the plethora of armed groups carried on fighting. For Alexandra Bilak, who works for an organization funded by Swedish churches specializing in conflict resolution, this anarchy is at the root of the brutality. >> ALEXANDRA BILAK [Life and Peace Institute]: The absence of a state in Congo leaves an economic, political, judicial, and social void everywhere. This leaves the door open to unspeakable violence. I mean complete impunity. >> VOICEOVER: In Eastern Congo, the South Kivu province was one of the hardest hit by the war. In 2004, Bukavu, the [provincial] capital, was the scene of fighting between the men of Rwanda-backed dissidents Colonel [Jules] Mutebutsi and General [Laurent] Nkunda, and the Congolese army. At the time, the German aid agency GTZ [Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit] reported "countless victims of rape." The victims ranged from one-year-old babies to 80-year-old women. GTZ put us in touch with 55-year-old Honorata Kizende. Eight years ago, Honorata, who is from a town in South Kivu, was a teacher and mother of five. But disaster struck in October 2001. While she was in the market, she was abducted by Rwandan Hutu militias. She says her life then became a nightmare of sexual slavery. >> HONORATA KIZENDE: I was everybody's woman and nobody's woman. Whoever wanted to satisfy his sexual needs came on us. Sometimes they would shout "Food! Food!" We thought maybe they were bringing us food. But unfortunately, it was not food. It was us, the women, who were their "food." >> VOICEOVER: Today, even mundane tasks remind her of gruesome events she says she saw during her 18-month-long captivity. >> HONORATA KIZENDE: I saw them pick up a child to see if their knife was well sharpened. They cut the child in two. They left one half, we could see the other half. They told the mother: "You musn't cry. Our knife is sharp." >> VOICEOVER: In April 2003, Honorata escaped her captors and walked 350 kilometres to Bukavu. But here, she got caught in the Mutebutsi rebellion of 2004 and was raped again. >> HONORATA KIZENDE: When these people raped us, I remember I bled for more than two weeks. I had five different sexually transmitted diseases. I was in Panzi Hospital for over two months. >> VOICEOVER: Doctors in Panzi confirmed the seriousness of her condition. One of her diseases was syphilis. >> VOICEOVER: Panzi Hospital in Bukavu is a sanctuary for the victims of sexual violence. But just a handful of women are lucky enough to find their way here for treatment. Dr. Denis Mukwege, the director of the Panzi hospital, has been treating women for 25 years, but he says the horrors of the last 10 years have changed him forever. >> DR. DENIS MUKWEGE: I could never imagine that sex could create such a disaster. You see entire villages being abandoned. They escape and the only reason is the rape. They flee, they leave everything behind, they abandon their fields and their cattle. If they work in the gold mines, cassiterite, or coltan mines, they leave because they say, "I can't stay here because I'm afraid that my wife and daughters will be raped." Sex is a gift from God, so we can use it, but if it is badly used it's a weapon that costs nothing, but which can cause as much damage as a bomb. >> VOICEOVER: In Panzi Hospital, the doctors introduced us to a 17-year-old girl they were treating. They were to tell us later that her internal injuries were consistent with the story she would tell us under an assumed name. Tumaini says she was kidnapped in May 2006 by an armed group of 30 men who called themselves the "Partisans of Jesus". She calls them Interahamwe. >> TUMAINI: Every day I was raped, sometimes up to 10 times a day. >> INTERVIEWER: Was it one person or more? >> TUMAINI: No it was one and he was the commander, but it was every day. The day I was kidnapped, all five raped me. And then I was taken to the camp and the leader said "I will be your husband." >> VOICEOVER: Tumaini quickly fell pregnant. It was a difficult delivery; it lasted days. In the end, her captors decided to cut her and Tumaini gave birth to a stillborn [baby]. But they destroyed her genitals in the process. Tumaini developed fistulas: holes between her bladder, her vagina, and her rectum. >> TUMAINI: My health was deteriorating more and more. I couldn't hold my urine and faeces. I lived in difficult conditions. I used to sleep on the ground, on branches and leaves. My kidnapper decided to take me into the bush. We walked for a long time, at a certain point he abandoned me on the road. From there I continued on my own and reached home at last. >> VOICEOVER: Tumaini was released in May 2007. Her parents were overjoyed to see her alive after one year without any news. But the majority of the women who have been raped or have fistulas are abandoned and rejected by their husbands, families, and communities. Even here in Panzi, the fistula patients don't mingle with the others. Except during meal times, when they have to stand. >> DR. DENIS MUKWEGE: It's characterized by an uncontrolled loss of urine and faeces. And you can imagine, there is this strong sour smell, which makes people think, "What is happening to this woman?" So there is already an element of repulsion. But if you add in the fact she has been raped, which is associated with HIV, these women become automatically stigmatized. >> VOICEOVER: Dr. Mukwege says every year approximately 600 women are operated on for fistulas in Panzi. The majority are obstetrical, due to complications during birth. Most of the health centres in the rural areas have been destroyed by the war and because of the insecurity people are afraid to travel to hospitals. Then there are the horror stories of girls such as Tumaini. The brutality they are subjected to leads to what the doctors call traumatic fistulas. They're caused by mass rapes and deliberate mutilation of the vagina. Tumaini survived and she's already been successfully operated on once. She's now waiting for a second operation for complete recovery. But some women never heal, even after several operations. This is the ward of the women who've undergone surgery recently. It will be three anxious weeks before knowing if their operation is successful. >> INTERVIEWER: Are they anxious? >> DR. DENIS MUKWEGE: Yes, anxious. When they've been operated on, when they haven't left the bed and the bed is not dry, they're afraid. They ask themselves a lot of questions. What is going to happen, etc? It troubles them a lot. >> INTERVIEWER: And what is the rate of success of an operation? >> DR. DENIS MUKWEGE: We are between 90 and 95 percent successful. >> VOICEOVER: In January 2008, the Conference of Goma raised hopes for a lasting peace again. A ceasefire was signed between the Congolese militias, the army and the dissident rebel groups. But the Rwandan Hutus were not part of the conference. For the women, the war is far from over. >> HONORATA KIZENDE: I know that for the women in rural areas, rape is still happening. The war is still there. We are dealing with the effects, but not the causes. The cause is all those rapists scattered in the forests. When they bump into a woman, they rape her. They find a woman in a field, they rape her. The woman will sow but she will never be able to harvest. She wants to go to draw water, but instead of water she will find the rapists there; they will rape her and leave her. Sometimes, they will rape her and then kill her. >> ALEXANDRA BILAK: In general, sexual violence is committed by all of the groups. That must be clearly stated. Whether it is the national army or rebel groups, everyone -- everyone -- is guilty of rapes and sexual crimes. >> VOICEOVER: After the Conference of Goma, everybody was talking of peace, of amnesty, disarmament, reintegration. The warlords were gathered in Bukavu. We spoke directly to the leaders of the Congolese militias, called the Mai Mai. Had their troops been responsible for the systematic rape? >> FAUSTIN MULONDA [Mai Mai Ny'kiriba Group]: Madam, this is your understanding and it is exactly this biased judgement that makes things fuzzy and confusing. The Mai Mai are not involved in this business. The Mai Mai have an ideology which ensures a certain number of moral principles and one of these is precisely total abstention from any abuses, especially of sexual violence. >> VOICEOVER: We met with two officers of the Congolese army that evening. The conversation was tense. >> MAJOR CLOVIS MUNGUASHIRE [Security and Intelligence Officer]: I told you already. Those rapes that have been committed, were perpetrated by the armed groups, the negative