Choosing South Africa has gotten me flack from all directions. Though my parents have long been adjusting to my desire to work in sub-Saharan Africa, fun facts like the reported rate of rape in South Africa (the highest in the world) and the details on the violent nature of baboons (not to mention their tendency to walk across roads and not fear humans) have brought their anxiety to a climax. When hearing that I want to work in African development, or that I’m considering Peace Corps, friends with similar interest laugh at me. I want serve the ignored and suffering parts of Africa-and I’m going to Cape Town? With beautiful beaches, tourism, and a largely rich, white population? What was I thinking?
Though South Africa may be “Africa lite” (especially the west cape, which may be very lite), there is one big factor in which South Africa has not separated itself from the woes of its continent: disease burden, specifically HIV/AIDS. I’m a STIA major in the SFS, with a focus on Biotechnology and Global Health and a certificate in International Development. Not only is AIDS one of the most pressing challenges to international health systems today, but its effect on social systems (everything from orphan care to job productivity) and life expectancy (which is plummeting in the region when by all other logic it should be growing) makes AIDS response one of the great failures of modern development. In South Africa, I hope to understand how people think of the disease on the ground, and what kinds of response are truly effective.
Here's Cape Town- Soon I'll have a similar picture but with me in it!
