Monday, 30 March 2009
Ready To Go!!
I'm all packed now and ready to go. I have arranged all i can now, so its a case of just sitting back and hoping for the best. This time tomorrow evening 22:30 I will be sitting in Dubai airport, its such a strange thought when I have been so used to my routine at home, but then again if I were not about to go on an adventure then I wouldn't be me. I imagine Johannesburg to be very warm, quite littered and a mixture of race, kind of like London spiced up, Ill tell you how It actually appears when i get there. I am spending four days in Johannesburg before I fly to Durban, I would like to visit the apartheid Museum, but most of all I want to experience SOWETO. I am sure I have plenty of time to do this, I'm just going to have to find someone who is willing to accompany me, because i do not fancy wondering around SOWETO or Johannesburg alone. Ok wish me luck with the traveling and ill update you as soon as i get near the net. Niabonga Kakulu (thank you in Zulu)
Monday, 9 March 2009
Answers To Your Questions
I received an Email commenting about a couple of quotes on this blog, I am not an expert in HIV/AIDS or the workings of the Human mind, but i will do my best to answer your questions and comments from my own experiences and point of view.
My quote;
"I use my time to learn as much as possible about people and the ability we have to overcome most obstacles."
This comment was raised;
I actually wondered if we (as human kind) are better at creating obstacles then over coming them.
My answer;
Personally I believe we create obstacles every day, overcoming these obstacles is down to the individuals it involves. I like to climb and have found my self half way up a 600ft face of rock, looking at the next part of the climb I realised it was far harder than anything I had, or wanted to climb. This rock had always been there and it was my choice to turn it into an obstacle that stood in front of me, I could have passed it by, but I chose to climb and at the top I sat with two good friends and watched the sun set behind the mountains. My point is that we are Human and we create problems and obstacles, we always have and always will. It is up to us as individuals to choose if the obstacles we face will help us grow in strength or if they will kill us off. Obstacles will always be here, but seeing somebody working at overcoming one, or working to overcome one your self gives off an Epic feeling. That feeling is very contagious and will attract others to help over come the given obstacle. Think Positive
The next comment was;
but we could overcome it (HIV/AIDS) if we were monogamous and yet seem incapable of being so. What do you think?
My view;
I think being faith full to a sexual partner is very important not just because of the risk of HIV, STI's or pregnancy, but because of the selfish, lost and lonely emotions people get from sleeping around. This is not good for society or the individual, it breeds a greed for sex which in turn spreads illness. I believe this could be advertised more, along with the need for people to be tested if changing sexual partner. The media seems adamant on advertising war, Drugs, people being stabbed and shot, never that AIDS has killed another number of people and HIV is spreading fast. If people were properly educated about HIV/AIDS and then continually reminded, I believe it would become more apparent to act on prevention. As we over come more and more obstacles we adapt and change accordingly, this is inevitable. Today younger people have a very casual approach to sex, so why not accept this? I am not trying to contradict my self here, but if we accept the change in sexual behavior, we may find it easier to hammer home the consequences casual sex has through understanding. Morals are good to have, but they must be learnt, so why don't we teach rather than assume others will catch up? Lets act on the obstacle we have created rather than passing it by or looking for another.
Thank you for your comments, please keep them coming. I have set up a comment option on the blog, but if it is not working please feel free to send an Email. ben-jam-in@hotmail.co.uk
Cheers Benj
My quote;
"I use my time to learn as much as possible about people and the ability we have to overcome most obstacles."
This comment was raised;
I actually wondered if we (as human kind) are better at creating obstacles then over coming them.
My answer;
Personally I believe we create obstacles every day, overcoming these obstacles is down to the individuals it involves. I like to climb and have found my self half way up a 600ft face of rock, looking at the next part of the climb I realised it was far harder than anything I had, or wanted to climb. This rock had always been there and it was my choice to turn it into an obstacle that stood in front of me, I could have passed it by, but I chose to climb and at the top I sat with two good friends and watched the sun set behind the mountains. My point is that we are Human and we create problems and obstacles, we always have and always will. It is up to us as individuals to choose if the obstacles we face will help us grow in strength or if they will kill us off. Obstacles will always be here, but seeing somebody working at overcoming one, or working to overcome one your self gives off an Epic feeling. That feeling is very contagious and will attract others to help over come the given obstacle. Think Positive
The next comment was;
but we could overcome it (HIV/AIDS) if we were monogamous and yet seem incapable of being so. What do you think?