forces. It's not the Congolese army anymore. It's the negative forces who do this. >> VOICEOVER: By the "negative forces" he means the Rwandan Hutus. The women we met also accused the Interahamwe, the generic name for Hutu militias in Congo. It was impossible to meet any of them in South Kivu, so we went to Mannheim, in Germany, to meet with Ignace Murwanashyaka, a self-exiled official of the FDLR, the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda, a group of approximately 8,000 combatants, notorious for its alleged human rights abuses. >> IGNACE MURWANASHYAKA [Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda]: It's often exaggerated. If you talk to an activist or the women in Bukavu they will say, "The people guilty of these rapes are first and foremost the Hutus." But if you continue discussing with them, often they can end up accepting that the Congolese army rapes too. But they accept this with great difficulty. First they want to see the foreigners as the criminals, then the locals. I can't say that all the members of the FDLR are saints, I'm not saying that. >> VOICEOVER: While we were filming, a violent earthquake hit Bukavu, claiming six lives and injuring hundreds. A ministerial delegation from Kinshasa, complete with the trappings of power, descended on Panzi Hospital in a show of solidarity for the victims of the earthquake. The victims of sexual violence, all decked up, also waited for the delegation. But they never came. We asked the visiting Minister of Interior what measures the government was going to take against sexual violence. >> DENIS KALUME NUMBI [Minister of State for Interior, Decentralization, and Security]: All I know is that in our culture, and I've been working for a long time, I've never seen this. It started at a particular time, when there was unrest in the region, so it's something that has been imported. We have to restructure mentalities. The people in power and the government have to implement laws which deal with and severely punish the people who act like this. >> VOICEOVER: The UN Human Rights Office in Congo says 16,869 rape cases were registered in South Kivu in 2007. But only 304 cases have been taken to court. To date, 70 men have been sentenced to 10 years in prison. >> DR. JOSEPHINE KAWENDE BORA [United Nations Population Fund]: I think it's because of our dysfunctional judicial system that people profit from this apparent climate of impunity and commit all these crimes. Most of the time, the cases rarely end up in court. Sometimes the victims are intimidated because the rapists may be men who are in a position of power. They might be people in authority or they are armed men, who come and threaten their family. They say for instance: "If you dare lodge a complaint, it will not be rape anymore, we will come and kill you." And so people are afraid, they keep quiet and they hide. >> VOICEOVER: Wilhelmine Ntakebuka heads a local NGO and regularly goes out to the villages, to bring the women who suffer from fistulas to Panzi. She thinks that the problem lies with Congolese society at large. >> WILHELMINE NTAKEBUKA [Vico centre for victims of sexual violence]: I think the women in Congo are considered objects. Women in Congo are not worth much. But we also know that the foundation of society is the woman, because it's the women who produce for the survival of the family. So, if you destroy the woman who is the foundation of society, of the family, it weakens the man. >> VOICEOVER: Honorata now lives with three of her children in Bukavu. She hasn't seen her husband since she was kidnapped. She's not even sure he would take her back. Her life is a struggle and she can't go back home for fear of reprisals from the militias. >> HONORATA KIZENDE: I could never imagine such things happening to me in life. I knew that I had nearly finished my life, that I had my husband, my children, and my work. I had planned everything and now I was really lost. When I came here to Bukavu, I didn't want to see anyone. I avoided people, I shut myself away and it was terrible. If now I can talk, it's because I saw that if everybody keeps silent, the world will never know what's happening here. Really the women are suffering. >> VOICEOVER: Tumaini will eventually go back to her village. But she's afraid she'll be kidnapped again. She finds solace in religion and says she wants to go back to school. At 17, after her traumatizing experience with men, marriage is not an option -- ever. >> DR. DENIS MUKWEGE: If you say "rape," people usually can imagine what's happened, but what these women go through is not ... I think the word [rape] is not suitable. Sexual terrorism? I don't know. You must find a word because what they go through is not really ... the word "rape" doesn't really describe it. Did you find the word? >> VOICEOVER: Despite the ceasefire signed in Goma in January 2008, the fighting, rapes, and killings continue in Eastern Congo. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-game-for-life <p>Grassroot Soccer uses the "beautiful game" to educate South African youth about HIV/AIDS prevention. The organization's project coordinator, Nolusindiso "Titie" Plaatjie, describes her childhood in the poverty-stricken city of Port Elizabeth and how soccer gave her the drive to be who she is today.</p> Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:17:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-game-for-life Grassroot Soccer, Change Makers, Education, South Africa, Soccer, Port Elizabeth, Charitable organization, Non-profit organization, Poverty, HIV >> TITLE: Global Oneness Project >> TITLE: A Game for Life >> NOLUSINDISO "TITIE" PLAATJIE: I don't know how I can really put this, but my football is really something that is very powerful in my life, that gives me the drive to be who I am now, and have the goals I have now. Because, I think, if it wasn't for football ... I can't really imagine myself without football. And certain things, certain principles in my life are based on my football. I don't know if you understand what I mean. >> NOLUSINDISO PLAATJIE: This is my place. It's a very small place. It's just a four-room house. And this is where we sit as a family, watch TV, have supper, and chat. Just family chats. And I'll show you the kitchen where we cook our meals. This is my kitchen. It's not a very big place but it is where I live, yeah. This is my bedroom; I share it with my aunt, but unfortunately now she is asleep because she was working night shift. This is my bed. I sleep here with my kitten. Oh yes, this is my kitten, and it's my friend. I sleep with her almost every night. This is my aunt. She stays here. She's selling veggies and fruit and her business is definitely going very well. Because in one week you find that you come and buy something and it's finished, it's not there, it's finished. So she's got a business that is doing very well. >> NOLUSINDISO PLAATJIE: This road that we are walking on, this is where I started playing soccer when I got to Port Elizabeth. We'd put small stones, there would be goals on each side of the road, then we'd be playing with the guys. That was before there was grass here. There was no grass here, so we would play from that wall to this side of the road. I grew up playing here and when I see this road or when I walk here I always remember where I started playing soccer. Most of the time I was with my other two cousin-brothers, and they would spend most of their time playing soccer and that's how I got on the field and played as well. >> NOLUSINDISO PLAATJIE: When I was growing up I was very, very poor, very poor. When I was still in primary school, I would wash with cold water. My school shoes were like, the sole was broken, so when it was raining, my socks would be so wet. In terms of food, there was absolutely nothing to eat. For me to be able to eat at school I would have to wait until when we were writing a test. Then each pupil would put on 10 cents or 20 cents. Then the whole amount would go to the person who was the highest for the test, and that is how I would manage to eat, because, if we were writing a test and we put on some money, it was definitely my money because I was a very good student. I know there are many people out there who are going through what I went through, and I know they won't deal with it the way I dealt with it, because I was just taking every day as it was coming. I never thought of going out and being a prostitute or something, and I know other people who are going through that thing always, not always, but sometimes opt for that if they are girls, and