We are thrilled to announce that the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative has received a donation of $2747 from Moksha Yoga Winnipeg. As a community service, this hot yoga centre holds ‘karma’ classes three times a week, where admission is by donation ($5 minimum) and the entire amount raised goes to a local charity. Little Travellers was the beneficiary of all the money raised in these classes for the month of January – a record amount for Moksha! This money will help Little Travellers to support South Africans affected by poverty and HIV. Now that’s good karma!

Moksha Yoga Winnipeg is located at 7-2 Donald St. in Winnipeg, Manitoba, or online at www.mokshayogawinnipeg.com. Their ‘karma’ yoga takes place every Wednesday and Friday evenings.

To learn more about the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative and for more fundraising ideas to help South Africans affected by HIV, please visit www.littletravellers.net.

Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative Recruiting for Leadership Positions in Manitoba

Who We Are

The Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative is a campaign by concerned global citizens whose mission is to facilitate the empowerment of South African women affected by HIV/AIDS, through the impassioned marketing of Little Travellers – small, beaded doll-broaches that are made as an income generation project of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust.  Moreover, all further proceeds from the sale of the Little Travellers go towards helping the Hillcrest AIDS Centre to provide care and support to the people of the AIDS-ravaged Valley of a Thousand Hills in South Africa.  One by one, Little Travellers have spread across the globe, carrying with them messages of hope and upliftment; our group of volunteer has sold more than 80,000 dolls and raised nearly $200,000 in three years, thereby creating and maintaining employment for over 100 families affected by HIV/AIDS.

Since our inception in 2005 as a student-run humanitarian project at the University of Manitoba, the Little Travellers Initiative has proven to be a true grassroots success story.  With generous funding from University of Manitoba student groups, the project is able to send 100% of funds from the sales of the dolls directly to South Africa to support individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS. Having expanded beyond university campuses to include the contributions from volunteers of all ages and backgrounds, our project has also expanded its operations across Canada and the globe; Little Travellers has established respected chapters from North Carolina to South Korea, with an even larger network of dedicated volunteer sellers across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.  Nevertheless, our initiative headquarters and leadership base remains in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Our Needs

We are currently in search of passionate and committed individuals to join our working board in Winnipeg, Manitoba to help in the coordination and direction of this important project.  We are looking for anyone who would like to share in the amazing opportunity to make a real and tangible difference to communities affected by poverty and disease in Africa.  Previous experience with the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative is not necessary. We are looking for the following:

Volunteer Coordinator.  This person must have the following attributes:
•    Dedication and hardworking
•    Excellent interpersonal skills
•    Absolute fluency with the mission and purpose of Little Travellers; confidence when speaking to potential customers and volunteers about what we are and what we do
•    Organize and lead volunteer meetings; establish and enforce rules created by LT for the Volunteers
•    Access to an efficient means of transportation; willingness to sometimes pick up displays and drop off when needed
•    Ability to recruit and maintain continual list of volunteers
•    Maintain a file of all volunteers with a survey listing specific details concerning their possible involvement in LT
•    Ability to ensure proper record keeping before and after events
•    Willingness and ability to recruit volunteers for a particular event in a timely fashion (as is allowed by the booking of the event)
•    Prompt response to volunteers offering to help OR expressing their regret at not being able to help. Must always respond to every email from a volunteer.
•    Access to email and phone before, during, after event times for emergencies/questions

Events Coordinator.  We are looking for someone who has the following:
•    Dedication to the cause and mission of the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative
•    Strong organization skills
•    Ability to work as part of a team, communicating closely with Volunteer Coordinator and Distribution Coordinator, among others
•    Must be able to be proactive and take initiative in finding and researching suitable events at which to sell Little Travellers
•    Must be able to communicate effectively and passionately with organizers of said events, in order to negotiate our presence
•    Must be willing to help the Volunteer Coordinator in recruiting amongst our volunteers to fill slots in manning tables and selling Little Travellers at the events
•    Must be able to attend and contribute to monthly or bimonthly board meetings
•    Must be able to coordinate other volunteers to help with the above

