An Interview with Link Staff in South Africa

A GLOBAL MISSION

By Heidi Price, Staff Writer for the Observer-Reporter

South Africa has the highest rate of HIV infection in the sub-Saharan continent, affecting two of every five young adults. Those who aren’t infected likely have lost at least one, and sometimes many more, immediate family members to AIDS.

Samantha Sheller, 26, is trying to change the tidal wave of HIV infection by mentoring young, South African college students. She has many barriers to overcome, among them deeply entrenched beliefs about the origins of HIV and AIDS and its treatment.

Sheller works for InterVarsity USA, a Christian-based organization geared toward university students, mentoring college and university students on 20 campuses throughout the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The students she mentors often have reached a higher level of education than anyone else in their family and one day may be in a position to effect change in South Africa.

“They get into high-profile, high-paying jobs where they can have an influence on people they work with and on the structures of society,” Sheller said.

But before she can challenge their viewpoints concerning AIDS and HIV, she must convince many of her students that the topic is worth talking about.

Many of the Christian students believe that by recognizing HIV and AIDS they are demonstrating a “lack of faith in God, in what he is and what he can do. “That would be the general understanding that most of the students are coming from,” Sheller said. “My role is to help undo those myths and help them to see that dealing with HIV and AIDS is a very good way of worshipping God because it means caring for those people.”

She measures success every time she sees hope in her students.

Sheller’s work doesn’t just deal with AIDS, and yet, somehow, it overshadows every social problem South Africans face.

“We see high rates of infection among the poorest communities, so we end up dealing with poverty. We see our highest rates among women, so you deal with violence against women and gender roles,” Sheller said.

Sheller arrived in South Africa in late 2002 with plans to stay for a year and then attend medical school. Once she arrived, however, she realized she needed more time and made a five-year commitment.

Her supervisor at InterVarsity South Africa, Barry Haschick, wrote in an e-mail that South Africa’s cross-cultural diversity can sometimes be overwhelming but “Samantha has shown great patience and love in learning
about South Africa and South Africans, and she has taken time to develop friendships ­this is highly valued in our African context.”

Sheller said people often have a misconception about her life in South Africa. She lives in an apartment right across the street from the beach and the Indian Ocean. Dolphins are a common sight, and her rent is still cheaper than living in the United States.

While in South Africa, she gained a passion for racial reconciliation issues. She would like to play a role in which she can help cultures recognize their differences while celebrating them.

“There is a lot of inequality, and that often falls along racial lines,” Sheller said. “I see that there really could be a role that I could play in that country.”