if they are boys, they always go do the armed robbery, bad things like that. So the main reason I always tell the story is just to let them know that poverty cannot conquer you for the rest of your life. You can conquer poverty as well. There is a way that you can go. There is a solution to poverty. We shouldn't always do things that are unethical because we say you are going through poverty. I've never done anything to anyone when I was very poor, but here I am today. I'm not as poor as I was before and for me, now, I don't feel like I'm poor, even though I don't have everything I want. I don't have a big house, I don't have a car, but I still feel that I'm rich because I'm rich inside. This is a very good friend of mine. I grew up playing with him on the street. But he was never a very good soccer player, this one was a very good goalkeeper. [laughter] Come try it. [plays gaming device] I've won. It's my lucky day then. There you go, that's all the money. >> NOLUSINDISO PLAATJIE: Soccer helped me to stay away from the option of being a prostitute, you know? It's really because I've have always had love for my football and discipline for my football. Because, if you are going to be doing all the wrong things to try and get something to eat, or money, then definitely those things won't be in line with your football. Because, if you look at soccer, the things you do that are in line with football, they are also in line with your own life. People love soccer, and the young kids out there, they're interested in soccer. If you talk of soccer, I don't know what you're talking about exactly because everyone knows about soccer. So it's easy to reach out to the people through soccer. >> NOLUSINDISO PLAATJIE: Grassroot Soccer, we help the kids to know how to prevent themselves from getting HIV and also to teach them life skills. The elder guys have gone through things in their lives, but would like to teach the kids so that they can not go through those things. The way we would do it is just interactive games. So we don't really say, "Yeah, we're going to talk about HIV now." Then some people might just lose interest with it. But simply because it's interactive, we do the actual activities where they just learn from them. And it's not as if we are telling them what to do, things like abstain and do this. [playing game with children] So why was it not easy to find the ball? Because you couldn't see the ball. Ja. So now remember when we play that game, what did you say? Yes my girl, say it. >> STUDENT: Someone who is HIV positive ... someone who has the ball is going to be HIV positive. >> NOLUSINDISO PLAATJIE: So what does that tell you about HIV? Ha? You can't see someone who has ... >> EVERYONE: HIV. [clapping] >> NOLUSINDISO PLAATJIE: Since we work with kids we use the power of soccer, and we use soccer balls because kids love to play. If you just make them play, and especially with our street leagues, the way we do the teaching of HIV and AIDS, then we give them time to play soccer. Those are tools for them to be better people, to stay away from things that could destroy their lives. After we've done the program, we also assess the change in their attitudes. If there's a big difference where their attitudes were before they went through the program, I would be very happy about that. >> NOLUSINDISO PLAATJIE: When you've got something in your heart and you also feel, or you also want someone else to sort of, like, have that same feeling, you have to, I don't know ... I don't really know how to say it ... but it's always important to just share things with other people. It's just important. And also, if you know you can do something to help the next person, just do it with all your heart. And not expect to get a reward for it. It really makes more sense to be able to have others help because, really, we cannot live in isolation. Honestly. We could be a unity here, but what about the other people that are not a unity? We are going to say, "yes, we are a unity," that's fine for us. They are not a unity? Then that's it, that's their problem. It shouldn't be like that. If people could unite then, I'm telling you, I don't see anything stopping the world from being a better place. I don't see anything stopping it. It doesn't take much for soccer to get people together. If there's a soccer match somewhere, as long as people know that there's that match somewhere, they will definitely go. It's really easy for it to unite people. For me it's really about passion because I love soccer. I love soccer. It just really ... Even if I can be stressed out about something, when I'm at my training session or at my game, I forget about it. It's just something ... I don't know what to say about soccer, but there's that thing about it, I just don't know what it is. >> TITLE: Nolusindiso "Titie" Plaatjie is 22 years old and lives in Port Elizabeth South Africa. She studied Human Movement Science at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and dreams of becoming an engineer. Titie is a well-known soccer star, and in 2001, she was named captain of the provincial team. She has been playing soccer since the age of five. Currently working for Grassroots Soccer as the Port Elizabeth Project Coordinator, Titie is a key facilitator in raising HIV/AIDS awareness among youth and people of her community. She believes that this is a fight for the world. >> TITLE: www.globalonenessproject.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-nathan-wolfe-s-jungle-search-for-viruses <p>Virus hunter Nathan Wolfe is outwitting the next pandemic by staying two steps ahead: discovering deadly new viruses where they first emerge (passing from animals to humans among poor subsistence hunters in Africa) before they claim millions of lives.</p> Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:12:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-nathan-wolfe-s-jungle-search-for-viruses Nathan Wolfe, Epidemiology, Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, Bushmeat, Virus, Cameroon, HIV, Pandemic, TED, Central Africa >> TITLE: TED: Ideas Worth Spreading>> TITLE: Nathan Wolfe>> NATHAN WOLFE: When most people think about the beginnings of AIDS, they're gonna think back to the 1980s. And, certainly, this was the decade in which we discovered AIDS, and the virus that causes it, HIV. >> TITLE: February, 2009. Long Beach, California.>> NATHAN WOLFE: But, in fact, this virus crossed over into humans many decades before, from chimpanzees, where the virus originated, into humans who hunt these apes.>> TITLE: Brazzaville, Congo, 1929>> NATHAN WOLFE: This photo was taken before the Great Depression in Brazzaville, Congo. At this time, there were thousands of individuals, we think, that were infected with HIV. So I have a couple of really important questions for you. If this virus was in thousands of individuals at this point, why was it the case that it took us until 1984 to be able to discover this virus? Okay, now, more importantly, had we been there in the Forties and Fifties, Sixties, had we seen this disease, had we understood exactly what was going on with it, how might that have changed and completely transformed the nature of the way that this pandemic moved?In fact, this is not unique to HIV. The vast majority of viruses come from animals. And you can kind of think of this as a pyramid of this bubbling up of viruses from animals into human populations. But only at the very top of this pyramid do these things become completely human. Nevertheless, we spend the vast majority of our energy focused on this level of the pyramid, trying to tackle things that are already completely adapted to human beings, that are going to be very, very difficult to address, as we've seen in the case of HIV.So, during the last 15 years, I've been working to actually study the earlier interface here -- what I've labeled "viral chatter," which was a term coined by my mentor Don Burke. This is the idea that we can study the sort of pinging of these viruses into human populations, the movement of these agents over into humans, and, by capturing this moment, we might be able to move to a situation where we can catch them early.Okay, so this is a picture, and I'm going to show you some pictures now from the field. This is a picture of a central African hunter. It's actually a fairly common picture. One of the things I want you to note from it is blood, that you see a tremendous amount of blood contact. This was absolutely key for us. This is a very intimate form of connection. So if we're going to study viral chatter, we need to get to these populations who have intensive contact with wild animals.And so we've been studying people like this individual. We collect blood from them, other specimens. We look at the diseases, which are in the animals as well as the humans. And, ideally, this is going to allow us to catch these things early on, as they're moving over into human populations. And the basic objective of this work is not to just go out once and look at these individuals, but to establish thousands of individuals in these populations that we would monitor continuously on a regular basis. When they were sick, we would collect specimens from them.We would actually enlist them, which we've done now, to collect specimens from animals. We give them these little pieces of filter paper. When they sample from animals, they collect the blood on the filter paper and this allows us to identify yet-unknown viruses from exactly the right animals, the ones that are actually being hunted.