Student makes an impact with the power of Thanda

Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a cup of juice may be an afternoon snack for many of us, but for some it is their only meal all day.

Children in South Africa can rely on receiving this meal thanks to the "thanda" of a local organization. Thanda means "love" in Zulu.

There seems to be no shortage of just that in Thanda, an after-school program geared toward HIV/AIDS orphans and other impoverished youth in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa.

Alyssa Peterson, an OSU senior and a member of Chi Omega sorority, was one of six founders of this non-profit organization in 2008.

Thanda began when Angela Larkan, a white native from South Africa, moved to the United States to attend Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

"It was when she first was out of South Africa that she realized how bad it was," Peterson said. "When she was taken out of the situation and she saw blacks and whites treated equally and you don't have anyone with HIV/AIDS and all your neighbors aren't dying of TB and there's adults everywhere, it was kind of a new thing for her in a sense of ‘this is how it should be.'"

Peterson became friends with Larkan when their families crossed paths after moving to Oklahoma. Larkan approached Peterson and five other friends across the country to begin this new program for her home country.

Peterson, who lived in South Africa for 15 months to establish the organization, took the 30-minute ride to the village every day.

"You see emancipated dogs biting at the truck tires, little Zulu children playing with recycled, homemade toys, a soccer game being played with a ball made out of grocery bags, and goats, chickens and cows roaming freely," Peterson said. "The area is definitely under-developed and cut off from the majority of resources offered in more developed areas of the country."

Peterson, double majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology, said it's hard to stay motivated in school and is ready to move to Africa permanently upon graduation.

"When I was in South Africa I did over 40 c-sections by myself and I sutured over 100 stab wounds," Peterson said. "I've done way more than your fourth-year med student and here I am back in a classroom learning about molecules and DNA structures. It's hard to take such a large step back."

Research performed in 2007 showed an estimated 2.5 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in South Africa alone, according to the United Nations International Children's Fund Web site.

Peterson said the large orphanage population was prevalently seen in the KwaZulu-Natal region.

"It's kind of weird because you drive through these giant hills and it's just kids in mud huts," Peterson said. "No adults to be seen anywhere. So we figure that's where we need to be, where there's no one else."

Oklahoma gets more than $3 million in funding for HIV/AIDS research and prevention, according to the Center for Control and Disease Prevention Web site. In South Africa, all government funding for HIV/AIDS is spent on medication. Research and prevention is all privately funded, Peterson said.

"It's sad the lack of prevention programs," Peterson said. "Everything is geared towards the research aspects of trying to cure HIV/AIDS. The reality of it is that there is no way we can actually tell if the cure is going to be seen in our lifetime or not, so why not actually make a legitimate dent in the population by preventing it."

As a stateside director of Thanda, Peterson holds fundraisers of all types throughout the year.

"It costs $9,000 a month to keep the organization running," Peterson said. "That feeds 325 kids five days a week. Most of the time that's the only meal they are getting.

"We employ 20 local staff members $250 a month, which is more than a government paid high school teacher. And we put gas in our car to get to the site. And that's literally our budget and everything else is donated, school supplies-wise."

Fundraisers in the past have included Greek Week, concerts at Aspen Coffee and Beta Lawn, and an Enid high school that chose Thanda as its philanthropy.
Donations are accepted and local support is always appreciated, Peterson said.

"We're always looking for more ideas, more suggestions, more ways to be effective," Peterson said. "If anyone has anything they feel like they can bring to the table, we're such a young organization we're not going to turn anyone down."

Peterson's determination has not been overlooked by her peers. Katelin Packard, an OSU sophomore and a sorority sister, has seen Peterson's passion for Thanda firsthand.

"I have never seen anyone more driven about anything," Packard said. "She is so motivated. She loves those kids over in South Africa and would take a bullet for any of them and is constantly calling them and seeing how they are doing."
Stephanie Sims, an OSU junior and another sorority sister of Peterson's, said she agrees.

"I have never met anyone like [her]," Sims said. "I am still in awe of the crazy things she has done there and I know she will have many more crazy stories to come."

Thanda has given abundant amounts of love to the children of South Africa.

Peterson said she has received just as much love as the amount of work she has put into this organization.

"You don't think of it as HIV/AIDS," Peterson said. "You just look at the kid that you care about so much and you want to help out. You lose sight that you're doing an HIV/AIDS prevention program because you fall in love with the kids."

For more information or to give a donation, contact Peterson at alyssa@thanda.org or visit www.thanda.org.