IT: Inspire Transformation

In December 2007, I traveled to the Nkomazi region of rural South Africa, located between the borders of Mozambique and Swaziland. Witnessing the daily struggles of the people who live in a community with one of the highest rates of HIV infection and child and baby rape in the world changed my life forever. Since then, I have returned numerous times to conduct basketball, leadership and life skills clinics.

Inspire Transformation takes a comprehensive approach to reducing the affects and instances of this AIDS pandemic. It targets children and young adults who are most vulnerable to AIDS, and has created programs using sports (basketball & soccer) as an avenue to develop trust and relationships within the community. Collaborating with a local non-profit organization, Nkomazi Sports Club, Inspire Transformation works to teach the fundamentals of team building, conflict resolution, sportsmanship, skills mastery, self-esteem, and knowledge of HIV/AIDS and healthy lifestyles. Not only do we work to educate players and coaches about how to prevent contracting HIV, but we work to de-stigmatize those who have the virus.

Inspire Transformation also partners with the Masisukumeni Women’s Crisis Center, which is an NGO that serves the same region in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Masisukumeni is working to eradicate violence and discrimination against women and children and to prevent HIV/AIDS by providing counseling, information, education and paralegal services to survivors of gender related violence and to the wider community.

Nkomazi Sports Club (www.nkomazisportsclub.org)
Masisukumeni Women’s Crisis Centre (www.masisukumeni.org.za)

What you can do to help:

If you are interested in learning more, or for ways that you can donate, please visit our website at: http://inspire-transformation.org or contact us at: getbehindit@gmail.com

Inspire Transformation is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit corporation and your donations are deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

Here is a video from my most recent trip to South Africa (compliments of Brittany Morehouse)

Check out some of the blogs from my previous trips with TRIAD Trust:

-The Inner Struggle of Combating AIDS
-A Time to Care: World AIDS Day 2008
-A Visionary Woman in South Africa
-Small Steps to Eliminating AIDS

Also check out my TRIAD trips photo gallery