My view;
I think being faith full to a sexual partner is very important not just because of the risk of HIV, STI's or pregnancy, but because of the selfish, lost and lonely emotions people get from sleeping around. This is not good for society or the individual, it breeds a greed for sex which in turn spreads illness. I believe this could be advertised more, along with the need for people to be tested if changing sexual partner. The media seems adamant on advertising war, Drugs, people being stabbed and shot, never that AIDS has killed another number of people and HIV is spreading fast. If people were properly educated about HIV/AIDS and then continually reminded, I believe it would become more apparent to act on prevention. As we over come more and more obstacles we adapt and change accordingly, this is inevitable. Today younger people have a very casual approach to sex, so why not accept this? I am not trying to contradict my self here, but if we accept the change in sexual behavior, we may find it easier to hammer home the consequences casual sex has through understanding. Morals are good to have, but they must be learnt, so why don't we teach rather than assume others will catch up? Lets act on the obstacle we have created rather than passing it by or looking for another.
Thank you for your comments, please keep them coming. I have set up a comment option on the blog, but if it is not working please feel free to send an Email. ben-jam-in@hotmail.co.uk
Cheers Benj
Thursday, 5 March 2009
My first diary entry
I am 25 days from leaving now. The build up to the 31st of March has been like climbing an unforgiving mountain, the last few steps are always the most tiring. I am hoping from here on in it will be a ride that takes control of me (I'm sure it will).
This year i have worked extremely hard, day and night, sometimes not going home for days simply to get as many shifts in as possible. I work for St Anne's community services and without them this trip would not have been possible. Working with people is what i love, weather it be my colleagues or the service users, they have all provided me with more support than i could have wished for, I do not know how to thank you guys at St Anne's other than to work hard in South Africa and bring what i learn home to you, Thank you! My friends and family have been my balance when not at work, thank you too.
My inspiration for going to work in South Africa has come from my Grandma, Olive Yates. As a young boy I remember these black African people coming to our house for a meal once every couple of years. I never understood who they were or why our family had anything to do with them until I began to grow older and ask questions. My questions were never fully answered, but now I am a grown man my Gran opened a whole new, or should i say distant world to me and now I understand why my questions were so kindly avoided. Grandma met a South African Father called Simeon. Farther Simeon turned up at Grandmas church one day through his mission work. My Gran was touched by this mans strength of mind and hope for his country. As she continued to get to know Farther Simeon, she began to feel this mysterious pain he carried with him, the pain of his people. At this time South Africa was in the middle of Apartheid. All Blacks, Asians, whites etc were being separated into race. This was conducted by looks. so if a person had black features then they were classed as black and if they had Asian features they were Asian, this often meant that families were split simply because they did not look the same. Most of the native South Africans where pushed out of cities like Johannesburg where the land is rich with gold, out to lands that are not even good for farming, all so the white man could mine for his riches. The people affected by the Apartheid started to protest and show resistance and this resulted in many people being massacred. Hearing these story's of blood shed from Farther Simeon did not frightened my grandma, it drove her to follow Farther Simeon back to South Africa, so she could see with her own eyes, the pain he was caring with him.
My role is to try and follow on from where my Grandma left off. There is no Apartheid any more, but the after math, like in any war is disease and poverty. My role in South Africa will be to support people who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. I will be going for three months and have a sneaky suspicion that this trip will change my life.
Over the last 12 months i have completed two sponsored walks and conducted a charity auction. The first walk I completed was the National three peaks, the three highest mountains in Britain, all good fun until I found my self stuck on Snowdon in the dead of night, with my step dad. The second walk was the Yorkshire three peaks which i completed with two good friends. The auction took a lot of work, but it payed off in the end. I also received a very generous sponsor from Huddersfield's Pen Dragon, so all in all a very successful year thanks to a great team of people.
Before the end of this log i want to thank;
All my friends and Family
Everyone at Work
Pen Dragon
Kirkheaton School
Czerwiks
You have all helped me reach my goal, Thank you!
This year i have worked extremely hard, day and night, sometimes not going home for days simply to get as many shifts in as possible. I work for St Anne's community services and without them this trip would not have been possible. Working with people is what i love, weather it be my colleagues or the service users, they have all provided me with more support than i could have wished for, I do not know how to thank you guys at St Anne's other than to work hard in South Africa and bring what i learn home to you, Thank you! My friends and family have been my balance when not at work, thank you too.
