Offering Hope in Sharpeville

by José M. Zuniga
from International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care

September 2004

The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) is establishing a Center of Excellence in Sharpeville, South Africa, which, in addition to offering care and support to HIV-positive citizens of the township, will serve as a medical education hub for physicians and allied healthcare professionals throughout southern Africa.

The site of an infamous massacre that was a turning point in the fight to end apartheid, and currently a deeply impoverished township suffering high incidence of HIV/AIDS, Sharpeville is a suitable location, both for symbolic and practical reasons, for IAPAC to begin its care provision effort. We have obtained an abandoned hospital complex to serve as the physical location for the Center of Excellence, and we are raising funds to begin rehabilitating the buildings and covering other expenses.

Helping in IAPAC's effort is Melissa Fitzgerald, an actress on NBC's political drama "The West Wing" as well as an individual who is dedicated to humanitarian outreach. As a guest of IAPAC's African Regional Office (IAPAC-AFRO) earlier this summer, Melissa visited the future site of our Center of Excellence and spent time getting to know IAPAC staff as well as members of the Sharpeville community.

The pictures accompanying this month's Report From the President (see below) represent a visual record of Melissa's trip. They offer a glimpse of both the challenges and the resilient hope that is everywhere evident in Sharpeville. I hope to report additional good news in the near future. In the meantime, I welcome your support!


Helping Hand: (Clockwise from top) Actress Melissa Fitzgerald, IAPAC staff members, and a Sharpeville township council member inside the future site of IAPAC's Center of Excellence; Fitzgerald visits a children's center; and she listens to a Sharpeville resident's description of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the impoverished township. (Photo: Kristin T. M. Burns.)

Helping Hand

(Clockwise from top) Actress Melissa Fitzgerald, IAPAC staff members, and a Sharpeville township council member inside the future site of IAPAC's Center of Excellence; Fitzgerald visits a children's center; and she listens to a Sharpeville resident's description of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the impoverished township. (Photo credit: Kristin T. M. Burns.)

José M. Zuniga is President/CEO of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC), and Editor-in-Chief of the IAPAC Monthly.