When Xoliswa Fana discovered that she was HIV positive, she immediately turned to her union for support. The South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) did not let her down. The teacher from a rural part of the Eastern Cape Province quickly became involved in a life-saving teacher union AIDS project.

The AIDS Project for South African Educators, established by a grant to the AFT and South African unions from the U.S. government's President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) partners, helped Xoliswa access antiretroviral (ARV) drug treatment. She also got counseling through the program and learned to accept her HIV status.

Xoliswa became a leading activist for South African teachers responding to HIV and AIDS.

The AIDS Project gives Xoliswa the chance to share her knowledge with other educators, who she believes are "vital if the children are to be properly educated for South Africa's future." Xoliswa was among the first of 60 Master Trainers recruited for the AIDS Project. In her first six months as a trainer, she trained 388 teachers educators from as many schools in her province. They in turned conducted sessions with their colleagues and in total Xoliswa was responsible for more then 4,000 teachers receiving information on HIV prevention, counseling, testing and treatment. "This AIDS Project is the first project in South Africa targeting educators," according to Xoliswa. "At last we have a program that addresses us, so teachers can help other educators," she says.

When her union began recruiting AIDS ambassadors for the AIDS Project to combat HIV and AIDS stigmatization and discrimination in schools, Xoliswa was again an eager volunteer. She is one of those exceptional people willing to talk to others about her HIV status and how to live a positive life on ARV treatment.

Xoliswa and many other teachers are benefiting from timely and affordable ARV treatment. She has a strong and influential voice in her union, where she strives to break the silence and educate fellow teachers and students about HIV and AIDS.

Willy Madisha, former president of SADTU, said, "It is through the resources that we get from the AFT and PEPFAR that we are able to deal with the tremendous challenges we teachers have in South Africa in this fight against AIDS."

For more stories from our teacher ambassadors,
read Hlanganani, Edition 2, Sept. 2006.