My inspiration for going to work in South Africa has come from my Grandma, Olive Yates. As a young boy I remember these black African people coming to our house for a meal once every couple of years. I never understood who they were or why our family had anything to do with them until I began to grow older and ask questions. My questions were never fully answered, but now I am a grown man my Gran opened a whole new, or should i say distant world to me and now I understand why my questions were so kindly avoided. Grandma met a South African Father called Simeon. Farther Simeon turned up at Grandmas church one day through his mission work. My Gran was touched by this mans strength of mind and hope for his country. As she continued to get to know Farther Simeon, she began to feel this mysterious pain he carried with him, the pain of his people. At this time South Africa was in the middle of Apartheid. All Blacks, Asians, whites etc were being separated into race. This was conducted by looks. so if a person had black features then they were classed as black and if they had Asian features they were Asian, this often meant that families were split simply because they did not look the same. Most of the native South Africans where pushed out of cities like Johannesburg where the land is rich with gold, out to lands that are not even good for farming, all so the white man could mine for his riches. The people affected by the Apartheid started to protest and show resistance and this resulted in many people being massacred. Hearing these story's of blood shed from Farther Simeon did not frightened my grandma, it drove her to follow Farther Simeon back to South Africa, so she could see with her own eyes, the pain he was caring with him.
My role is to try and follow on from where my Grandma left off. There is no Apartheid any more, but the after math, like in any war is disease and poverty. My role in South Africa will be to support people who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. I will be going for three months and have a sneaky suspicion that this trip will change my life.
Over the last 12 months i have completed two sponsored walks and conducted a charity auction. The first walk I completed was the National three peaks, the three highest mountains in Britain, all good fun until I found my self stuck on Snowdon in the dead of night, with my step dad. The second walk was the Yorkshire three peaks which i completed with two good friends. The auction took a lot of work, but it payed off in the end. I also received a very generous sponsor from Huddersfield's Pen Dragon, so all in all a very successful year thanks to a great team of people.
Before the end of this log i want to thank;
All my friends and Family
Everyone at Work
Pen Dragon
Kirkheaton School
Czerwiks
You have all helped me reach my goal, Thank you!
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Hello every one
I am relly sorry but i am haveing trouble loading up videos, so i am going to be doing more writing and snap shots, i hope you find it just as interesting.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
HIV could be your best friend!
Our bodies are made up of cells as you probably know. Each one of these cells has a different job in keeping us alive and healthy. some of these cells are carried around our body's by our blood, we usually call these cells, The White Blood Cell.
White blood cells fight illness, they are our natural medicine. Our blood is like a river which transports these good cells around our body's. There are two kinds of white blood cell which work together as a team.
If you catch a cold, you have picked up a bad cell which finds its way into your blood. like the good cells, your blood will also transport the bad cells around your body. As the bad cells travel round your blood they look for a place where they can stop and make their selves at home, once they find a place to stop you begin to feel their affect, runny nose, itchy eyes and fever are just some of the results a bad cold cell will cause. The reason you may feel tired when you have a cold is because your body is beginning to deploy its good white blood cells into action, this can use allot of your energy without you knowing that anything is happening inside you.
As the bad cells travel through your blood the white blood cells swim into action working as a team. The first cell finds the bad cell and grabs hold of it like a lion catching its prey. While the first cell holds on to the bad cell, the second white cell comes along and kills the bad cell. The second white cell kills the bad cell by eating its way inside the bad cell and uses it to multiply into many more of its self. basically the second white cell has baby's with the bad cell, but all the baby's are born, good white cells. After this has happened over and over the amount of white cells over powers the bad and you start to feel much better.
Now if you imagine the bad cell is HIV we have a much different story. The first white cell still does its job by catching and holding on to the HIV cell, but This is just what HIV wants. When the second white cell comes along and try's to eat its way into HIV and kill it, the tables turn. The HIV cell is much more powerful than the second white cell and it eats its way into the white cell. Just like before the cell uses the other to multiply into many of its self, but this time the HIV overpowers and kills all the good white cells.
We call the white cells in our blood, our immune system. If our immune system becomes very weak it leaves us vulnerable to infections like cancer and pneumonia. With a weak immune system illnesses like these will kill. This makes HIV a deadly virus, although HIV is not the cell that kills, it is the cell that breaks us down leaving us weak and in wait of death to take us. HIV prepares us slowly for death.
If you have ever had to come to terms with something as destructive as HIV in your life, you will know that learning to live with the thing that will lead you to die can only be done in one way, Make it your best friend and use it against itself.
