Timbuk2

In 2008, we donated bags to Support for International Change (SIC), a non-profit that teaches HIV/AIDS education and administers HIV tests in rural Tanzania. They sent us amazing photos of their community health workers using their Timbuk2 bags in Tanzanian communities and recently sent us an update (see photos below). SIC began providing rural communities with free HIV testing in 2004 and has since been recognized as a regional leader in rural HIV service provision. Home-based testing (HBVCT) is a vital service for the rural villages SIC serves because in such areas there is a lot of misunderstanding about HIV and a hesitance to attend public testing days due to associated stigma. Through HBVCT, SIC reaches people who might not otherwise be tested, works with families as a whole, spends more time educating them on HIV, and are able to directly link people who test positive with supportive services in their communities.

A SIC community education program in Tanzania.

SIC’s community health workers use Timbuk2 bags to carry HIV testing supplies and information about HIV/AIDS to the communities in which they work. HIV counselors Paulina Samhenda and Efrem Senengo explain, “The Timbuk2 bags help us to maintain client privacy and simplify the work, especially when we visit a lot of houses in one day. The bags are sturdy, of good quality, easy to carry, and hold all of our supplies. Most importantly, it allows us to move freely in the communities we work in and be able to provide this needed service.”

HIV counselors Paulina Samhenda and Efrem Senengo practicing an HIV test before heading into the field.

What do you carry? This messenger belongs to a SIC Community Health Worker and is full of HIV/AIDS information pamphlets that are passed out in the communities where they work.

SIC pairs American volunteers with Tanzanian teaching partners to teach the HIV/AIDS curriculum in Tanzania’s government schools. It’s a great opportunity for everyone involved. The Americans gain volunteer experience in Africa and the Tanzanians earn competitive wages and the respect of their communities while helping others protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. Learn more about SIC volunteer opportunities here.