Retail Coordinator
•    Dedication to the cause and mission of the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative
•    Fluency with the mission and purpose of Little Travellers;
•    Confidence to address staff and/or management of retailers to discuss what Little Travellers are, what we do and why, as well as how they can help us
•    Strong organization skills to maintain accounts for the retail stores in Winnipeg selling Little Travellers (of which there are presently two dozen)
•    Ability to work as part of a team, communicating closely with Distribution Coordinator, among others
•    Access to transportation in order to visit retailers to replenish their stock, provide informative materials, and to address needs of the retailers; this may need to occur especially frequently around the holidays
•    Have the time during extended work hours to visit stores, as mentioned above
•    Must be able to attend and contribute to monthly or bimonthly board meetings
•    Must be able to coordinate other volunteers to help with the above

Other Volunteer Opportunities:
We are always looking for volunteers, and are happy to find a role for everyone interested, based on your skills and expectations.  If you do not feel well suited or cannot commit the time or energy to serve in the above positions, we’d still love to find a place for you within our organization. Please email ilan@littletravellers.net to discuss further.

How to Apply

Interested applicants who think that they may be suitable to fill the above positions and join the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative working board should email a cover letter introducing themselves and stating for which position they would like to be considered, and explaining how and why they feel that they can contribute to the Little Travellers’ board.  Applicants are also encouraged to forward CV (or resume), so we can have an idea about previous experiences and expertise that you can bring to our campaign.  Applications should be sent via email by Wed., September 17th, 2008.

The Month of May will be the biggest for the Little Travellers in Korea yet! There are two great events planned for this month, with high hopes of selling a record number of pins for our Korean chapter.

Bake-Off!

The first event, a Little Travellers Bake-Off will be held Sunday, May 18 at Wien Cake House in Itaewon. Bakers who enter their delicacies stand a chance to win some awesome prizes. Cakes, muffins, pies, cookies or anything sweet and baked are welcome. For those who prefer to indulge: pay 10,000W at the door, receive your Little Traveller and get a chance to sample the desserts and vote for your favourite dish. Doors open at 3 o’clock.

Interested bakers should fill out the entry form on our webpage. Also, please read the rules and guidelines for the contest, also available on our website.

If there are any questions or request in regards to the entry-form or rules please contact: korea@littletravellers.net or phone 010-8694-6561 (English assistance) or 011-9029-3094 (Korean assistance).

A Common Cause!

May 31^st will see the Little Travellers largest event to date as it teams up with KHAP (Korea HIV AIDS Prevention Center) for “A Common Cause”. The Wolfhound, Rocky Mountain Tavern, and B One will host this special night. Cover will not be in effect, though patrons who pay 10,000 won at the door will receive their very own Little Traveller, a raffle ticket, and drink discounts at ALL the bars ALL night! An abundance of sweet raffle prizes will be up for grabs at each location. As for bang for your buck, The Wolfhound and Rocky Mountain Tavern will offer 5000 won house doubles, with B One selling Samubuca, Tequila, Jagermeister, and Jack for 3000 won to those sporting their Little Travellers. But wait, there’s so much more. Korea’s biggest youtube celebrities, EV Boyz will perform “Kickin it in Gumcheon” alongside their newest single “A E I love u”, at both The Wolfhound and Rocky Mountain. RMT will also host The Bellows in their last night on stage in Korea. Of course, DJ’s at B One will entertain the masses that dance the night away. To increase awareness of the AIDS situation in Korea, KHAP will supply free condoms and information leaflets.

Our Sponsors:

Thank you to The Wolfhound, Rocky Mountain Tavern, Mikes and Pita Time for sponsoring these events!

Anyone who has faced the formidable task of selecting a Little Traveller amongst dozens of his or her  may be able to sympathize with the judging panel’s task of choosing a winning photo from the amazing entries we received for our first ever Little Traveller Photo Contest.

Since launching our first ever Little Travellers Photo Contest in July, we’ve had photos pouring in of the very pettite voyageurs taking in sights of every corner of the globe!

