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compassioN A S o u t h A frican entreprene u r u ses h er s k ills to fig h t A I D S b y K are n M o der o w
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agda van der Walt is a woman with many jobs but a single passion—to bring the hope of the gospel to South Africa. As a prominent commercial real estate consultant, radio host, and founder of Work Skills Resources (a business consulting and leadership development company), Van der Walt’s network gives her access to her country’s top-level government officials and business icons. Van der Walt unabashedly uses her influence to address Africa’s social challenges as a way to fulfill the biblical mandate to evangelize the world. She has resisted attempts to draft her for political position, convinced that her current roles give her more flexibility to minister, but she enjoys near-celebrity status in South Africa, where she is known simply as Magda. Van der Walt works on many fronts—countering the growing Islamic influence in South Africa, discipling the wives of African kings and leading them to the Lord, and serving as liaison between Christian charities and government organizations. But with an estimated 5.4 million people in South Africa infected with the HIV virus, AIDS prevention is her
Van der Walt’s weekly radio show reaches 180,000 listeners. PRISM 2008
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Left: Magda van der Walt reviews curriculum at the Kenya Theological Institute.
unable to withstand the social pressure to send them,” she says. “Refusal means disassociation from the tribe.” The coming-of-age ritual is sacred and requires weeks of preparation. In the bush, young men are taught the ways and values of the culture and bond with the other male members present in a life-changing way. Its bloody culmination, usually carried out by a person selected by the family, marks the young male not only as a man but also as a full member of the tribe. Circumcision as a symbol of belonging is not new and is, in fact, rooted in our Judeo heritage. In Genesis 17 God told Abraham, “…Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.”The circumcision of Abraham as an adult, his son Ishmael at 13, and the son of Moses as a youth underscore the importance of the ritual in biblical times. Jewish males are still circumcised eight days after birth. Powerful familial bonding takes place as the child is physically touched by those significant in his life, when he is named after honored family members and then circumcised. The point is that the ritual of circumcision in many cultures past and present is laden with social significance that should be respected. This is especially true in Africa, where tribal identification is paramount. The numerous factions fighting within Africa are seldom the result of political differences but almost always of tribal loyalties.Van der Walt and Lawrence soon realized that an effective solution to the problem of ritual circumcision required an approach that would honor tribal traditions. The “how” question was answered providentially. In 2000, while delayed on an international flight,Van der Walt struck up a conversation with fellow passenger Dr. T. Gurcharan Singh from Malaysia. After Van der Walt told him about her AIDS prevention work, he told her about a medical device he had invented called the Tara KLamp® a disposable, sterilized clamp, specifically designed for performing circumcisions in primitive conditions. When she learned even nonmedical persons could be taught to perform the bloodless and relatively painless procedure, the application of the clamp in ritual circumcision was obvious. And as the doctor expressed his frustration at not being able get the device where it was needed, she realized the DOE AIDS education classes provided a natural network. So Van der Walt secured the rights to distribute the Tara KLamp.® She mobilized a team to educate national and local leaders about its benefits and then crafted a culturally sensitive plan to reach families. The program, known as the “Seize the Day” campaign, is run by the Community Empowerment Trust (an NGO she founded) and is carried out by a cooperative of public and private interests. WSR is involved in implementation.
