Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Sbusisiwe Myeni's Journey of Hope

Sbusisiwe Myeni, or Sbu to her friends, is a successful South African. She lives in Johannessburg, the financial heart of the country, works at a large bank, and has earned the things that indicate success -- a house, a BMW, international trips.

Johannesburg is a long way from home. She is originally from KwaNyuswa, a semi-rural community in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. It's a place with the highest rates of HIV and AIDS in the world. Some statistics estimate that a third of all adults are HIV positive. It is also a place that saw extreme violence during the final days of apartheid.

Sbu's also a twin. Her sister, Seni, was a successful doctor who moved to Canada. But after being diagnosed with brain cancer, Seni returned to their mother's home in KwaNyuswa to die.

Sbu's journey to help the children and youth of HIV/AIDS and poverty-ridden KwaZulu-Natal begins now in memory of her sister.

A Journey of Hope is my short documentary about Sbu's story and what inspires her:



This is a map I created which traces Sbu's journey from Johannesburg to KwaNyuswa, a semi-rural village that isn't on Google Maps:


View A Journey of Hope in a larger map

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