AIDSbuzz

In the next five or so years that I worked at the bank, I did all sorts of short courses and workshops like assertiveness training, corporate awareness, supervisory skills and a victim to victor course. These helped me tremendously and empowered me to improve myself in so many ways. The courses made me realise I wasn’t perfect and that I could change.

I had been in denial for 10 years about my HIV-positive status, and when I realised my life was not coming to an end, I decided it was time to face reality and make a fundamental change. I was 28 years old when I decided to do my matric and it took me one year at school. I then left the bank and did a few different jobs before returning to the bank as a Customer Care Consultant.

After a few more years with Standard Bank, I wasn’t able to work properly due to illness, and I left. My health has dramatically improved since I started taking antiretrovirals and, two years ago, I began volunteering for TAC, looking after support groups.

The opportunity arose to study with TAC as a Treatment Literacy Practitioner. This was a course that addressed the basic needs of HIV-positive people. It took a year full-time and I was based at the TAC offices and in day hospitals. It was really rewarding and opened my eyes to what I could do to help other people.

A month after this programme finished, I started on the TAC Media Programme. They urgently needed an Afrikaans-speaking media liaison person and I knew I had the right personality for this. I was one of about 20 people on this course, who came from all over the country. It involved a month of intensive media training, where I learned about grammar and how to write, conduct interviews and approach the media. I learned what to say and when to say it (and what not to say), and how to put my point across without stepping over the line. We had guest speakers like lawyers and writers from Mail and Guardian and Die Burger. And we also got photography training and were taught TV skills. I learned so much - it was fantastic.

This training has created so many opportunities for me. I now travel a lot, to places like the Free State and Namibia, to run workshops that show people the reality of living with the virus. At the same time I combine this with journalistic work.

The training courses have opened my eyes to bigger things in life. They have helped me put my focus on other things, instead of just thinking about myself. I have seen that education can be empowering and has served to broaden my horizons and knowledge to live a much better life.”

Roderick Clarence can be contacted via the Treatment Action Campaign’s headquarters on 021 778 3507 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also visit www.tac.org.za.