Breathtaking photos were sent in of LT’s on the white salt-flats of Bolivia, the redwood forests of California, and the barren-yet-beautiful tundra of Nunavut (Canada); we received photos of LT’s on safari in South Africa, admiring ancient and modern architecture in Asia, sailing on the Indian Ocean off Mozambique, befriending the storied blue-footed boobies in the Galapagos, and experiencing the marvels of Europe. 

Amongst all of the talented and lovely photos that we received, however, there were three photos that the judges deemed were extraordinarily special.

 And so, the winners of the first ever Little Travellers Photo Contest are…

1) Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada – by Raphael Nepomuceno

2) Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada – by Albert Wisco

3) Na Pali coastline, Hawaii – by Sheldon Baines

Thank you to everyone who participated for taking your Little Travellers on a trip and for sharing your photos with us!  The number of entries we received was really encouraging, and the quality of the photos astounding!  We are so glad that so many Little Travellers are seeing the world and sharing their stories of unity, hope and courage in the face of harship and suffering. 

To see all the entries that we received visit our gallery at http://www.littletravellers.net/your-photos.  Please check back soon, as this was so much fun that we are bound to do it again soon!

To someone affected by the pandemic, “AIDS day” is not something that comes and goes with the turn of a calendar page. Similarly, Little Travellers are dedicated to support these individuals – particularly those affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa – each and every day of the year.

These beaded Lilliputians, however, are known to pounce at each and every opportunity to highlight the plight of South Africans infected/affected by HIV/AIDS. Thus, volunteers of the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative around the world commemorated Saturday, December 1st, 2007 – World AIDS Day – as a special opportunity to admire the courage, resilience and dignity of those personally touched by this pandemic, and to celebrate the hope and happiness that is being restored to their lives through the travels of these beaded dolls around the globe. Here is a run-down of how Little Travellers spent World AIDS Day:

In South Africa, Little Traveller dolls relaxed on a fine summer day as the Hillcrest AIDS Centre hosted a market and tea garden to mingle with the neighbours.

Meanwhile, in spite of the chilly weather, Little Travellers in Canada were kept cozy by the warm-heartedness of students at McGill and Concordia Universities in Montreal, as well as the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, where they were sold throughout the week.

In America, Little Travellers North Carolina were the beneficiaries of a special “Shop, Share & Care” evening at One World Market, in Durham; the evening was made even sweeter by delicious samples from Divine Chocolate – a farmer-owned, fair-trade chocolate company dedicated to achieving fair wages and livelihoods for African cocoa farmers.

In Israel, in cooperation with the Sackler School of Medicine New York State American program Physicians for Human Rights chapter, the Little Travellers Israel chapter handed out informational pamphlets, distributed red ribbons, sold baking, and helped find new homes for the ever-popular Little Travellers (see photos below). In addition, a speaker/workshop on AIDS hospice and education in Israel was hosted on Thursday.

Finally, in Korea, World AIDS Day marked the official debut of Little Travellers in the Land of the Morning Calm. Both Koreans and expatriates living in Korea have shown a keen interest in the uniqueness of the dolls along with the goodwill they inspire. Little Travellers Korea successfully hosted its first event on December 1^st to coincide with World AIDS Day (see photos below). The Benefit was held at Mike’s Cabin in the Shinchon area of Seoul. Several local musicians donated their time and talent with original melodies to the delight of all attendees. It was a great success in both creating awareness about the project and finding new homes for the dolls. More than 250 dolls were sold raising over 1.3 million won ($1440 Cdn) for families in South Africa. A further 316 000 won ($350 Cdn) was raised through a raffle to help pay for marketing and operating expenses of the chapter in Korea.

Little Travellers are now available in every country with a post office, and chapters of volunteers aiding in their journies have emerged in countries, such as Canada, USA, England, Israel, South Korea, Japan and Australia, to name a few! To connect to a chapter near you, visit our website for details.