>> ANDERSON COOPER: Deep in a remote region of Cameroon, two hunters stalk their prey. Their names are Patrice and Patee. They're searching for bush meat: forest animals they can kill to feed their families. Patrice and Patee set out most days to go out hunting in the forest around their homes. They have a series of traps, of snares, that they've set up, and they'll catch wild pigs, snakes, monkeys, rodents, anything they can, really. Patrice and Patee have been out for hours, but found nothing. The animals are simply gone. We stop for a drink of water. Then there is a rustle in the brush. A group of hunters approach. Their packs loaded with wild game. There's at least three viruses that you know about, which are in this particular monkey.>> NATHAN WOLFE: This species, yeah. And there's many, many more pathogens that are present in these animals. These individuals are at specific risk, particularly if there's blood contact, they're at risk for transmission and possibly infection with novel viruses.>> ANDERSON COOPER: As the hunters display their kills, something surprising happens. They show us filter paper they've used to collect the animals' blood. The blood will be tested for zoonotic viruses, part of a program Dr. Wolfe has spent years setting up.>> NATHAN WOLFE: So this is from this animal right here: greater spot-nosed guenon. Every person who has one of those filter papers has at least, at a minimum, been through our basic health education about the risks associated with these activities, which presumably, from our perspective, gives them the ability to decrease their own risk, and then obviously the risk to their families, the village, the country, and the world.Okay, before I continue, I think it's important to take just a moment to talk about bushmeat. Bushmeat is the hunting of wild game, okay? And you can consider all sorts of different bushmeat. I'm going to be talking about this. When your children and grandchildren sort of pose questions to you about this period of time, one of the things they're gonna ask you is how it was they we allowed some of our closest living relatives, some of the most valuable and endangered species on our planet, to go extinct because we weren't able to address some of the issues of poverty in these parts of the world?But in fact that's not the only question they're going to ask you about this. They're also going to ask you the question that, when we knew that this was the way that HIV entered into the human population, and that other diseases had the potential to enter like this, why did we let these behaviors continue? Why did we not find some other solution to this? They're going to say, in regions of profound instability throughout the world, where you have intense poverty, where populations are growing and you don't have sustainable resources like this, this is going to lead to food insecurity.But they're also going to ask you probably a different question. It's one that I think we all need to ask ourselves, which is, why we thought the responsibility rested with this individual here. Now this is the individual -- you can see just right up over his right shoulder -- this is the individual that hunted the monkey from the last picture that I showed you. OK, take a look at his shirt, you know, take a look at his face. Bushmeat is one of the central crises which is occurring in our population right now, in humanity, on this planet. But it can't be the fault of somebody like this. Okay? And solving it cannot be his responsibility alone. There's no easy solutions, but what I'm saying to you is that we neglect this problem at our own peril.>> NATHAN WOLFE: So, in 1998, along with my mentors Don Burke and Colonel Mpoudi-Ngole, we went to actually start this work in Central Africa, to work with hunters in this part of the world. And my job ... at that time I was a post-doctoral fellow, and I was really tasked with setting this up. So I said to myself, "Okay, great. We're gonna collect all kinds of specimens. We're gonna go to all these different locations. It's going to be wonderful." You know, I looked at the map, I picked out 17 sites, I figured, no problem. Needless to say, I was drastically wrong. This is challenging work to do. Fortunately, I had and continue to have an absolutely wonderful team of colleagues and collaborators in my own team, and that's the only way that this work can really occur. We have a whole range of challenges about this work. One of them is just obtaining trust from individuals that we work with in the field. The person you see on the right hand side is Paul DeLong-Minutu. He's one of the best communicators that I've really ever dealt with. When I arrived I didn't speak a word of French, and I still seemed to understand what it was he was saying. Paul worked for years on the Cameroonian national radio and television, and he spoke about health issues. He was a health correspondent. So we figured we'd hire this person, and when we got there he could be a great communicator. When we would get to these rural villages, though, what we found out is that no one had television, so they wouldn't recognize his face. But, when he began to speak they would actually recognize his voice from the radio. And this was somebody who had incredible potential to spread aspects of our message, whether it be with regards to wildlife conservation or health prevention.Often we run into obstacles. This is us coming back from one of these very rural sites, with specimens from 200 individuals that we needed to get back to the lab within 48 hours. I like to show this shot: this is Ubald Tamoufe, who's the lead investigator in our Cameroon site. Ubald laughs at me when I show this photo because of course you can't see his face. But the reason I like to show the shot is because you can see that he's about to solve this problem. Which he did, which he did. Just a few quick before and after shots. This was our laboratory before. This is what it looks like now. Early on, in order to ship our specimens, we had to have dry ice. To get dry ice we had to go to the breweries, beg, borrow, steal, to get these folks to give it to us. Now we have our own liquid nitrogen. I like to call our laboratory the coldest place in Central Africa -- it might be. And here's a shot of me, this is the before shot of me. No comment.So what happened? So, during the 10 years that we've been doing this work, we actually surprised ourselves. We've made a number of discoveries. >> TITLE: Results after 10 years: Identified new viruses, including retroviruses; collected 26,000 human and 18,000 animal blood samples; documented viral jumps from animals to humans. >> NATHAN WOLFE: And what we've found is that, if you look in the right place, you can actually monitor the flow of these viruses into human populations. That gave us a tremendous amount of hope. What we've found is a whole range of new viruses in these individuals, including new viruses in the same group as HIV -- so, brand new retroviruses. And let's face it, any new retrovirus in the human population, it's something we should be aware of, it's something we should be following, it's not something that we should be surprised by.And needless to say, in the past these viruses entering into these rural communities might very well have gone extinct. That's no longer the case. Logging roads provide access to urban areas. And, critically, what happens in Central Africa doesn't stay in Central Africa. So, once we discovered that it was really possible that we could actually do this monitoring, we decided to move this from research, to really attempt to phase up to a global