Nelson Mandela Foundation

KwaMakhutha community commits to taking responsibility on World AIDS Day

December 3, 2010 – The Nelson Mandela Foundation Dialogue Programme hosted an HIV/AIDS community conversation in KwaMakhutha in KwaZulu-Natal to commemorate World AIDS Day.

Voices from the community: Mbali Gumede

May 11, 2010 – “I had a boyfriend who didn’t value my opinion; whatever he said went. When the relationship started, we did not trust each other so we used a condom, for a while. Eight months into the relationship, we just stopped using condoms without even knowing each other’s status.

On World AIDS Day: starting where communities are

December 1, 2009 – As part of its ongoing work with communities throughout South Africa about the awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS, the Nelson Mandela Foundation convened 120 dialogues this year – 12 conversations in 10 communities in all nine provinces.

Community conversations

Dec 1, 2008 – The Nelson Mandela Foundation has published a booklet describing the series of 10 community conversations on HIV/AIDS around South Africa in 2008.

In his foreword to the booklet, Foundation CEO Achmat Dangor writes: “The 2008 dialogues held in 10 community settings have created a body of knowledge that policy makers, scientists and activists will certainly find useful. Most importantly, these dialogues have helped the local participants to confront that “unspeakable” presence in their midst: HIV prevalence and AIDS mortality. They now have the potential to be empowered and to act decisively.”

KwaMakhutha community conversation

Sept 8, 2008 – “Next year when the Nelson Mandela Foundation returns, I don’t want people to be putting down stones that represent me.” This powerful reflection came out of the “counting your losses” session at a township dialogue, where participants laid down small stones to represent the lives of loved ones lost through AIDS.