This week really has been a whirlwind of activity; all of which has been dedicated to our central goal of raising community awareness of TB. I'll start from the beginning and work day by day...

Monday started with another Department of Health Plenary Meeting – the team are progressing on plans for the event on 25^th, but there's still a lot to do.

Tuesday dawned a hot and sunny morning, as the MATA team got in their cars and headed to Groblersdal, a small town just over 100km from Witbank. This was to be the site where MATA would accept the SANTA TB TORCH from Limpopo Province. The TORCH started its journey in Polokwane a few days before; it is a symbol of light which represents the message of TB awareness as it travels through South Africa. SANTA Limpopo put on a lively community event, with enthusiastic contributions from speakers, as well as spirited singing and dancing from attendees (as I have come to recognise as the SANTA way). The TORCH was now in our possession and we had plans for it in Mpumalanga.

Wednesday was our chance to shine (literally, excuse the pun!) In partnership with eMalahleni Local Municipality, MATA hosted a symposium-style event to showcase the TORCH and launch TB month in Mpumalanga Province. The event was held in the local Civic Theatre and the panel included knowledgeable speakers from the Mayor, to government officials, NGO partners and SANTA representatives. Over 200 guests attended, primarily hailing from home-based care centres all over the province. Their contribution was expressed through soulful interludes in-between speakers. For me, this tradition of bursting into song is a heartfelt testament to the dedication and commitment these volunteers display in their everyday work fighting TB. This is really what the day was all about.

After the buzz of Wednesday, Thursday marked the end of MATA's TORCH journey. We travelled to Bronkhorspruit, the border town where the TORCH would pass to Gauteng Province. Before the event started, I had the pleasure of meeting two of the first SANTA veterans, ladies who have had a huge impact of the shape of the organisation since the Apartheid era. As those before it, the event hosted by Gauteng reflected the huge energy of the SANTA community. Perhaps the most poignant part of the programme was the lighting of two synonymous candles, to commemorate TB and HIV sufferers, past and present. It was a solemn moment of prayer and reflection that reminded us of the reality of the situation in South Africa, and around the world.

And if this wasn't enough, Friday was another opportunity to see the efforts of carers being recognised. MATA jointly hosted an Awards Ceremony for home-based care (HBC) workers. Between September and December 2009, 24 coordinators, project managers and administrators from 8 HBCs had 16 active days of training in "Governance and Leadership". This was part of a pilot programme to satisfy government conditions for service delivery and reporting. The key note speaker, Professor Mazibuka, poignantly reflected on the African concept of "Ubuntu" - in this context, working from the heart. This was an occasion not only to celebrate this driving mentality amongst our carer communities, but also to celebrate the achievements that will ultimately make a difference to project implementation in years to come.

I just want to finish on a brief reflective note. This week's activities were the essence of what our work here at MATA is about – awareness-raising through events is a critical underpinning to progress. Unfortunately though, the full programme and organisation required left us no time to prepare the TB Reach funding proposal we hoped to submit on Friday. While this is disappointing, there are so many opportunities to apply for exciting funding streams, both international and local, and we intend to knock on as many open doors as possible. Watch this space!

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