Williams in Africa (WiA)
Williams College, through the Academic Office of its Multicultural Centre, and
Dr Mitchell Besser '76 (Founder and Director of the Mothers Programs, in Africa
and other parts of the world) has recently established The Williams in Africa
(WiA) Program. There will be a Q&A session for all interested students about
WiA at the MCC in February.

WiA will support the following 3 distinct opportunities for Williams students
and graduates:
1. The WiA One Year Post-Graduate Fellowship
(Applications for this fellowship for 2006-2007 are being considered now.
Information provided below).
A one year fellowship will be provided to the successful post-graduate candidate
to work for a year for The Mothers' Programme in Cape Town. The fellowship will
cover all travel and living expenses as well as provide a moderate stipend.

"The Mothers' Programme" was founded 6 years ago by Dr Mitchell Besser '76. It
encompasses a continuity of five programs that include:
Mothers 2 Mothers 2 BeSM (M2M2B), a peer mentoring program providing
educational, emotional and social support services to pregnant women living
with HIV;
Mothers 2 MothersSM (M2M), to address the special needs of post-partum women,
living with HIV and caring for new babies; Mothers' Creations (MC), an income
generating program for women living with HIV; and Mothers 2 Communities (M2C),
a house-to-house, community education and outreach program that promotes
prevention, adherence to therapy and destigmatization of the HIV infection.
Fathers 2 Fathers (F2F) recognizes that in order to make healthy choices, women
need the support of their partners. F2F encourages male testing as well as
education for men on prevention of mother to child transmission.
The Mothers' Programme at present runs over 40 clinics in all 9 provinces in
South Africa.

2. The WiA Study Abroad Program
Students in their junior year will have the opportunity to study at the
University of Cape Town for either a semester or a full year. One full Williams
course credit per semester will be an Independent Study, working for a Non
Government Organization in Cape Town. WiA will place students in NGO's where
there are needs to be met.

3. The WiA Summer Internship
Two internships will be available for undergraduate students wishing to spend
the summer in South Africa through the WiA program. Applications should be made
by March 1st to Professor David Eppel in the Multicultural Centre.
deppel@williams.edu

In addition, students interested in pursuing a project over the summer in South
Africa
, or elsewhere in Africa, can also apply for the Wilmers and World
Fellowships. WiA can then assist students in making contact and setting up a
productive relationship with an NGO to match the student's interests. Students
must commit to between 10 and 12 weeks.
WiA is identifying various NGO', who would have a position in which the
successful candidate would work.
In addition to The Mothers' Programme described above, they include:
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) founded by Zachie Achmat. TAC lobbies for ARV
treatment from government and from pharmaceutical companies worldwide.

Ikamva LaBantu
An organization which works with everybody doing everything.

Wolanani
An income-generating program founded by HIV infected women in Khayalitsha,
Cape Town.

OIL
Founded by senior high school students, OIL works with adolescents in the
townships around HIV/AIDS prevention.
There are many other organizations needing workers. WiA will gather the
information and place the successful candidate where there is most need.
Many of the organizations in South Africa have websites which provide useful
information.

APPLICATION FOR POST-GRADUATE ONE-YEAR FELLOWSHIP WITH
THE MOTHERS' PRROGRAMME.

Applications from the class of 2006 and recent graduates of Williams College are
being considered. The program will begin in July 2006 and run to the end of
June 2007. Applicants should include a CV and a brief 1-2 page essay explaining
your interest in participating in this program

Graduates who are interested should email their applications by February 1st
2006
to
Professor David Eppel
Academic Director of the Multicultural Centre
Williams College

deppel@williams.edu
If there are any questions, email David Eppel at deppel@williams.edu