“It is time to hit now, hit heavy, hit hard. We are ready.” These words, spoken by Cameron Hume, U.S. ambassador to South Africa, greeted our delegation as we began our ten-day trip. And they emerged as the final dictate upon our departure ten days later.

Each visit to a country began with a briefing from the U.S. Ambassador and the U.S. team on the ground. USAID staff, CDC staff and other members of the “HIV/AIDS team" also participated in the briefing. Immediately following the briefing, the members of the delegation moved “out into the field.”

We visited clinics, hospitals, research institutes, orphanages, faith-based programs, NIH/CDC/USAID funded projects, central government funded projects, private sector funded projects, radio programs, local micro-enterprises, the homes of people living with AIDS, and business leaders. We also met with leaders from the national and local AIDS advocacy community in order to increase our understanding of the role played by each.