15 years of service of Blessed Gérard's HIV/AIDS Awareness Programme
In 1994, our newsletter said: "Eighteen members of our fraternity participated in a course for trainers in AIDS prevention, designed with the help of our diocesan AIDS team. Although we enjoyed the course, the subject of AIDS shocked us a lot. We formed three teams. One for the Mandikini area led by John Hlongwa, one for the Whebede area led by Conrad Khumalo and one for the Sundumbili area led by Dr Paul Thabethe. Dr Thabethe has taken many opportunities to speak on the subject, one of his lectures was even broadcast on Radio Zulu. We think this is very beneficial because it allows us to reach a much larger number of people. It is depressing that despite all this, many have never heard of AIDS. 1 December 1994 is World AIDS Day - let us pray for all the victims of this terrible disease."
quoted from the Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No. 04
Since then, Blessed Gérard's HIV/AIDS Awareness Programme has given many talks at youth events, to factories, industry managers and HIV/AIDS educators and others involved in HIV/AIDS work.
We have also done publications in various media.
Our AIDS work is featured as an example in a DVD for AIDS education in German schools and recently in a DVD used for AIDS education in the USA.
We have published HIV/AIDS information online in English and German (even with a video stream of an HIV/AIDS lecture), in Italian and Spanish.
Much of our HIV/AIDS education is now provided through our Blessed Gérard's Hospice Home Care Education Programme and our Blessed Gérard's Hospice HAART Programme.