HIV/AIDS is a problem of epidemic proportions in South Africa with the UNAIDS reporting 5.3 million people infected with the virus at the end of 2003. This number has increased exponentially, leaving thousands of orphaned children without a home, without a legal birth certificate, no resources to attend school or receive medical care. As you can imagine, this only compounds the problem of increasing incidence of HIV infections among the youth. With no social support, activities, or education about the disease these kids lack the life skills to be able to make the decisions to prevent transmission. By promoting healthy lifestyles, a huge change can be made in the course of this dangerous downward spiral that the community is taking due to the rise in HIV/AIDS related deaths.

Education/Training

Educating the community about HIV is the most important step in reducing the incidence of the disease. The key objectives are to reinforce the facts about HIV, de-stigmatize the disease itself so youth aren't afraid to learn their status, and then offer free testing at youth-focused events. In some of the communities in which we work, the programs we use for building life skills for youth and delivering the message about HIV/AIDS are already in place. However, they lack
the equipment needed to allow the programs to reach their full
potential. Support is also needed to provide the leaders of these programs formal training and an adequate understanding about the medical facts about HIV/AIDS..

Clinics/Services

Our primary partners on the ground in affected areas provide meaningful medical intervention in two ways: by providing free Volunteer Counseling and Testing (VCT) and by reaching into the communities to help manage the secondary infections of AIDS with over-the-counter treatments. Our Health Service Team provides support by helping these groups manage secondary infections, as well as providing basic primary care to the community during our trips. The period of time that our healthcare professionals can give to visit these communities is limited. Thus, our clinics serve more as an opportunity to educate the community's care givers, or Home Care Workers, rather than solely at as an opportunity to pass out western medications. TRIAD's clinics serve as a vehicle to deliver the message of the proper way to keep a wound clean, good hygiene, how to prevent the spread of disease between people, and warning signs of serious disease such as TB, pneumonia, or other opportunistic infections. Educating the local population about basic medical practice is crucial and scaling up the number of healthcare providers will be a huge addition.

Oral Health and Hygiene

Often the only trusted health care practitioners for members of their community, care givers have a unique opportunity to deliver basic life-saving solutions to common medical problems. Oral health and hygiene is a fundamental health concern that can be managed by the care givers with simple dental training. TRIAD's volunteer dental professionals train local care givers to treat mouth wounds and instruct them in the basics of oral hygiene. By reducing the number of open wounds in mouths, these newly trained oral health practitioners reduce the transmission of HIV, TB, and other opportunistic infections.

TRIAD's oral health team also conducts creative dental clinics and oral health programs at community after-school orphan care groups. Early intervention prevents gum disease and tooth decay. Those ailments too often lead to the dangerous open mouth wounds that transmit life-threatening diseases. TRIAD's dental volunteers use music and comedy to get kids excited about brushing their teeth and eating well.

Donations

There are some simple ways to improve basic healthcare provided in these areas. Medical supplies such as gloves, dressings/tape for wound care, and masks are costly items that are desperately needed. Additionally, topical analgesics, hydrocortisone, ibuprofen/tylenol, vitamins, and oral rehydration salts are urgently needed. We welcome donations of supplies and commit to getting them through to our partners. However, it can be difficult to ship such supplies internationally so financial contributions are an equally effective way to contribute. If you have healthcare experience (MD, DMD, RN, PA, NP, PT), donate your time. Contact us for information on donating your supplies or your experience.