White blood cells fight illness, they are our natural medicine. Our blood is like a river which transports these good cells around our body's. There are two kinds of white blood cell which work together as a team.
If you catch a cold, you have picked up a bad cell which finds its way into your blood. like the good cells, your blood will also transport the bad cells around your body. As the bad cells travel round your blood they look for a place where they can stop and make their selves at home, once they find a place to stop you begin to feel their affect, runny nose, itchy eyes and fever are just some of the results a bad cold cell will cause. The reason you may feel tired when you have a cold is because your body is beginning to deploy its good white blood cells into action, this can use allot of your energy without you knowing that anything is happening inside you.
As the bad cells travel through your blood the white blood cells swim into action working as a team. The first cell finds the bad cell and grabs hold of it like a lion catching its prey. While the first cell holds on to the bad cell, the second white cell comes along and kills the bad cell. The second white cell kills the bad cell by eating its way inside the bad cell and uses it to multiply into many more of its self. basically the second white cell has baby's with the bad cell, but all the baby's are born, good white cells. After this has happened over and over the amount of white cells over powers the bad and you start to feel much better.
Now if you imagine the bad cell is HIV we have a much different story. The first white cell still does its job by catching and holding on to the HIV cell, but This is just what HIV wants. When the second white cell comes along and try's to eat its way into HIV and kill it, the tables turn. The HIV cell is much more powerful than the second white cell and it eats its way into the white cell. Just like before the cell uses the other to multiply into many of its self, but this time the HIV overpowers and kills all the good white cells.
We call the white cells in our blood, our immune system. If our immune system becomes very weak it leaves us vulnerable to infections like cancer and pneumonia. With a weak immune system illnesses like these will kill. This makes HIV a deadly virus, although HIV is not the cell that kills, it is the cell that breaks us down leaving us weak and in wait of death to take us. HIV prepares us slowly for death.
If you have ever had to come to terms with something as destructive as HIV in your life, you will know that learning to live with the thing that will lead you to die can only be done in one way, Make it your best friend and use it against itself.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
DID YOU KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did you know that 74% of the worlds HIV infected live in South Africa!
Did you know that every day through out the world 17000 people die of AIDS!
Did you know that every day through out the world 14000 people are infected with HIV!
Did you know that each day in Britain, 200 people die of AIDS without ever knowing they were infected with HIV!
These are just a short list of facts about HIV/AIDS. Please keep calling in to this Blog and ill keep the knowledge flowing. I am hoping that this Blog will become more and more evident of how this devastating virus can affect us people.
Did you know that every day through out the world 17000 people die of AIDS!
Did you know that every day through out the world 14000 people are infected with HIV!
Did you know that each day in Britain, 200 people die of AIDS without ever knowing they were infected with HIV!
These are just a short list of facts about HIV/AIDS. Please keep calling in to this Blog and ill keep the knowledge flowing. I am hoping that this Blog will become more and more evident of how this devastating virus can affect us people.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
Hill Crest Aids
Hill Crest Aids is a charity based in Durban, South Africa. Hill Crest run several projects in and around Durban.
The main aim of the charity is to educate people who have been subject to poverty since and before the Apartheid.
The education includes a Horticulture project, Feeding project, Schooling project and an Arts and Crafts project. The charity also provides a respite centre for people who are in the later stages of AIDS, a place of comfort, somewhere to ease their pain before they die.
This is not where it ends though. Hill Crest have dedicated Nurses who travel out into the dangerous surrounding areas of Durban to provide HIV victims with Anti retro viral treatment which helps fight the virus, allowing HIV victims a longer pain free life.
The fight against HIV/AIDS is now a global situation, but Charity's like Hill Crest give people hope, Hope that one day we will beat this virus!!
The main aim of the charity is to educate people who have been subject to poverty since and before the Apartheid.
The education includes a Horticulture project, Feeding project, Schooling project and an Arts and Crafts project. The charity also provides a respite centre for people who are in the later stages of AIDS, a place of comfort, somewhere to ease their pain before they die.
This is not where it ends though. Hill Crest have dedicated Nurses who travel out into the dangerous surrounding areas of Durban to provide HIV victims with Anti retro viral treatment which helps fight the virus, allowing HIV victims a longer pain free life.
The fight against HIV/AIDS is now a global situation, but Charity's like Hill Crest give people hope, Hope that one day we will beat this virus!!
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