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Brief: Christensen Heads to South Africa on Health Mission

Nov. 26, 2007 — Delegate Donna M. Christensen left Washington for South Africa today with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation as part of its African Globalism Initiative.
Christensen is a member of the foundation board and chairs its health committee, according to a news release from the delegate. Also participating in the mission is Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who chairs the African-Caribbean Globalism Committee of the foundation and its president, Elsie Scott.
The team, which also includes foundation staff, will visit sites funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and private foundations. It will also meet with representatives of the U.S. and South African governments; private-sector, nongovernmental organizations; and religious leaders of the cities it visits. These will include Johannesburg, Soweto, Pretoria and Pietersburg in the Limpopo Province, where Christensen will give the keynote address.
"I am always acutely aware that the work I do reaches beyond our shores, and am always honored to represent the Virgin Islands and our nation around the world," Christensen said, according to the release. "My only regret is that I will miss my own Virgin Islands commemorations, and I encourage the community to support VICARE, HOPE, the V.I. Red Cross and the Department of Health in their activities and work. I am truly proud of the work they are doing, and will be including their efforts in my address."
AIDS will be a focus of the trip.
"While there we will be able to see what the funds we fight so hard for are doing in people's lives and their communities," Christensen said. "This year’s slogan is 'Stop AIDS, Keep the Promise,' and this trip is in keeping with that, as we will be looking at the impact of the promises our country has made to the continent."
Next year the CBC's Health Braintrust will step up efforts to combat HIV and AIDS, the release said. It will be the 10th anniversary of the Minority AIDS initiative.
"I will be following up on recent meetings with National AIDS organizations and religious leaders like Bishop T.D. Jakes and Dr. Rev Calvin O Butts, as well as our local and regional organizations to improve the effectiveness of our programs," Christensen said.
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