monitoring effort. And through generous support and partnership scientifically with Google.org and the Skoll Foundation, we were able to start the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative and begin work in four different sites in Africa and Asia. Needless to say, different populations from different parts of the world have different sorts of contact. So it's not just hunters in Central Africa. It's also working in live animal markets -- these wet markets -- which is exactly the place where SARS emerged in Asia. But really, this is just the beginning from our perspective.Our objective right now, in addition to deploying to these sites and getting everything moving, is to identify new partners because we feel like this effort needs to be extended to probably 20 or more sites throughout the world -- to viral hotspots -- because really the idea here is to cast an incredibly wide net, so that we can catch these things. Ideally, before they make it to blood banks, sexual networks, airplanes. And that's really our objective. There was a time not very long ago when the discovery of unknown organisms was something that held incredible awe for us. It had potential to really change the way that we saw ourselves, and thought about ourselves. Many people, I think, on our planet right now, despair, and they think we've reached a point where we've discovered most of the things. I'm going tell you right now: please don't despair. If an intelligent extra-terrestrial was taxed with writing the encyclopedia of life on our planet, 27 out of 30 of these volumes would be devoted to bacteria and virus, with just a few of the volumes left for plants, fungus, and animals -- humans being a footnote -- interesting footnote but a footnote nonetheless. This is honestly the most exciting period ever for the study of unknown life forms on our planet. The dominant things that exist here we know almost nothing about. And yet, finally, we have the tools which will allow us to actually explore that world and understand them. Thank you very much. >> TITLE: New TED Talks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/explore-fighting-hiv <p>The battle against HIV presents unique challenges in different cultures around the world. In India, Dr. Suniti Solomon and her team at the YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Education are working hard to change attitudes and slow the spread of the disease.</p> Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:38:19 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/explore-fighting-hiv HIV, India, Dr. Suniti Solomon, HIV positive people, YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Education, Antiretroviral drug, Sexual intercourse, Annenberg Foundation, Global Fund, explore >> TITLE: explore >> DR. SUNITI SOLOMON [Founder and Director, YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Education]: I was working for the government for 22 years, and I couldn't do what I wanted. I used to see young people coming up to me for counseling. I said, "I need to talk." And the government said, "Your job is in the laboratory." So I quit, and I started the center with three people, two little rooms, and a kitchen for my laboratory. At one point of time, I think it was '97, I didn't have money to pay salaries for my staff. So I said, "We need to close down now." So I called my staff and I said, "I don't have money. You want to stay, stay with me; leave if you want." They said, "Pay us when you get money, but we are staying." I haven't had that same problem again; we are managing to run the show. Today, I have 200 people working for me; I have this building with three floors; I have a laboratory, which is 4,000 square feet. I used to see one new patient a week, today I see minimum 15 new patients a day. It's mostly word of mouth. One patient comes here; they go back and tell the others, "Look, I went there. I got the best of treatment. They've got good attitudes, they tell you what to do, they spend a lot of time with you. The doctors are good." And then when we started prevention, people said, "I need to go for a test, where do I go?" So we started a counseling center. "Where do I go for care?" We didn't have a place, except the government center where the attitudes were very bad. So I started day care. And then I need to admit, because people were getting sick, so I took two rooms in a lodge. And put "please do not disturb" outside, and we used to treat the patient inside. Then a lady who was going away to Canada gave me her house, which had three bedrooms. So we put six beds in there. And then I found this block, which was used for patients with leprosy, and was locked for the last 10 years. So then I asked the management, "Can I take this building?" and they said, "No, it's dilapidated, it'll fall." And then I beg, borrow, steal money to make this floor for administration. Today, more than 11,000 patients have been taken care of here. We have 20 beds, we have an intensive care unit, because the President of the Indian Network of Positive People, Ashok Pillai, was a patient. >> TITLE: Ashok Pillai (1968-2002)>> DR. SUNITI SOLOMON: He died in front of my eyes, with fits for four hours. And I needed a ventilator, and nobody would give me one. We couldn't sedate him more, and he died. And that day we decided, and within six months I got an ICU up here, with two beds. And we are able to save a number of lives. So it's been a struggle, but I think it's very rewarding. At the end of the day, you can sleep well. Martin has been with me from 1987. He's been with me for now 20 years. And here we draw blood. I don't think you find this anywhere else in India. You know, all these Vacutainers. We use only Vacutainers. India is a country with culture, religion, and so we thought we are quite safe. But, unfortunately, 85 percent of infections in India is spread through sex. Unprotected, penetrative sex. Because in India, men can do what they want. They have the freedom to have multiple partners, nobody will ask. Today I see software engineers, doctors, chartered accountants, industrialists, businessmen -- it has cut across all these -- because they feel, "I didn't go to a sex worker, so how will I pick up the virus? I went to my friends, or my secretary, or my classmates. So they are safe." Eighty percent of women we are taking care of -- roughly about 4,000 women -- 80 percent have a single partner that's their husband. We need to change behavior, and we know it's so difficult to change behavior. Now we are going down to the outpatient level. This is our Global Fund place, right? And that's Sangita and Pahal. Okay, and this is our outpatient: there are no patients here now, but ... okay, come. These are two of our counselors. They've finished the job for the day, right? That's Mobeen and ...>> ARCHANA [Counselor]: Archana.>> DR. SUNITI SOLOMON: Archana. Now tell them, whom did you counsel?>> MOBEEN: We just saw a male who came in for testing. But he was very much scared about his status. But after he got his report -- it was ... he was tested negative -- he was more worried about what others would have thought about him than actual the result itself.>> DR. SUNITI SOLOMON: Now, we have started doing testing free for everybody, because I think unless you really do free testing, people will not come in. And we find our walk-in is just doubling because of free testing. Now we also have a number of projects which are helping. For example, AIDS Project Los Angeles gives three drugs to 100 families, free testing for them, free monitoring for them. We have at least seven major projects. So I think we are trying to do what Robin Hood did. We steal from the rich and give it to the poor. This is Narayan, very well-trained pharmacist. And this is our pharmacy. This is three-in-one tablets: 840 rupees. This is one month's supply. It's about USD$800 in U.S.; it costs us 840 rupees, or USD$20. When we started treating people we had to give about 20 tablets a day. This is a new one, which has just come into India. It's just one tablet a day. So it's easier for compliance, or adherence. In U.S., this will cost you USD$700. Today, the whole scene is different. When somebody comes up, I say, "We have drugs today." Today, HIV is like a chronic disease. We can treat you. You will have a good quality of life for the next 10-15 years. But, unfortunately, in India, there's not even 100,000 people on antiretroviral drugs today. And we are talking of about 5 million who may need the drug, out of the 10 million who are infected. When we started, it was, I would say, 