Raphael Centre

I was finally able to meet with Nola, the coordinator of my volunteering at the Raphael Centre in Grahamstown.  The Raphael Centre serves as a non-profit HIV/AIDS clinic offering free HIV testing and focusing on pre-, during, and post-diagnosis counseling.  HIV/AIDS and public health have recently become two strong areas of interest for me, thanks to the AMAZING classes I took this past semester at BC.  Though the final details have not been completely ironed out yet, I am planning on volunteering twice a week: one day with the preschool and one day with a pre-camp support group.  Some friends of mine from BC, who studied abroad at Rhodes last year, are the co-directors of a new program at the Raphael Centre, Camp Siyaphumelela (translation from Xhosa: we are succeeding).  They will be returning to Grahamstown in June, but until then I intend to help them as much as I can in getting this program up and running.  I will be meeting with groups of the camp participants in order to get to know them and learn what it is they hope to get out of this camp.  The focus is on HIV/AIDS, but it seeks to help the children and young adults cope with whatever it is they might be struggling with.  This will undoubtedly be a powerful experience and I know it will not be without difficulties, but I am really looking forward to getting involved here in Grahamstown.