Ngiyanemukela! Welcome!

There are so many things I could share with you here, so many different approaches to take in documenting my experience, living and working in South Africa. There’s so much I want to convey, where do I begin?

I guess I’ll start by introducing myself. Hi, I’m Noelle. I’m 22, a relatively recent NYU grad (May 2008 holla), and I work for this mega wonderful AIDS relief non-profit, Keep a Child Alive (KCA). KCA’s work is focused on providing the life-saving AIDS medication and surrounding care to children and families in Africa and India. To date, we’ve provided treatment and care to more than 45,000 people, and that number continues to grow with the generous support of people just like you.

I joined the Keep a Child Alive movement upon returning from my study abroad extravaganza with NYU in Ghana in Fall 2006 (my very first blogging experiment is archived at http://noeinghana.blogspot.com). During my time in Ghana, I volunteered at West African AIDS Foundation, and when came back to the U.S., I was eager to do more for the cause. I gravitated toward the KCA College Chapter at NYU, and since the very first club meeting, I was hooked. I cannot count the many hats I’ve worn as a part of the KCA team for the two years that have followed, but every role and experience has taught me that making a difference is really just about doing what you can, with what you have, where you are. (Thank you, Teddy Roosevelt)

So here I am, proudly assuming my new role as the Program Coordinator for the Blue Roof Clinic in Wentworth, Durban, South Africa. The Blue Roof Clinic is the first clinic wholly owned and operated by Keep a Child Alive, bringing our dream of comprehensive HIV care to life in a community where its services are desperately and urgently needed. We moved into our brand new state-of-the-art facility in December, and I am here to ensure that all of our programs are running as efficiently and effectively as possible. I'm looking forward to these next three months and all the hard work that is in store!

Thank you for joining me on this journey...