90 percent men, 10 percent women. Because women in India are getting the infection much later than the men. I mean, the ones whom we see here. So ... but today, there's roughly about 60 percent men, 40 percent women. So there are a lot of problems. So the girls don't get all the treatment the boys get. And she's the one who gets all the pressure, all the blows, if you want to call [it], in the family. But still, she has to keep a smiling face, and manage the show. In our center, when women come, either it's the man who comes and gets tested, and then he says, "I'm married." So we tell them, "Bring your wife." "No, no, no, she doesn't need." "She needs as much care as you need. Bring her, otherwise we are not going to treat you." So we literally push the man to bring his wife in. That's how we test the woman, and then do couple counseling. We did a trial for HIV phase-one vaccine here, and to get 32 volunteers, we had to talk to more than 3,000 people to come forward. That's because of the stigma attached to HIV; they don't want even to participate in a vaccine against HIV. If the priest, a Hindu priest, comes and says, "It's okay, that's alright, there's no problem being HIV positive," you know, the stigma attached to HIV will disappear in India. When the virus was first detected in the U.S., it was among gay community, among drug-users, and sex workers. So we knew that it was among a marginalized community. When we detected it in India, it was sex workers. So, naturally, all the stigma to this disease is because it was in this group of people. I always tell people who participate in my programs: If only we had detected HIV for the first time in a baby, things may have been different. There may not have been today the stigma we have for this disease.>> TITLE: To learn more: www.yrgcare.org>> TITLE: explore.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-reversing-the-spread-of-hivaids-in-lesotho Lesotho has made significant progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, thanks to the nationwide "Know Your Status" campaign and a renewed national strategic plan on HIV and AIDS. Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:47:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-reversing-the-spread-of-hivaids-in-lesotho Sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS, Vertical transmission, Lesotho, Michel Sidibé, HIV, UNICEF, Africa, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Health >> VOICEOVER: The kingdom of Lesotho. With nearly a quarter of its adult population living with HIV, the landlocked nation has one of the highest HIV burdens in the world. Compounded by poverty and food insecurity, the country has nevertheless embarked on a journey to reverse the spread of HIV by making prevention, treatment and care accessible to all. >> DR. MPHU RAMATLAPENG [Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Lesotho]: The main achievement of the government of Lesotho was the introduction of the “Know Your Status” campaign. Our other major achievement is the rollout of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission program. The bottom line is we cannot afford to have people infecting other people. We cannot afford to have so many people dying and leaving children behind. >> VOICEOVER: Malehloa Pitso found out her HIV status when she was pregnant with her second child. Despite the initial shock and discrimination from others, she followed her treatment regiment rigorously, and gave birth to a healthy baby free of HIV. Malehloa Pitso now works for “Mothers2Mothers,” an NGO that supports HIV positive mothers to live healthy lives and prevents babies from contracting HIV through mother-to-child transmission. >> MALEHLOA PITSO: So I’m also helping other mothers to be like me, to have babies like mine. So when you see a positive baby in the facilities, it’s very rare, and it’s like I wasn’t doing anything. I wasn’t doing my job. >> VOICEOVER: In 2006, only five percent of HIV positive pregnant women received services for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, or PMTCT. Today the coverage is at 42 percent. And Lesotho’s achievement is mirrored not only in other African countries, but throughout the rest of the world. According to a new report released by UNICEF, WHO, and UNAIDS, progress is being made in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care, and some of the most impressive ones were noted in sub-Saharan Africa. But the report also reveals gaps such as the difference between the current number of women who have access to antiretroviral drugs for preventing mother-to-child transmission and the estimated number of women who need to be reached to achieve the 80 percent coverage target. >> MICHEL SIDIBÉ [Executive Director, UNAIDS]: An AIDS-free generation is the beginning of the end for HIV/AIDS. We cannot continue to have 300,000 babies born every year in Africa with HIV. It’s costly; it is unsustainable for most of the countries in the region. >> VOICEOVER: With 33 million people living with HIV, the epidemic continues to be a major challenge for global health. But the progress in Lesotho and elsewhere has given people hope that the world is now closer than ever to virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and a step closer to realizing an AIDS-free generation. This is Vivian Siu reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for Children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-fighting-pediatric-aids-in-cote-divoire With almost a five percent HIV prevalence, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire is one of the countries worst affected by HIV/AIDS in West Africa. UNICEF helps sustain a health center in Bouake that treats over 800 HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children as well as provides social and educational support. Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:47:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-fighting-pediatric-aids-in-cote-divoire Côte d'Ivoire, AIDS, HIV, Abidjan, Bouaké, Vertical transmission, UNICEF, Pediatrics, Health, Yopougon >> VOICEOVER: Young Emily is HIV positive. AIDS took both her parents and now she lives with the daily reality of the disease. She stays with her aunt in the one-time rebel capital of Bouake in central Côte d’Ivoire. Here, AIDS has picked up where the civil war left off, continuing to take innocent lives. Daily chores leave Emily exhausted and reaching for her lifeline, her medication. Her aunt is unemployed and there is rarely enough money for food, never mind medicine. But she’s one of the lucky ones. Every few days she sets off alone for a special center in central Bouake. Here, doctors that specialize in pediatric AIDS examine her; these regular visits allow them to track her progress. For nearly ten years UNICEF has worked with this center to provide support to those affected by AIDS. >> DR. SORO OUATTARA PAULE [Pediatric Specialist]: Because of the poverty and the fact that our sick patients can’t work, the center has to take care of the patients not only medically, but also socially. We give food to parents and their children. >> VOICEOVER: The center is also home to a youth outreach project. Members go door-to-door, visiting families affected by AIDS, offering emotional and psychological support. To those families unaffected, they offer awareness and advice. >> JEAN CLAUDE [Peer Educator]: Sexuality is a taboo subject in African culture and usually it’s easier for young people to talk about it and find answers because we share the same daily experiences. >> VOICEOVER: At this UNICEF-supported clinic in Yopougon, outside Abidjan, HIV positive pregnant women undergo treatment to prevent mother to child transmission of the virus. After giving birth, their babies undergo testing to determine whether or not the treatment was successful. These centers and clinics are critical to the health of a nation. Ninety percent of infections in children are the result of mother to child transmission. Reducing the country’s infection rate is the ultimate goal. Existing projects have been successful, but more needs to be done. This is Amy Bennett, reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-young-malaysian-footballers-on-the-offensive-against-hiv <p>HIV is a growing problem among young people in Malaysia, which means more effective ways are needed to teach teenagers about the dangers of the disease. In one innovative UNICEF-supported initiative, exchange students are talking to young Malaysians about prevention in settings far from traditional classrooms.