I have volunteered for CHIVA Africa since 2005 and have seen many changes take place with the rollout of antiretrovirals (ARVs) in KwaZulu Natal (KZN). When I compare my early visits in 2005 with my current trips, the growth and impact of the programme are highly visible and new challenges arise all the time. more…

I think our role is quite well covered by the slogan for sports footwear: “Just do it!”  It’s satisfying to sit beside a doctor who is not a paediatrician but a gynaecologist – he’s been assigned the children’s HIV clinic in this small provincial hospital.  He is reading from the slim, precise manual on how to treat HIV in children as he goes – and it works.  Sick children have grown from their last visit, their hair thickens and shines, their dull, sandpapery skin starts to become smooth and to glow, their faces become more animated and they talk, laugh, and learn.  The doctor might be a bit grumpy at getting this job, which he never asked for, but he’s doing it well. more…

Our story starts in March 2006.

Tayler Bequest Hospital is a beautiful looking building with a Cape Dutch exterior that concealed the true awfulness of what was seen there every day. When I arrived at 8am, a long queue already snaked out into the car park. People waited all day, most with HIV/AIDS related complications. The children’s ward was full.  About 10 children had spent more time in the hospital than at home. Many had not been tested for HIV but the clinical signs spoke for themselves. more…

2003 – it was the best of times and it was the worst of times for people in South Africa with HIV/AIDS. The national minister of health at the time promoted treatment based only on a diet of vegetables – beetroot, to name just one. The Treatment Action Campaign and clinicians were resolute in the need for treatment. Communities were spending weekends at funerals for young people. It was indeed desperate times! more…

In 2004, when the South African antiretroviral programme to tackle the HIV pandemic finally began, the concern turned to the management of children – the group that is always left behind. more…