Game for the World in the Clarkebury District, South Africa

Alan and I drove through the mist on roads under construction from Butterworth to Mthatha to meet  Mrs. Ncumisa Faku, the HIV/AIDS Coordinator for the Methodist Church of Southern Africa’s Clarkebury District. The reason for the success of this district is the involvement and interaction of the laity. The District has a bursary and an HIV/AIDS fund for the disadvantaged in the community. The District has 52 circuits and is divided into four regions; each circuit has a coordinator who reports to a regional coordinator who in turn reports to Mrs. Faku.

Many of South Africa’s black leaders come from the Mthatha area, including Nelson Mandela, who still visits his home village of Qunu.  Mthatha is the home of one of the Nelson Mandela museums, which exhibits key aspects of Mandela’s life.

Alan and I are grateful to all of the coordinators we met, who met us with short notice. Mrs. Faku was no exception.   A minister’s wife and a retired nurse, Mrs. Faku has been the District’s HIV/AIDS coordinator for ten years.  Her District and the Grahamstown District held a workshop on how the Church could handle HIV/AIDS.

Mrs. Faku, shown below, plans to use Game for the World with people who are “infected and affected by HIV.” She  also  plans to use it with her women’s prayer group.

February 5, 2013