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:47:29 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-young-malaysian-footballers-on-the-offensive-against-hiv HIV, Malaysia, UNICEF, Kuala Lumpur, AIDS, Youth, Foreign Assistance, AIESEC, Education, Soccer >> DIPRA RAY [exchange student]: HIV now has basically gotten rid of our defense, right? >> VOICEOVER: It's not the usual pre-game pep talk. These young Malaysian football players are learning about a challenge very different from winning today's game: keeping themselves safe from HIV and AIDS. This lesson has become a standard ritual of youth football leagues in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. It is a new approach to reach out to young people, who are increasingly at risk of catching and spreading HIV. >> GAYE PHILLIPS [UNICEF Representative to Malaysia]: In Malaysia, more than 37 percent of the group who are currently infected are between the ages of 13 and 29. That's a serious population group that we need to look at. Because it shows us that young people are not being well informed. >> VOICEOVER: In partnership with the Football Association of Malaysia, UNICEF and the Association for the International Exchange of Students of Economics and Commerce, known as AIESEC, are working to make youth more aware of the dangers of HIV, and what they can do to avoid it. Dipra Ray is an exchange student from New Zealand. He believes it's critical for young people to hear this message from other young people ? and in an active setting far from the classroom. >> DIPRA RAY: For us I think that's the biggest motivation: it's that we're coming here, we're having fun, but at the same time we try to make sure that they get the lesson. Because if the young generation, if we -- if I and my friends -- if we know how we can stop HIV, we can stop it. It's not like it has to spread. It can be stopped. >> VOICEOVER: For young footballer Shawn Daniels, it's a lesson that is starting to sink in. >> SHAWN DANIELS: I learned about many things: how to protect myself, how to say no. >> VOICEOVER: A winning game plan for young people to follow, long after the whistle is blown. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this is Steve Nettleton reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ausaid_02_indonesiahiv <p>In Indonesia, fresh approaches to illegal drug use and the sex industry are helping to reduce the spread of HIV. Now addicts can get access to methadone programs and clean needles, and sex workers are being tought about prevention methods by former colleagues.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:16:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ausaid_02_indonesiahiv Indonesia, HIV, AIDS, Antiretroviral drug, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Drug-related crime, World Health Day, Education, National AIDS Commission, Safe sex >> NARRATOR: Compared to many other countries battling the spread of HIV and AIDS, the percentage of the Indonesian population infected with the virus is low. But it's estimated more than 200,000 Indonesians are living with the virus, and other worrying statistics are emerging >> DR. NAFSIAH MBOI [Secretary, National AIDS Commission, Indonesia]: According to the UNAIDS report, they said that Indonesia was one of the fasting growing epidemic in Asia. And that is because we have more than 50 percent transmission among the injecting drug users, and that goes very fast. >> NARRATOR: Controlling the spread of HIV across this enormous archipelago is a huge task, but Indonesian authorities are taking on the challenge. The growing epidemic has prompted a fresh look at policies including new approaches to education, treatment, prevention, and drug law enforcement. >> DR. NAFSIAH MBOI: There can be the death penalty, actually. So what happened was anybody with drugs were put in jail, so our prisons became overloaded. But, for injecting drug users especially, that meant they went underground and they shared syringes, they shared needles among them, which means the infection went very, very fast: from almost zero in 1997 to very high prevalences in 2007. >> NARRATOR: Measures to reduce the spread of HIV have been scaled up dramatically with the support of the Australian Government, including new needle and syringe programs and methadone clinics like this one, where registered drug users can come, without fear of prosecution, for assistance to reduce their dependence on heroin. They can also access clean needles, avoiding the need to share syringes, a key cause of infection amongst injecting drug users. It's taken a shift in thinking, but it's an approach Dr. Nafsiah Mboi has worked hard to implement. >> DR. NAFSIAH MBOI: If they don't get access to prevention, like condoms and sterile needles, etc, and they don't get access to the medication and service they need, we will fail. >> NARRATOR: Work is also underway to ensure health workers have a positive approach to those at risk of contracting the HIV virus. A trip to the methadone clinic is specifically designed to be a non-threatening experience >> DR. NAFSIAH MBOI: They are our children and they have the right to be healthy, they have the right to live. >> NARRATOR: Across the water in Bali another forward-thinking program is underway. This one is aimed at reducing sexual transmission of HIV. These young women are former sex workers, and their knowledge of the local industry is being used to educate others in safe practices. The island is well known as a holiday destination throughout the region. Unfortunately, it's also where some young Indonesian women get caught up in the sex industry. >> FORMER SEX WORKER [Yayasan Kerti Praja volunteer]: I was from a small village in Java and someone came and said there's work for you in a shop. >> NARRATOR: Now she has been diagnosed with HIV, a direct result of unprotected sex. She has also joined a team of women working with Australian volunteer Emily Rowe in an outreach program promoting condom use in the Kuta sex industry, and encouraging regular health checks. It's a very successful initiative funded by AusAID. >> EMILY ROWE [outreach worker, Australian Volunteers International]: Because they understand the industry, and they understand the way that the male guests think, and because they're not shy, they can talk about all kinds of really, really detailed aspects of the work with the girls. >> FORMER SEX WORKER: For me, it's much easier for me to talk about HIV, because I know how it feels, and I know how it feels to be discriminated against, and how it feels when you get sick with HIV. >> NARRATOR: According to the women involved in the program, male guests -- as they call them -- are very reluctant to wear condoms. Changing that practice is the principal focus of the group's work. >> FORMER SEX WORKER: I think it's very, very important, especially for lots of the guests that are ... maybe they're construction workers, or they're fishermen, and they have very, very low levels of knowledge. >> NARRATOR: Teams pay regular visits to brothels and other known sites throughout the city, not only to educate, but to encourage sex workers to visit the clinic for health testing. >> DR. PUTRI GESAKMADE [Kerti Praja Foundation]: Because of this organization, we have had a really, really big impact, especially in the sex-work industry, especially with regards to condom use, and helping to treat positive sex workers with ARV treatment and therapy. So we are helping to control the epidemic. >> NARRATOR: Dr. Putri's father, Professor Wirawan, established the Kerti Praja Foundation in 1992. It's a medical organization working to provide antiretroviral therapy for patients who need it. That support has now been extended to help meet the health needs of those most at risk: sex workers. >> EMILY ROWE: I think that obviously it probably would have begun with one or two that wanted to stop working, and we thought that's such a great opportunity as peer educators, and so it's growing. We just got recently another two volunteers. >> NARRATOR: For Indonesian authorities, the strategy to fight the spread of HIV -- sexually transmitted or through the use of infected needles -- is not to ostracise the most vulnerable but to embrace them, reaping the benefits of their street-level knowledge. >> DR. NAFSIAH MBOI: So only by embracing them, by recognizing that they are the key populations, will we succeed. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-s-unite-for-children-campaign <p>UNICEF's "Unite for Children" Campaign aims to help some of the 15 million young people who have lost a parent to AIDS. Children like "Kouadio" in C&ocirc;te d'Ivoire, who is receiving help with his health and education, and dreams of one day becoming a doctor.