Act against Aids

Insights: Clinic Tour

A tour of Newlands Clinic

Have you ever wondered what things look like at Newlands Clinic? Join Patrick Rohr, journalist and member of the Patronage Committee, to explore the site and meet the people who come and go here.

A tour of the clinic with Patrick Rohr

Effective HIV therapy involves so much more than merely dispensing medicines, and there’s so much more to the multifaceted and wide-ranging services offered by Newlands Clinic. On the tour, Patrick Rohr explains what makes our comprehensive approach to treatment so special.

Insights: Joline

Women’s support for a greater perspective

Many of our female patients suffering from HIV are living in notably challenging circumstances. So does Joline. She lost her ground because of her husband's illness and the economic crisis. But the mother of three and foster mother never gave up. Thanks to our empowerment project for women, Joline established her own sewing business. Accompany this strong woman on her way into independence.

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hiv, aids, zimbabwe, women economic empowerment program, help people to help themselves, newlands clinic, ruedi luethy foundation

1/6: Joline is unemployed and lives in great poverty. She gets accepted in our empowerment project for women: “This is my chance to get back on my feet. I want to provide for my family and others.”

hiv, aids, zimbabwe, women economic empowerment program, help people to help themselves, newlands clinic, ruedi luethy foundation

2/6: Together with all the other participants, Joline learns the basics of running a business: ”I have now mastered stock management, budgeting, and accounting. I am now able to establish my own business.”

hiv, aids, zimbabwe, women economic empowerment program, help people to help themselves, newlands clinic, ruedi luethy foundation

3/6: Joline wants to generate her income as a seamstress. We provided her with a sewing machine and start-up capital. “At last, I can get started,” says Joline and steps on the sewing machine pedal.

hiv, aids, zimbabwe, women economic empowerment program, help people to help themselves, newlands clinic, ruedi luethy foundation

4/6: Our team at Newlands Clinic supports these women with regular mentoring. We want to make sure they are establishing their businesses successfully.

hiv, aids, zimbabwe, women economic empowerment program, help people to help themselves, newlands clinic, ruedi luethy foundation

5/6: Joline sells her garments at a small stall and acquires new customers with a sign. “My life has changed completely,” says Joline “I now provide for my family and pursue my dreams.”

hiv, aids, zimbabwe, women economic empowerment program, help people to help themselves, newlands clinic, ruedi luethy foundation

6/6: She invests her income partially in building a small house for her children and herself: “My biggest wish is for a home of our own that no one can take away from us ever again.”

Our new empowerment project assists seriously vulnerable women who are suffering from HIV. After their recruitment, these women learn the basics to run a business, receive start-up capital and materials. Our team assists HIV-positive women with mentoring and practical tips from the beginning until the establishment of their businesses. Thanks to the support of the Jansen PrimeSteps Foundation, the participants work towards becoming independent businesswomen to provide for their families and give them back a perspective.

Insights: Rumbidzai

Support for a better life

Rumbidzai is a patient at Newlands Clinic for almost 15 years. Being HIV-positive herself, she lost her husband and three of her children because of Aids. The 54-year-old mother is looking after her family all by herself and is providing food to all of them.

«I need to live – who else is looking after my family?»

Rumbi fights every day to make sure that her family survives. She knows how to grow maize thanks to the farming program at Newlands Clinic. She feeds her whole family with the maize she harvests. In the video she is talking about her biggest dream – for her granddaughter to have a better life.

Early in the morning fog is still lying between the huts in the slum Hatcliffe. Rumbidzai puts a green scarf around her head and quietly wakes up her granddaughter Shayleen. She accompanies Shayleen to school by walking two kilometres back and two kilometres forth. Rumbidzai is a patient at Newlands Clinic for 15 years. Aids changed her life. She used to be a teacher and educated kids in school. Now she makes bags and accessoires out of plastic trash to earn a little extra.