Story from a Mentor Peer Educator... "I used to drink a lot of alcohol and I was rude to my parents, I did not respect them.  When I was 13 years old I was molested by my stepfather.  From that time I felt humiliated!  I felt that no one respected me or cared about me. I began to be careless towards myself and my school work, but the only thing that helped me was the Lord, and a teacher at my school and a friend. I was a bully at school and I did not care. The Peer Education Programme changed me in many ways and now I know that I am going to rise above my circumstances".	From the Philippi Trust exert from a HCT Team letter: Our journey with Ukuthasa (GOLD) Programme began some time ago when we first crossed paths. We were excited to be associated because of the project's achievements and the possibilities we saw in a partnership. As a HIV testing and counselling service provider, we could see the encouraging beginnings of a long relationship. We were invited to an Ukuthasa camp where we were able to introduce ourselves and offer HIV and TB testing and counselling. We could see that the learners were very well informed about these death threatening diseases and were eager to get tested. We were subsequently invited to more school camps as our relationship with Ukuthasa grew from strength to strength. Based in Somerset West, we carry out free HIV and TB screening tests. We are a non-clinical site with highly trained nursing staff and qualified counsellors. Our influence has now grown to cover sites in Kraaifontein and Mfuleni. We partner with the University of Stellenbosch, Desmond Tutu TB centre to bring VCT sites closer to the communities they serve.  We have found that many people are scared to go to clinics so our partnership with Ukuthasa has made it possible for us to visit schools where learners are realising the benefits of being tested on a regular basis. We are very blessed to be associated with Ukuthasa and we appreciate the excellent job that they are doing in educating scholars. The methods being used by these highly trained facilitators are effective and are bearing fruit.  It is wonderful to the see their great achievements.	Graduation Story... One of our young men spent 3 years with the Programme and was nominated as best student of the year.  He was 18 years old and a grade 12 student at Macassar Secondary school. He had started out as a junior peer educator, very quiet and shy.  In his second year he began to enjoy the sessions and showed great potential, proving his leadership skills and abilities as a public speaker at school assemblies. He represented his school at functions such as the Siyabulela event were the Premier was impressed by the performance of the peer educators at school and in their communities. Our young man was awarded best student of his final year and received five diplomas and seven Trophies.
	Letter from a Stakeholder... I moved from the UK after more than 20 years in the corporate world to Somerset West, South Africa, in August 2004 with my wife and two daughters. As a family we wanted to be involved in making a difference. Having completed 3 months community development training, I started to investigate what was happening locally. One of the first projects that I came across was Ukuthasa, implementing the GOLD Peer Education programme. I was impressed by a number of things. Firstly, the programme was targeting one of the most challenging age groups of South African society; the youth. Secondly, the vision of helping young people to help themselves, and then others, really appealed to me. Thirdly, the toolbox and the GOLD model they were using was tried and tested, and was delivering measurable success. Another critical success factor for me was the impressive return on investment. So, if we supported Ukuthasa, they were then able to develop Peer Educators who in turn influenced other learners and through them, their communities. The principal of multiplication was really good.The final thing which stood out for me was the way that the learners were engaged over a period of three years , not just for a once off occasion. I knew that it was this long term relational approach that would help the programme to succeed in a significant way.  Five years later, they are still doing great work and have been able to expand into other schools. It's been exciting and encouraging to witness first-hand what Ukuthasa have been able to achieve! Community Development Coordinator, Helderberg Transformation Network.