Israel:

Korea:

Putting a face to the AIDS pandemic

Behind each statistic is a real person – and increasingly, that person is an African woman

Marlo Campbell          Uptown Magazine           Nov. 29, 2007

North America was introduced to AIDS in 1981, when gay men in New York and San Francisco first began getting sick with rare opportunistic infections – and while the disease has left its mark on communities around the world since then, it’s not an exaggeration to say that AIDS has absolutely ravaged the continent of Africa.

The pandemic’s epicenter is in the southern, sub-Saharan region – home to more than two thirds of the world’s total number of people living with HIV. In this area of Africa, AIDS is now the leading cause of death among people age 15-59; in 2007, 76 per cent of all the AIDS-related deaths in the entire world occurred here.

Sub-Saharan African women are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Due to anatomical differences and a lack of sexual autonomy that’s perpetuated by entrenched societal and cultural attitudes, they contract the virus at much higher rates than men. In many cases, when the virus strikes, it’s also women – specifically, grandmothers – who are left to pick up the pieces.

Cwengekila Myeni, 64, and Princess Mkhizecan, 69, can attest to this fact, as they’ve seen it with their own eyes.

The two women live in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa – the country with the most HIV infections in the world. Both are retired nurses who now work part-time at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust, providing care to those living in the surrounding rural areas.

In mid-October, Myeni and Mkhizecan were brought to Canada by the Stephen Lewis Foundation as ambassadors of their community to help launch a film in Vancouver.

Established in 2003, SLF has raised over $20 million, which it’s used to fund 200 grassroots projects in 14 African nations, including some of the work done at Hillcrest. In March 2006, the organization launched its Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign as a way of building solidarity between African grandmas (affectionately known as gogos) and grandmothers here in Canada. In just over a year, 180 groups have sprung up across the nation, doing what they can to help.

En route west, Myeni and Mkhizecan stopped in Winnipeg to visit with local grandmothers groups (there are now three in town) and reconnect with Ilan Schwartz, a 25-year-old med student at the U of M who volunteered at Hillcrest in 2005 and subsequently founded The Little Travellers Initiative, which supports Hillcrest through the sale of tiny hand-beaded dolls.

Over breakfast at Shwartz’s house, Myeni and Mkhizecan spoke candidly with Uptown about what it’s like to watch a pandemic develop in your own backyard.

“We were there when it started,” Myeni said, referring to the ’80s, when AIDS was still relatively uncommon.

“We would do education on disease,” Mkhizecan said. “Back then, they would simply laugh and say, ‘No, that kind of thing doesn’t happen to us.’”

But things changed dramatically in the ’90s. Now, it’s estimated that as many as 40 per cent of all adults in KwaZulu-Natal are HIV positive.

Now, death is everywhere.

Rampant unemployment means entire families are often supported entirely by gogos – in fact, both Myeni and Mkhizecan, grandmothers themselves, have taken in some of their grandchildren and the children of now-deceased relatives to help out over-burdened family members.

Educated and employed, they are the lucky ones, as many other gogos are struggling to provide for upwards of 15 people on their meagre pension cheques of 700 rand per month, or about $102 CAD.

“Our people – the South Africans, the people where we live – are still living under conditions that do not enable them to earn a living to cover their needs, health needs specifically, during this epidemic, when almost every home has got a sick person in it,” Mkhizecan said.

The physical and emotional costs also take their toll.

“That granny is so tired, her health’s not good, she’s frustrated… She wants to die and let God take care of it,” she said.

“They themselves have lost their children and the children lost their parents – I mean, the mourning doesn’t come to an end, because the children keep reminding them,” Myeni added. “If they want a certain shoe and the granny says ‘I can’t afford it,’ then the child would say, ‘If my mother was still alive…’ That’s sad for them.”

Myeni and Mkhizecan’s words are all too familiar to Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, Stephen Lewis’ daughter and the executive director of SLF.

“There’s no question that this is a tragedy of monumental proportions, and often one does feel apocalyptic when you hear the stories from the projects – of the grieved and bereft children and grandmothers, and the numbers of women, young women, mothers, who have died needlessly over the last 26 years,” she told Uptown from her Toronto office. “I think all of us at the foundation struggle with the horror that a lot of people face on a daily basis.

