Overview
At the official opening of the Mpilonhle Project in Mtubatuba, US Ambassador Eric Bost announced a generous R8.45 million donation to support the initiative, which has already received backing from Charlize Theron’s Africa Outreach Project and Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network. The project provides health services, HIV counseling, and computer education to pupils at four high schools in the Umkhanyakude District through mobile units. Charlize Theron, attending as guest of honor, emphasized the importance of local role models and expressed her hope that Mpilonhle would positively impact students’ lives, returning to witness their growth.
Article
AT the official opening of the Mpilonhle Project at Mtubatuba this week, US Ambassador Eric Bost announced he would be handing over R8.45-million to the project, which has already seen the financial backing of the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project as well as Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network.
On Thursday, Charlize Theron was guest of honour at the Mpilonhle (‘a good life’) official showcase of their school AIDS and health outreach program.
This sees mobile units travel to four high schools around the Umkhanyakude District for pupils to receive nursing, health screening, substance abuse counseling and HIV social workers, a health educator and computer instruction.
‘Over the last four year, we have provided R6- billion to almost four hundred dedicated South African partner organisation as well as the South African government,’ said Ambassador Bost.
Charlize woos
Theron braved strong winds at the function, and was bubbly and modest when speaking on the project, often deflecting references to her ‘movie star’ status.
‘We are here to make a change. There are so many young women in this school, sitting here today, who say they are looking for role models.
“They need look no further than their own school – their teachers, their principal, and their families.
‘I hope that through Mpilonhle we can change your lives positively, and come back again and again to visit you and see you flourish.’
Theron was accompanied by her mother, Gerda and her partner, actor Stuart Townsend, who both kept a very low profile during the formalities.
Comments
Concern over costly duplication
Oprah Winfrey and Charlize Theron, via their re- spective charitable and humanitarian organisations, are pumping huge amounts of celebrity money into the Mpilonhle HIV/Aids prevention unit at Mtubatuba.
Any sincere attempt at reducing the number of infections – especially among youth – is laudable.
The event, which took place amid great print and TV media coverage on Thursday, made for great ‘feel good’ publicity for the super stars.
However, this newspaper makes no apology for speaking out on two local issues pertaining to the launch which – had the proper homework and background checks been done – would not have cast a shadow on the proceedings. The fact is that with huge sums of money being spent, there should be careful planning and monitoring, and questions should be asked.
The first, and most obvious question is: why should a duplicate operation begin in an area where the Africa Centre already has a proud record of HIV/Aids research and intervention? The Centre claims to be well capable of fulfilling all the aims of the new Mpilonhle venture.
Instead, it has lost valuable staff members to the new unit. The circumstances under which the research head of Mpilonhle left the Africa Centre is also a cause for concern – he claiming that it was an amicable parting and the other party saying differently.
Another issue is the make-up of the Mpilonhle Board of Directors, which includes a high profile local government official presently under the microscope after a provincial audit.
