TRIAD works in communities with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the world. In some villages, more than 60% of the population is living with HIV or AIDS.

Where We Work

Picture 27

TRIAD’s current focus is on the Nkomazi Region of South Africa which has an HIV/AIDS rate of almost 50%– the highest in the world. We look forward to leaving the Nkomazi by 2012, when the local leaders have reached their sustainability targets; TRIAD’s leadership is currently working with community stakeholders in other high-prevalence areas to identify our next program area.

How the Nkomazi got that way:

The community of Nkomazi is evolving from a number of significant historic events which are contributing to poverty and AIDS. 

These include:

  • The war in Mozambique resulted in tens of thousands of refugees pouring into the country in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The refugees have settled in South Africa (SA) and many are contributing economically to the community. However, many do not have legal documents and are unable to access SA government’s social support grants.
  • During apartheid years the Nkomazi region was called the Kangwane Homeland and was used as a destination for many people forcefully removed from their traditional homes. The resettlement program of the apartheid government disturbed the natural evolution of communities thus creating numerous obstacles to sustainable development.
  • A substantial number of cross border visitors come to stay with extended family members in Nkomazi with hopes of gaining employment to improve their lives.
  • Climatic changes, with drought one year then abundance of rain the next, creates an uneven harvest and income for farmers.
  • Unemployment is estimated to be well above 60% with the major employers being Government and the commercial sugar and citrus farms located 30-50kms away. The rural villages of Nkomazi, which house the majority of the population, support no manufacturing industry, and thus employment is sought from urban areas such as Nelspruit, Witbank, Johannesburg. This disrupts family structures and distorts the social development of children. There are many factors contributing to unemployment in the region, ranging from political insecurity, to new minimum wage laws to farm retrenchments of labor.*