“At the same time, it’s impossible to be discouraged,” she continued, “partly because one just simply cannot and will not give up on people who are determined themselves to survive and surmount the crisis… There is an extraordinary amount of hope that comes from the courage and resilience and determination of the African women themselves.”

Indeed, with the support of groups such as SLF and the Little Travellers Initiative, things are starting to look up for the Hillcrest AIDS Centre. Antiretroviral drugs are now available and more people are getting tested.

“It’s still getting worse, but people are not dying like they used to,” Myeni said.

The centre has also managed to expand its programming – its income generation projects now provide employment to over 100 women infected/affected with HIV/AIDS, and – poignantly – it’s also set up a small funeral fund, which is used to help gogos buy coffins for their children.

In sub-Saharan Africa, success in the face of AIDS is a relative thing.

“What we are wishing for is to send a message,” Myeni told Uptown.

“Yes, it’s saddening and it’s distressing – but we’re there.”

HIV and AIDs by the numbers

In Manitoba:

- 1,456 people have tested positive for HIV in Manitoba since record keeping began in 1985.

- 83 new cases of HIV were reported in 2006.

- As of Sept. 30, another 60 Manitobans have tested positive in 2007.

- 13 news cases of AIDS were identified last year, bringing the total number of Manitobans diagnosed with AIDS since 1985 (and up until Dec. 31, 2006) to 258.

- 192 Manitobans have died of AIDS.

- Comparing 1985 – 1995 with 1996 – 2006, HIV prevalence in Manitoba women has almost quadrupled: females now represent 25 per cent of all HIV cases.

- In 2006, 24 per cent of Manitobans newly diagnosed with HIV were African, 23 per cent were Aboriginal, and 22 per cent were Caucasian.

In Canada:

- 62,561 cases of HIV have been reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada since 1985 and up until Dec. 31, 2006.

- 2,558 new cases of HIV were reported in 2006.

- Prior to 1997, women accounted for 11.1 per cent of all cases of HIV in Canada. In 2006, they accounted for 27.7 per cent of new cases.

- In 2006, the largest proportion of new HIV cases (39.6 per cent) were in men who have sex with men. Intravenous drug use accounted for 17 per cent of new HIV cases, and heterosexual sex accounted for 11.6 per cent of new HIV cases.

- 30 per cent of Canadians living with HIV are not aware of their infection.

- People can live with HIV for up to 10 years without exhibiting any symptoms.

In the world:

- The most recent global data – released on Nov. 20 by UNAIDS, the United Nations’ organizational response to HIV/AIDS – show a drop in world HIV prevalence rates. These statistical changes are mainly the result of improved methodology, although reductions in India’s prevalence rates have also contributed to the lower global numbers.

- Worldwide, 33.2 million people are now living with HIV.

- 2.5 million people were infected with HIV in 2007 – over 6,800 new infections each day.

- 68 per cent of all people infected with HIV (about 22.5 million people) live in sub-Saharan Africa – 61 per cent of these people are women.

- 2.5 million children age 15 or younger are now living with HIV – 2.2 million of them live in sub-Saharan Africa.

- In 2007, 2.1 million people died of AIDS – 330,000 of them were children.

- On Nov. 26, 2007, the federal government of Canada announced it will be ponying up $105 million for a new healthcare initiative in Africa aimed at reducing mortality rates in mothers and their young children. Partnering with Unicef, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization and others, Canada’s contribution to the Initiative to Save a Million Lives will help train 40,000 health workers and provide treatments for a variety of diseases.

- For more information on HIV testing in Manitoba, call the confidential AIDS/STI info-line at 945-2437 (in Winnipeg) or 1-800-782-2437 (toll-free outside of Winnipeg).

- Nine Circles Community Health Centre, 705 Broadway, offers a free drop-in clinic for HIV tests every Wednesday between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Anonymous testing is now available.