&nbsp;</p> Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:10:17 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-s-unite-for-children-campaign Côte d'Ivoire, United Nations, Antiretroviral drug, World Food Programme, UNICEF, HIV, Child, Education, Health, Foreign Assistance >> VOICEOVER: An estimated 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. This boy, who we'll call Kouadio, is one of them. His mother died six months ago, and his father abandoned the family when Kouadio was just an infant. As if his life weren't difficult enough, he also carries the virus that causes AIDS. He now lives with his mother's two sisters in Côte d'Ivoire. They say they couldn't raise him without the help of the local health center. People of all ages receive services including medical treatment, counseling, HIV testing, and different ways to help support orphans and vulnerable children. >> N'ZUE VERONIQUE DJE [social worker]: The center can have an especially big impact on the lives of children. For example, with Kouadio, he's already feeling much better since he first visited the center. He receives medication, but partners are providing nutritional support. So his situation absolutely improved since he arrived in the center. >> VOICEOVER: Kouadio is here to receive a UNICEF school kit. He's about to start his first year in school. His kit includes a small chalkboard, chalk, pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons, a ruler, and scissors. The center also provides him antiretroviral drugs, which inhibit the replication of HIV, as well as money to pay for school fees. UNICEF's approach to helping children like Kouadio is holistic. Assistance covers education, health, and child protection, as well as food from the World Food Programme. Kouadio is already dreaming about his future. >> KOUADIO: When I grow up I want to be a doctor so I can make myself better. >> VOICEOVER: Children like Kouadio face a difficult battle, and if it's to be won, it must be fought on multiple fronts. In Côte d'Ivoire, this is Thomas Nybo reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-fc-barcelona-hosts-the-kids-league-from-uganda <p>The chance to walk onto the field at FC Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium was a dream come true for 16 boys from The Kids League. The young footballers were invited to Spain to play against Bar&ccedil;a's cadet team, and their experience highlights how sports can have a real impact on children's lives.&nbsp;</p> Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:10:16 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-fc-barcelona-hosts-the-kids-league-from-uganda Uganda, The Kids League, UNICEF, HIV, Change Makers, Foreign Assistance, FC Barcelona, Soccer, Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho >> VOICEOVER: The chance of walking into Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium before a Barça game is what many children can only dream about. But for these 16 Ugandan soccer players, it became a reality. Excitement was in the air before the cameras and the crowds. A flash meeting with star midfielder Ronaldinho and their story was complete. >> ALI ABUJERI: I am very happy to see Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o really with my naked eyes. So, I can't believe that. >> VOICEOVER: The Kids League came to Spain to play against FC Barcelona's cadet team. They were invited by the club to highlight how sports can have a real impact on children's lives. Back home in the north of Uganda, these young teenagers belong to the Kids League, a UNICEF-supported project which uses sport to unite children from all over the country. Some have experienced conflict, others have seen violence. Through football, they learn about teamwork, friendship, and leadership. >> TREVOR DUDLEY [Country Director, The Kids League]: Football is just, as I say, a positive way of bringing the kids together and then we're able to get across messages about health and education. And we're finding that attendance rates in schools are increasing, and we're finding that children are much more aware about problems such as HIV, AIDS awareness. >> VOICEOVER: UNICEF and FC Barcelona signed a five-year partnership deal last year with the aim of supporting programs that reach the most vulnerable children. >> JOAN LAPORTA [President, FC Barcelona]: This way of cooperation could give examples to a lot of people that, through football and with organizations like UNICEF, we could improve our society. >> VOICEOVER: The Kids League may not have won the friendly match but a surprise meeting with their idol, African football star and Barça player Samuel Eto'o, left a winning smile on everyone's face. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unia_0908 <p>An energetic group of young people in Southern Africa, who first banded together to fight AIDS through education and performance, are now branching out into other areas, such as protecting the environment and even sports. Their ongoing project is an inspiring example to youths everywhere.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 28 May 2010 22:30:52 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unia_0908 HIV, Lesotho, UNICEF, AIDS pandemic, United Nations, AIDS, UN in Action, Health, Education >> VOICEOVER: The Gum Boot dance is a popular tradition in Lesotho in Southern Africa. These young people are performing it for a crucial cause: combating HIV/AIDS. The kingdom of Lesotho is one of the African countries hard-hit by the AIDS pandemic. More than 25 percent of its one million adult population are HIV positive. Most of them are relatively young. Five years ago, a group of youths in the city of Mohale's Hoek, 100 kilometers south of the capital Maseru, decided to organize themselves to fight against the disease. With support from the local community, the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, helped the group set up the Selibeng Youth Center. Combating AIDS was not the only motive, says coordinator Seipati Maphatsoe. >> SEIPATI MAPHATSOE: We established this group because we didn't want the youth from Mohale's Hoek to go on with crime. We want them to go on with their different activities. >> VOICEOVER: An old church is the base for their activities. The small library is a major source of information on AIDS and other subjects of interest to young people. The center also organizes English lessons. International organizations are providing significant support. On this day, UNICEF officials bring up-to-date information material on HIV/AIDS for members of the group to distribute. The UNICEF Representative in Lesotho is Bertrand Desmoulins. >> BERTRAND DESMOULINS: They are very good also in sensitizing their own peers and the adults of the community by having young actors among them and developing drama which highlights the issues of HIV/AIDS. >> VOICEOVER: In addition to talking to people and handing out information on the dangers of AIDS, the group employs the artistic talents of its members to highlight the evils of the disease. The main bus station in town is one of the venues for their performances. The group is also aware of the need to preserve the environment. A German volunteer teaches them how to use empty tin cans as construction material. They built this room to be used by HIV-positive teenage mothers and their babies. They are also shown how to harness solar energy. Making solar cookers from simple materials can replace firewood and save some of the trees, which have been disappearing fast in Lesotho. The group's proud of its activities and has a message for the country's younger generation. >> SEIPATI MAPHATSOE: We can say to the youth who are not doing anything, they just don't have to stay there and fold up their arms. They have to stand up as they are youth. They have to work hard to see to their future. >> VOICEOVER: Sport is another activity popular locally. UNICEF built this basketball court for members of the center, as well as for other youth groups. To generate income to support their activities, the group makes T-shirts. They sell them to local people and tourists. The prestigious Hotel Mount Maluti is one of their customers. The need for youth-friendly services in Lesotho is growing rapidly. The success of the Selibeng Youth Center in Mohale's Hoek is serving as a model for the rest of the country. This report was prepared by Kamil Taha for the United Nations.