Renee Pitter

WITS medical student adding his own acronym to the module.
WITS medical student adding his own acronym to the module.

WITS:

“Why Wits? Why Johannesburg?” These were signs I noticed when entering the University.  Much like the University of Michigan, the University of Witwatersrand is an acclaimed center of education.  However, much like the University of Michigan it seemed to be reserved for those whom were privileged enough to attend.  Nonetheless, many of the students realized their responsibility to the community.  Prior to hosting the workshop as students from a top tier University ourselves, many members of the group where apprehensive of how our workshop would be received by the medical students.  As students who had an in depth understanding of the body and the biology of HIV, in South Africa which is the center of the pandemic our fear was that our tactics would be perceived as elementary.  Our approach to HIV education was meant to target marginalized communities in order for them to empower themselves.  Our goal was not to come into the community for a limited time and gain an experience that we could benefit from, then leave with the tools and knowledge.  For this reason we chose Wits as the site to leave the tools.  Who better to leave the tools of empowerment than with the future leaders of South Africa.  Upon our arrival we discovered that our workshop was not only open to Wits medical students but to community members and HIV activists.  This diversity in our audience was wonderful because this allowed our technique of teaching the opportunity to reach a much wider range of individuals.  I worked with women who were studying to become adult educators.  These women were a bit more mature and seemed as though they were returning to school after a break.  The women that I worked with feared that they would be unable to learn the module in order to teach others.  However they were just the group that we had been targeting.  These women were members of their community who had direct contact with individuals who could use this information as an opportunity to empower themselves.  I met with these women and through teaching them to become teachers I learned just how relevant the issue of empowerment was for them.  I also learned that empowerment is something that cannot be done for someone, but someone must do it.  I realized at Wits that it was not my job to liberate these women and “solve” the problem of HIV but that these women had to realize how important they were to themselves, their communities and ultimately the world.  I realized this near the end of one of our workshops while speaking with one of the women.  She shared with me the way in which she was able to leave her abusive husband of many years.  “ I said to him if you want to box, go to the ring.”  In those few words I was able to see the ways in which people always have agency; always have a choice.  I was able to see the conscious choice that must be made in order for individuals to take control of their lives.  This is when true liberation and freedom exist.  When people are no longer dependant on their government or on outside organizations to do for them, but when people do for each other and for themselves they are set free.  I learned this at Wits, I learned this in Johannesburg.

-Renee Pitter

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