priority. Intense international attention has let the world know that AIDS is the defining issue of African society, but ignorance about how the disease is transmitted and how it can be prevented is still rampant. “A former deputy president of the country admitted that he had had sex with a woman he knew had AIDS,”Van der Walt says,“but didn’t think he was at risk because he had been careful to take a hot shower afterwards. Realistically, if there is that kind of ignorance at the highest levels of government, how effective do we think our national AIDS education program has been?” The Department of Education (DOE) in South Africa is hoping to improve AIDS awareness by contracting with local companies to provide health education at the tribal level. Thanks to a well-defined business plan, Van der Walt’s Work Skills Resources (WSR) is now a service provider to the DOE, which allows her team, led by business and ministry partner Tony Lawrence, to address the issue of HIV prevention with some government sanction. Numerous factors contribute to the AIDS epidemic in Africa, but there is one practice that can infect hundreds of young men in a few short hours—ritualistic circumcision. It’s an issue Van der Walt is determined to address. At the age of 18, young men are sent into the bush for several weeks of tribal initiation and then circumcised. The gruesome ceremony often leaves young men mutilated. Some die. Many more are infected with AIDS because one ceremonial knife may be used on the entire group. At first, Van der Walt and Lawrence worked with families, warning them of the dangers and encouraging them to forbid their sons to participate. But this approach failed. “Even in Christian families where we had more influence and parents did not want their sons to go, families were
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The first step was to solicit the help of tribal leaders. WSR trains men to go into rural areas and establish relationships with chiefs, healers, and mothers. They have found that women, though relatively powerless in most tribal matters, will take a stand to protect their sons.The loss of a boy in the bush is doubly tragic because families have no opportunity to mourn. If a young man dies during the ritual, the returning men simply lay the youth’s blanket and walking stick at the door of his home.The tribe is forbidden to mention the boy again or to speak of what happened. Faced with this prospect, mothers have become the staunchest advocates for the campaign and have proven highly successful in influencing decision-makers. Working through the recognized tribal healer has been another effective strategy. Held in high regard by the tribe, the healer usually resists any challenge to tradition. But showing respect by asking for his help often gets team members a fair hearing. Dynamics can also be improved if the healer is the one trained to do the procedure, as the training adds to his prestige and gives him a vested interest in the success of the program. The model is simple and easily replicated. Each boy in the tribe is given a kit that contains not only sterile instruments for the circumcision but also a Bible. A series of community classes educates the boys about the procedure and AIDS prevention. Though WSR cannot be evangelistic, the meetings provide the opportunity for team members to talk about biblical standards and how a morality-based lifestyle can protect them against AIDS. The classes have another important function. As South African youths come through the program, team leaders are able to develop friendships, share Christ one-on-one, and identify those best suited for further education, training, and/ or employment in one of the many business ventures in which Van der Walt has contacts. The AIDS education classes have become network centers where young men gain exposure to greater life opportunities. AIDS prevention strategies, however, are constantly evolving. Just when Van der Walt and her team had reconciled themselves to circumcision as part of the coming-of-age ritual, a catalyst for change came from an unexpected source. In March 2007 the United Nations stated that “there is compelling evidence circumcision reduces the risk of men contracting the AIDS virus by up to 60 percent.” The World Health Organization and UNAIDS agreed. As a result, many African governments are now actively promoting circumcision clinics.*
The publicity focused on the need for circumcision has not only made the tribes more aware of the Tara KLamp,® it is acclimating them to the idea of separating the act of circumcision from the tribal initiation. This would allow circumcisions to take place in clinics where sterile environments provide vastly better outcomes. Lawrence notes, “Another breakthrough is that the parents are accepting that the boys should come for their circumcisions from the age of 12 years! Therefore, they don’t have to wait until they are 18 years old.They will go for their camps when they are 18, but they feel it is necessary to circumcise the boys much earlier before they become sexually active.” This is exciting news for Van der Walt and her team, who rejoice in any development that may reduce AIDS transmission. As these events unfold,Van der Walt has a God-ordained
Numerous factors contribute to the AIDS epidemic in Africa, but there is one practice that can infect hundreds of young men in a few short hours — ritualistic circumcision. It’s an issue Van der Walt is determined to address. sense of being “in the right place at the right time.” She says, “My mission is to save young men’s lives so that they have a chance to live and hear the gospel.” Now world awareness, the will of Africa, and Van der Walt’s calling have converged into a season of opportunity for her ministry. Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania have recently joined South Africa in requesting distributorships for the Tara KLamp.® Van der Walt couldn’t be happier. She’s already working on a plan to set up the distributorships as microbusinesses that local men in each community can own. That would require providing leadership training, teaching business principles, creating internships, arranging financing… but it can be done. She’s sure of it. n Karen Moderow is a freelance writer from Atlanta, Ga., who passionately supports training leaders in the developing world to evangelize their own nations.
* Note: The UN findings have not gone undisputed. The current health minister of South Africa, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, went on the record saying she is not convinced circumcision prevents AIDS. Her response was not appreciated by AIDS advocates, given the fact that South Africa has the largest number of people infected with the AIDS virus of any nation.Van der Walt is not taking sides, citing the need for more studies, but either way, the fact that circumcision is being openly discussed has proved helpful to the cause.
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