Tshabalala-Msimang, of first Braille versions of Khomanani booklets to Council
for the Blind
17 March 2006
Programme Director
Honoured Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
My pleasant task today is to hand over to the National Council for the
Blind, the first Braille versions of our Khomanani campaign booklets.
As you are aware, Khomanani is the governmentâs main communication campaign
on HIV and AIDS as well as tuberculosis (TB). It was launched about five years
ago and has gone from strength to strength, always looking for new ways:
* To spread the message of respecting life and preventing HIV infection.
* To inspire hope and healthy living.
* And to help people to understand how treatment works in the case of both AIDS
and TB.
I am sure many of you have come across Khomananiâs adverts on radio or have
heard of the youth series called CHOICE which was run on SABC1 last year. If
not, I should tell you that CHOICE will be back this winter. It is a programme
about young people involving real people with real problems and it is very
honest in its search for answers. Our communication campaign has catered to
some extent for people who have sight disabilities. For instance, we were the
first country to produce our Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS and Sexually
Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Braille and this was followed by the
production of audio tapes on HIV and AIDS.
However, we have also known that we should be doing more. We appreciate that
people should be able to get hold of useful information when they need it not
only when we are running a big public campaign. That is why we put quite a lot
of effort into printing leaflets and booklets.
People can use these booklets when they need them. If they cannot remember
certain things about our messages, they can always go back and reread these
information and education materials. They can also share the leaflets and
pamphlets with others.
There is something very special and empowering about the written word. And
people value it especially when it comes to a private matter like your own
health.
We are therefore very pleased to have come to the point where Khomananiâs
booklets are being produced in Braille. One of the two publications we are
launching today deals with having an HIV test and dealing constructively with
the result of the test whether it tells you that you are living with HIV or
not.
The other booklet is about TB. Obviously it tells you about the symptoms of
TB, the fact that it can be cured and how. It goes further and covers for
instance the issues of rights of workers with TB and how TB affects
children.
These are the first two booklets but, I can promise, there will be more.
Your feedback can help us to decide which of the materials we should prioritise
and produce in Braille. We are also interested to hear which type of
communication you find most useful.
I must admit that the constant request of people living with disabilities to
have user friendly material has played a role in producing these booklets. The
AIDS and TB Unit on the Department of Health have over years worked with
various sectors. Among the best organised sectors is the sector for people with
disabilities, chaired by Hendrietta Bogopane who is also a member of the
national parliament.
The meetings of the disability sector are always very vibrant. Your
representatives do not hesitate to take us to task and argue for government to
improve efforts to respond to groups with special needs. One of their main
areas of concern is the need to improve communication with people who have
hearing and sight disabilities.
We know this is a fairly small victory in your struggle for access to
information, but it is a sign that we recognise your needs and are making
efforts to respond to them.
About five out of every 100 South Africans has a disability that is a large
number of people, more than 2,2 million. However, people with disabilities are
not all the same and their diversity often makes it even more difficult to
adequately meet the needs of each group.
But there is one need that all people shares and that is the need to
develop, to grow and to make the most of all the abilities that we have. This
government has indeed made deliberate efforts to create equal opportunities for
all. There is still a long way to go but we have demonstrated over the past 11
years that we determined to build a society that is free of all forms of
discrimination, be it race, gender, disability or HIV status.
The Department of Health is making its contribution to meeting the need for
personal growth and empowerment. Our communication and social mobilisation
campaign is an inclusive programme for all South Africans because we know that
HIV, AIDS and TB do not discriminate. We are all at risk and we all need to
protect ourselves.
As we hand over these booklets today, our plea to you is to read them and
empower yourselves. Spread the word to others who are less equipped to read and
understand the content of these booklets.
This book launch is about communication but, even more importantly, it is
about inclusion. We hope it contributes in mobilising all of us in a national
effort to safeguard the health of our nation and to build a society that cares
for the sick and the powerless.
I thank you for the opportunity to talk to you and to hand over these
precious tools to the hands that can make use of them.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of health
17 March 2006