Sources: Manitoba Health; the Public Health Agency of Canada; UNAIDS

Suthentira Govender
	The Sunday Times     Published:Oct 28, 2007
POSITIVE JOURNEY: Some of the Little Travellers made by the Woza Moya crafters in their container workshop A tiny beaded doll has given HIV- positive Thandi Chamane hope and a reason to live. Four years ago Chamane, on the brink of death and facing homelessness, went secretly to the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust, Durban, for counselling. Here she became part of a group of crafters whose lives have been turned around by their minuscule creations — The Little Travellers. The range of beaded dolls, not more than 5cm long, is in such demand that the centre produces about 3 000 a month to keep up with international orders from as far afield as Canada, the US, Australia, Germany and the UK. The range, which includes Rastas, wedding travellers, Zulu traditional warriors, sangomas and gogos (old ladies), is created in a metal container by the Woza Moya crafters in the heart of the Valley of a Thousand Hills. For crafters like Chamane, the Little Traveller dolls translate into food on their tables, roofs over their heads, education for their children and much-needed medical care. The dolls come complete with specially designed passports. They have already inspired a short documentary and a fashion range by top local designer Karen Monk Klijnstra. “They may be small, but they have made a big difference to me and my family,” Chamane says. “I was dying when I started making them; I was so sick and I had nothing to live for. My husband, who is also HIV-positive, my two children and I lived in a tiny bedroom in my friend’s house. “When I started making the dolls, I started getting money and I am feeling better. I now have a house, my children are going to school and I have a reason to live.” Chamane recently realised one of her dreams — owning a big- screen television. She bought it with her earnings, which varies between R300 and R1 000 a week. She is the creator of the mother- and-child travellers, the Zulu warrior and the Makoti traveller. “I get my ideas from my dreams. I get out of bed and draw them in my book and then make them. My life would not be good without them,” she said. Paula Thompson, one of Woza Moya’s coordinators, said the Little Travellers “are unique in that they have had such a powerful effect on so many people in so many different ways”. She conceived the idea with her crafters four years ago, but little did they expect it to turn into a success story with positive spin-offs. Traditional healer Joyce Mthethwa, 53, says her healing powers “were weak” before she started making her little dolls. “Today they are strong again and I am able to help people and myself. I have money now to put food on the table for my children. I can survive now,” she said. National courier company Churchills International Express has given the Little Travellers free passage to their destinations around the world.

Link to the Sunday Times’ online article: http://www.thetimes.co.za/article.aspx?id=598052

Winnipeg Free Press, Oct. 20th, 2007

Click here for Article about Ilan Schwartz, founder of the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative.

Hillcrest nurses coming to Winnipeg!!! (Click here for the event poster)

It is with great joy that the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative announces the visit of two of the nurses from the Hillcrest AIDS Centre, coming all the way to Winnipeg, Manitoba!!! 

Princess & Cwengi – two incredible nurses and gogos (Zulu: grandmothers) from Hillcrest are coming to share their stories and experiences, and in conjunction with Gogo Action Winnipeg – a local grandmothers’ group fundraising for African grandmothers through the Stephen Lewis Foundation – we are throwing a party to welcome and celebrate them in style!!!

Tuesday, October 16th, 6:30 pm @ Carpathia School (map). 

In addition to meeting these lovely women, we are going to be launching the Little Travellers’ Movie!  Filmed in the Valley of a Thousand Hills in the spring, this short movie introduces the Little Travellers and presents the crafters whose lives have been changed by making them. 

Tea, coffee and refreshments will be served, and we will be serenaded by the likes of the “Ladies of the Street” Choir; we are also excited to hear the beautiful songs of a *surprise* performer who is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Admission is by donation (to the Stephen Lewis Foundation) and everyone is welcome!  Little Travellers will be available for sale.

A great big ’Thank You!’ to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, for bringing Princess & Cwengi to Canada as part of their Grandmothers-to-Grandmothers Campaign and for facilitating their stop-over in Winnipeg.  After the prairies, the grannies’ next stop is British Columbia.  Check back for more details soon!

We really hope to see you there!  Please pass this email on, as the more the merrier: this is a great opportunity to show these amazing and courageous women how much Winnipeggers care about and support the plight of African women affected by HIV/AIDS.