TB/HIV Care goes to town for World TB Day!

Photo Credit: Takawira Dapi (cell: 074 078 9368)

MC, Yolanda Yawa and a group of treatment supporters look on as MEC for Health,
Mr Theuns Botha addresses the crowd at Thibault Square

TB/HIV Care Association brought World TB Day to the centre of Cape Town by holding a rally in Thibault Square that got the city dancing the diski dance in a bid to kick TB out of South Africa in 2010.

The MEC of Health, Mr Theuns Botha, got into the spirit of partnership that TB/HIV Care is advocating to fight TB and HIV, by signing a memorandum calling for an accelerated response to the most important public health challenges of our time.

Other NGOs also demonstrated their commitment to working together by participating in a health expo held at the Golden Acre. Foot traffic of between 15 000 to 20 000 people meant that the exhibitors were constantly busy as they measured body mass index, and informed interested passers-by about a variety of health issues – from nutrition and sensible drinking to epilepsy. TB/HIV Care’s voluntary testing and counselling team, who offered free TB and STI screening and HIV testing, were overwhelmed by the positive response to their services as Capetonians queued in droves outside the private testing tent.

In Thibault Square, 300 treatment supporters listened to music from the Jonathan Rubain Band and learnt the diski dance from the dynamic MC - fashionista and singer, Yolanda Yawa. Dr Ivan Bromfield, the Executive Director for Health for the City of Cape Town, addressed the crowd, acknowledging the role of TB/HIV Care’s TB Assistants in winning a prestigious United Nations Public Service Award.

The importance of the day was brought home as TB/HIV Care Association board member, Lionel Ridderhof, shared his personal story of surviving TB and brought the treatment supporter who helped him through his long treatment journey on stage to thank her publicly. Whether between government and civil society, or between NGOs, partnerships are powerful and nothing brought this home better than the partnership between these two individuals. Together, they cured Mr Ridderhof’s TB. By working together, TB/HIV Care hopes we can kick TB out of South Africa in 2010.